Camp, Kinging and the Future of Drag

What do masculine performances teach us about the body and gender? Why is Justin Bieber popular with drag kings? Why are drag queens choosing not to tuck anymore? And is the binary approach also shifting on the drag scene? Philosopher and DJ Maïté de Haan dives into the fascinating world of drag kings.

Maïté de Haan

essay 03.06.2024

i am not TRANS swimming in the sea

a plea for the abolition of masculinity

written by toni heemer under the influence of testosterone

toni heemer

artistic contribution 03.06.2024

Clara Furey – UNARMOURED (Kunstenfestivaldesarts)

Desiring dissolution

Recently, a notable number of artistic productions have centered around the theme of water. Montreal-based choreographer Clara Furey’s Unarmoured, presented at this year’s Kunstenfestivaldesarts, is one of those. The piece sets out to reclaim eroticism by investigating water, and specifically waves. Surprisingly, what is appealing about Furey’s handling of this popular theme is her refreshingly literal approach.

Dagmar Teurelincx

review 28.05.2024

Diderot’s Tears

Sharing is caring. Or is it? Theatre is increasingly taking the form of therapy: a safe, transparent space where healing, softness, a sense of shared suffering and uberpersonal trauma take centre stage. But how do you write about performances that are so close to the skin of their creators that any critical distance seems virtually impossible? And is there a risk of confusing art with care? These questions were on Charlotte De Somviele’s mind after seeing Malinconico by Par Hasard, Alabama by Fien Leysen and (v) by De Nwe Tijd.

Charlotte De Somviele

essay 27.05.2024

Marcus Lindeen & Marianne Ségol – Memory of Mankind (Kunstenfestivaldesarts)

A dialogic theatre from depressed dinosaurs

In a salt mine in the Austrian Alps lies an archive created by ceramist Martin Kunze, called The Memory of Mankind – a back-up of all human knowledge on ceramic plates. What do we want to preserve for the future? And who gets the authority to decide that? In their new performance, Swedish theatre maker Marcus Lindeen and French dramaturge Marianne Ségol ingeniously interweave Kunze’s project with the story of a queer archeologist and a couple that is confronted with amnesia.

Caroline Lee-Jeong

review 27.05.2024

Carolina Bianchi & Carolina Mendonça – We do not comfortably contemplate the sexuality of our mothers (Kunstenfestivaldesarts)

I met Hydra in a damp cinema

This performance was commissioned by the Kunstenfestivaldesarts to commemorate legendary Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman and her oeuvre. Carolina Bianchi and Carolina Mendonça, both Brazilian, ran into many conundrums when given this task. Talking about the artist through the lens of their art overshadows them, says Bianchi. She explains that by engaging with the artist’s work we mistakenly think that we understand them, that we know how they think. It can happen that the art exhibits apathy to something the artist believes in, like, in Akerman’s case, romantic love.

Ugnė Noreikė

review 24.05.2024

Toshiki Okada/Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus – Homeoffice

A Contemporary Ghost Tale of Hyper-(Dis)-Connection

“Remote work,” “telecommuting,” “digital nomadism” — paradisiacal conditions promising flexibility, freedom, and the coveted attainment of work-life balance. But is it truly so? Toshiki Okada’s new play at the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus unfolds as a ghost story that dares to turn into a musical, where we can find ourselves as the protagonists.

Luca Domenico Artuso

review 21.05.2024