Words of the curator 2019
"To be manager of a collective with such challenging goals has been often impressive. It has been probably a crazy idea, nearly naive, to imagine a project made of 20 women who never met before and who would trust each other, creating uncompromising artworks about their intimacy. However, I am convinced that a project manager has to invent unreasonable rules in order to push everyone out of their comfort zone. Throughout this process, the artists can all come back to the roots of Art, an unknown world to explore together and not only individually.
The other challenge was to work (create and exhibit) only in 15 days. Finally, everything worked out in a sense that the audience has been participating actively, welcoming the concept of the scenography based on immersion and rituals. We created collective artworks where videos, installations, vocal performances, ecstatic dances, paintings, poetry, textile design were intertwined. However, it has been a psychological challenge for the artists. When they applied, they were excited to be part of a female collective who would work on the topic of "Intimacy". But as soon as they were confronted to the other women, they were not able to open up so easily. It has been interesting then to research new ways of integration, of communication among the collective.
I discovered as a manager of the project that no matter the country where you would come from. It's in the end challenging for every woman to work on their intimacy when they are facing others. We are so used to work solitary. Thus, working in a collective has been a violent experience for some members of the collective and a relief for others.
An Heroines experience is much more than an art residency and an exhibition project. It's represent a deep healing process for the artists, and for the audience as well. Together, they dive into unknown territories and shake their certitudes to open more their “enclosed garden”, what poets, artists, thinkers from Middle Age would call "Hortus conclusus", the close chamber of our psychology. I am thankful that IPortunus has supported this ambitious project. And the next session of Heroines will be in a new country in 2020. Follow our journey and see you soon! " by Celia Stroom.