Molenbeek's Youth Photograph Their District Against Stereotypes

The exhibition #Inspiring Art 1180 at Maison des Cultures et de la Cohésion Social in Molenbeek, Brussels, presents photographs by twenty local teenagers, all second-generation immigrants, invited by the non-profit Shoot4Change to document their neighborhood. The show aims to counter the simplified media portrayal of Molenbeek, which gained notoriety after the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks as the origin of many perpetrators. The images reveal a community striving to overcome marginalization and poverty through inclusion. The young photographers, born and raised in Belgium, express themselves in English and French, study at university or work in companies, and use art to articulate a desire for redemption. Shoot4Change, founded in 2009, now counts over 500 photographers who volunteer for social causes worldwide.