Lucas
Vandecandelaere
After 5 years of working as a Fermentation engineer in Sustainable Agro and food biotech companies I want to pursue my other passion, Art. Through my last job which was a small start-up in Anderlecht called MAASH I learned very intimately what it takes to launch a successful organization.
On my own artistic journey I’ve always hopped from one media to another never settling on a style or tool. I love creating multi-media pieces and using the breath of skills and tools I’ve picked up along the way in creative ways. Discovering and understanding a new media, tool or style brings me immense joy.
Creating Urban lighthouse is a culmination of the things I strive for in life:
Most of my friends and my partner are from a beautifully diverse range of backgrounds giving me a strong connection to the alternative scenes, diversity and inclusion stand are a priority for me.
In my creative process I take inspiration from the world around me but mostly from the people around me. Nothing gets me more fired up than creating a piece for someone else and giving it away. Deepening the bonds between yourself and others in the process of understanding each other creates a wonderful network of connections where people can be themselves and share openly.
Launching this organization I want to share that vision with the world and welcome you aboard with open arms.
Layla
Samara
I am a Palestinian visual artist and writer based in Belgium. As a political refugee, my art practice has been shaped by displacement, structural marginalisation, and reclamation. I am an alumna of KU Leuven with two Master's degrees. Alongside my academic background, I have collaborated with several non-profit organisations and social enterprises within the queer and migrant community in Brussels. Working across these different worlds has convinced me that art is not separate from society but is one of its most important activities. My practice moves between visuals, writing, community building, and activism, using each discipline as another language through which to tell the same ethics.
I am the founder of LYL Artivism, a platform dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices in the city of Brussels through art and culture. My latest publication, Qantara, is an illustrated collection of folktales from the oral tradition of Palestine. The project seeks to preserve the living pulse of a culture under existential threat by recording stories traditionally passed from one generation to the next.
I believe that art is one of the most powerful ways of understanding and transforming the society around us and the world at large. It should not be understood as something to decorate our lives. Whether political or personal, art has the capacity to create empathy, challenge injustice, and imagine futures that do not yet exist. I am particularly interested in the intersection of art and activism, where creativity becomes a tool for dialogue, solidarity, and social change. My work does not seek to provide answers as much as it seeks to evoke feelings, ask difficult questions, and reflect on the concerns of our time. Ultimately, I see the role of the artist not only as a creator of visuals, but as a revolutionary and a participant in shaping a more just and compassionate society.