Publications

The following article is a reU+2002ection of a conversation I had with Chokri Ben Chikha about his perspective as both an artist and a historian on the presence of colonial statues in the streetscape, iconoclasm, and the possible conciliatory role of the artist in this debate. The artwork is by the German photographer and visual artist Oliver Leu, who has been working on Leopold II, Congo and the continuous presence of imperialism in Belgium for ...

In the engraving, U+2018Ordre de la Procession pour la canonization de quelques SaintsU+2019 by the French Protestant Bernard Picart, we see a procession that marches through St. PeterU+2019s Church in Rome. It is featured in the intriguing book, Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses. In the text that accompanies the engraving, the author tells his readers everything about this spectacular event. According to the description, all the avenues of St. ...

When "All rise!" is being exclaimed in a courtroom, the attendees know they are supposed to stand up for the judges to enter. When these judges have made a decision at the end, the defendant becomes either guilty or not guilty. Yet, in a theatre hall, language lacks the specific coercive and punitive power to change reality directly. Nevertheless, lots of contemporary theatre and performance artists are implementing the stage to explore the ...

In this article, I analyse the ways in which Maria Lucia Cruz Correia, Rebekka de Wit and Anoek Nuyens rethink the relationship between performance and ecopolitics. With their tribunal theatre performances Voice of Nature: The Trial (2019) and The Shell Trial (2020), the artists strive to reconfigure the dramaturgy of the courtroom on stage and aim at urging the spectator to imagine new futures beyond eco-colonialism. In focusing on their ...

Hoewel de afgelopen decennia veel vooruitgang is geboekt ten aanzien van holebinegativiteit, blijft onverdraagzaamheid een probleem in Vlaanderen. De openlijke afwijzing van holebiseksualiteit zwakte af maar de impliciete negatieve attitudes blijven sterk vertegenwoordigd. Ook in het Vlaamse onderwijs is de inburgering van LGBTQ+- onderwerpen niet vanzelfsprekend. Acht op de tien Europese holebi-jongeren geeft aan te kampen met negatieve ...

Although historical research into twentieth-century theatrical tribunals is widespread, the recurring theme of justice in contemporary performance practices remains largely unexplored. However, an increasing number of twenty-first-century artists have begun relying on structures of the court. By creating theatrical tribunals, these artists try to create a space for an alternative jurisdiction. However, a clear typology of this tribunal genre in ...