BIO

Born and bred in Belgium, my life, interests and careers have led me to visit, work and live, across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

A longtime resident of Tel Aviv, where I wrote books, sold agricultural projects, danced and taught Political Science (not necessarily in that order or at the same time), I could not but be enthralled and inspired by its vibrant and colourful streetart scene.

I started photographing the walls and street scenes of Tel Aviv in 2008. I have carried that passion wherever I have been to since then, and have gathered quite a telling collection.

Each wall has a story to tell, each tag, each sticker its own claim, political but also personal. The 2011 uprisings in the MENA saw the artform take a leap on the international scene, but long before that artists like JR and Banksy, through their art and wit, were already forcing the world to look and face issues too easy to ignore. 

Graffiti is by nature ephemeral and the only way one can keep a trace of the art is by photographing it. As a streetat photographer I feel I help keep those messages alive. It is a bit like being a keeper of the parallel History, All those little stories of the big History. The streets where movements are born but which are omitted in history books. 

AleXS is a published author, both in fiction and academic works.

She pursues her writing career from Europe where she is working on her next book and academic research on Art & Terror.

Prousting it ...

What is your greatest fear? Death

What is your current state of mind? Pregnant

What is your favourite occupation? Reading

What historical figure do you most identify with? Rosa Parks

Which living person do you most admire? Béjart …who is kept alive through his works

Who is your favourite fictional hero? Snoopy

Who are you real-life heroes? Kind people

What is your most treasured possession? My books

When and where were you happiest? Gabon

What is your most obvious characteristic? No nonsense 

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Intolerance

What is the trait you most deplore in others? Self-pity

What is your greatest extravagance? Dancing like there is no tomorrow.

What is your favourite journey? The next one

What do you most dislike about your appearance? My teeth

What do you consider the most over-rated virtue? Courage

On what occasion do you lie? To protect someone else

Which words or phrases do you most over-use? Think!

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Get a Poker face

What do you consider your greatest achievement? My daughters

Where would you like to live? Portugal

What is the quality you most admire in a man? Loyalty

What is the quality you most admire in a woman? Forgiveness

What is it you most dislike? Anything fake

What do you value most in your friends? Their ears

How would you like to die? Quickly

If you were to die and come back as a person or an animal, what do you think it would be? Feline

If you could choose an object to come back as, what would you choose? Computer

What is your motto, the words you live by or that mean a lot to you? “C’est comme ça!”

Who has been the greatest influence on you? Eli