Dries Verhoeven

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Dries Verhoeven
Dries verhoeven-1530106678.jpg
Born (1976-02-26) 26 February 1976 (age 49)
Oosterhout
Education Maastricht Institute of Arts
Years active2003 - current
Website driesverhoeven.com/en/

Dries Verhoeven (born 26 February 1976, Oosterhout) is a Dutch visual artist and theater maker working with installation art, performance art and public interventions. His work often addresses social and political themes and is frequently situated in public spaces. [1] Since 2020, he has been a member of the Akademie van Kunsten (Dutch Society of Arts). [2] Verhoeven resides in Berlin and Amsterdam.

Contents

Verhoeven is representing the Netherlands at the 61st Venice Biennale, collaborating with curator Rieke Vos. [3]

Biography

Dries Verhoeven studied scenography at the Maastricht Institute of Arts. Initially working as a scenographer, he collaborated with artists including Marcus Azzini, Cornelis de Bondt, Ira Judkovskaja, Michel van der Aa, and Lotte van den Berg. [4]

Since 2003, Verhoeven has created his own projects combining theatre, performance and installation art. From 2012, his focus shifted more towards time-based visual art, presented in galleries, theaters, and public spaces. [5]

Artistic approach

Verhoeven combines performance and installation art, often incorporating audience participation and continuous formats. His work addresses ethical questions within contemporary Western society, examining themes such as the impact of digital media, psychoactive substances, robotics, power dynamics between the Global North and South, and changing global hierarchies. [6] A cited description characterizes his work as aiming to "[unbalance] the visitor in order to evoke a shared vulnerability between the viewer and the viewed work". [7] Collaboration is central to his practice, frequently involving groups whose experiences relate to the ethical and social themes explored. Past collaborators have included shoplifters [8] , individuals with refugee backgrounds [9] , migrant workers [10] , recreational drug users [11] , and people experiencing homelessness [6] .

Work

Guilty Landscapes (2016)

Guilty Landscapes presents what initially appears to be a pre-recorded video of a location associated with suffering or conflict, but is revealed as a live internet connection. [12] A person at the remote location interacts with gallery visitors via the video feed, mirroring their movements. An accompanying essay by Dirk Vis interprets the installation as questioning the act of viewing suffering from a distance and examining the power dynamics in such observation, directing attention to the viewer's gaze. [13] The work received the Best International Performance award at the Fadjr International Theater Festival in 2018. [14]

Brothers exalt thee to Freedom (2021)

This continuous performance featured ten Bulgarian performers, previously employed as labor migrants, singing a historical labor song for eight hours daily in a setting resembling a robotized distribution center. [15] Work breaks followed schedules similar to those used in Amazon warehouses. The installation included an exhibition of the performers' living quarters, objects from various workplaces, along with video documentation showing the performers' perspectives on labor politics. The work was nominated for the VSCD Mime Performance Prize 2020/2021. [16]

The NarcoSexuals (2022)

The NarcoSexuals depicts a group of men participating in a chemsex party inside a replica single-family home. Visitors observe the scene from the outside through windows. [17] In an accompanying essay, Verhoeven suggests the installation examines tensions between sexual expression and regulation in the public sphere, portraying participants seeking vulnerability and connection. He poses questions in the essay about whether the participants signify a new liberation movement or a departure from earlier sexual ideals. [18]

WORK WORK WORK (2024)

In 2024, Verhoeven curated WORK WORK WORK at Frascati Theater, Amsterdam, transforming the building into a temporary museum for performance art. The event juxtaposed Verhoeven's Brothers, exalt thee to Freedom, with works by Tehching Hsieh, Ahmet Öğüt, Pierre Bal-Blanc, Anna-Marija Adomaitytė, Julian Hetzel, and Gosia Wdowik. [19]

Chronological overview

YearTitleCo-commissioners and venues
2003Thy Kingdome Come [20]
2005Trail Tracking [21]
2006The Big Movement [22] Theaterfestival Boulevard  [ nl ] (2006) and Huis & Festival a/d Werf (2009)
2007You are hereHuis & Festival a/d Werf (2007), Salzburger Festspiele (2009) [23] , Zomer van Antwerpen  [ nl ] (2009), Hebbel am Ufer (2011), SPRING Performing Arts Festival  [ nl ] (2020) [24] and Theaterfestival Boulevard (2020) [25]
2008No man's landHuis & Festival a/d Werf (2008), Theaterformen (2009), Hebbel am Ufer (2009), Festival Valencia Escena Oberta (2010), Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam & Frascati (2012), Call of the Mall (2013), Münchner Kammerspiele (2014) and Onassis Cultural Center (2014) [26]
2009Empty Hands [27]
2010Life StreamingUz Arts, Huis & Festival a/d Werf, LIFT Festival London [28] and Schauspielhaus Bochum
2011Dark Room [29] Münchner Kammerspiele (2011), SPRING Performing Arts Festival (2012), Festival a/d Werf (2012) and Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam (2012)
2011God zegene de greep [30]
2012Fare Thee Well!Hebbel am Ufer (2012) [31]
2013Ceci n'est pas…SPRING Performing Arts Festival [32] .
2014Homo Desperatus [33] Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch and Theaterfestival Boulevard
2014The FuneralSPRING Performing Arts Festival (2014) [34] and the Wiesbaden Biennale (2016) [35]
2014Wanna Play?Hebbel am Ufer (2014) [36] and SPRING Festival (2015) [37]
2016Songs for Thomas PikettyInternational Art Manifestation Hacking Habitat [38] and Festival de Keuze.
2016Guilty LandscapesSPRING Performing Arts Festival [39] , Foreign Affairs (Berliner Festspiele) [40] , Theaterfestival Boulevard and MU Eindhoven [41]
2017PhobiaramaOnassis Cultural Centre [42] and Holland Festival [43]
2018Sic transit gloria mundiSPRING Performing Arts Festival [44]
2019HappinessSPRING Performing Arts Festival [45] and NDSM-werf foundation [46]
2019The Silent BodyIn association with Vooruit under the title Animale/Rationale
2021Brothers exalt thee to freedomSPRING Performing Arts Festival [47] and art institute West Den Haag [48]
2022The NarcoSexualsSPRING Performing Arts Festival [49]
2023Dear beloved friend, International Theater Amsterdam [50] and Metropolis (Københavns Internationale Teater) [51]
2024Everything must goHolland Festival [8] and Nieuw Dakota [52]

Publications

Reception

Verhoeven's work has been reviewed in various publications. Critical responses often focus on his engagement with social themes. For example, Evelyne Coussens, writing in De Morgen about The NarcoSexuals, described Verhoeven's work as "always an exercise in plural thinking" and suggested it challenges categorization. [56] Anja Quikert reviewed Guilty Landscapes for Theater heute, describing the experience as "deeply moving and unsettling" and noting its focus on empathy boundaries. [57] Vincent Kouters, in De Volkskrant, observed that Brothers exalt thee to freedom used a "seemingly simple yet powerful image'" to distill "complex themes". [58] German theater scholar Theresa Schütz analyzed Guilty Landscapes within the framework of relational aesthetics. [59]

Verhoeven's 2014 project Wanna Play?, commissioned by HAU Hebbel am Ufer, generated controversy and ended prematurely. [36] The installation involved Verhoeven displaying his conversations from the dating app Grindr while inside a glass container in a public square. [60] Public criticism focused on concerns about privacy and consent related to the display of private messages. In response, the artist and venue suspended the installation after five days and held a public discussion on the ethical issues raised. [61] A revised version, Wanna Play? (love in times of Grindr), was presented by SPRING Performing Arts Festival in 2015. [37]

Recognition

References

  1. ↑ "Dries Verhoeven - Onassis Foundation". Onassis Foundation. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  2. ↑ "Dries Verhoeven - Akademie van Kunsten". www.akademievankunsten.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  3. ↑ "Dries Verhoeven selected as Dutch entry for the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia". Mondriaan Fund. 4 August 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Scenography - Dries Verhoeven" (A complete overview of the early scenography work of Dries Verhoeven).
  5. ↑ "Projects | Dries Verhoeven". driesverhoeven.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Dries Verhoeven". Bundeskunsthalle Bonn. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  7. ↑ "SYNERGY". www.stichtingsynergy.com. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Everything must go – Holland Festival". www.hollandfestival.nl. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  9. ↑ Chatziprokopiou, Marios (1 October 2017). "Hosting the lament(s) of Others? Tensions and antinomies in Dries Verhoeven's No Man's Land". Journal of Greek Media & Culture. 3 (2): 161–176. doi:10.1386/jgmc.3.2.161_1 – via Intellect.
  10. ↑ "'Brothers, exalt thee to freedom!' – Dries Verhoeven and ten Bulgarian collaborators". Metropolis M (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  11. ↑ Mey (7 June 2023). "The NarcoSexuals". KANAL — Centre Pompidou — Brussels. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Tay, Rachel (1 September 2017). "Review: SIFA 2017's Guilty Landscapes III Is A Pointed Examination of the Politics of Seeing". City Nomads. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  13. ↑ Vis, Dirk. "Guilty Landscapes - Episode 3: Homs" (PDF). driesverhoeven.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  14. ↑ "36th Fajr Theater Festival names winners". Mehr News Agency. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  15. ↑ "West Den Haag: Thuistezien". www.westdenhaag.nl. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  16. ↑ "Nominaties Mimeprijs 2020/2021". VSCD (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  17. ↑ Van der Putt, Francien. "Recensie The NarcoSexuals door Dries Verhoeven". Theaterkrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  18. ↑ Verhoeven, Dries. "Such a longing for intimacy" (PDF). Studio Dries Verhoeven.
  19. ↑ "Frascati and Dries Verhoeven open museum for performance art". www.frascatitheater.nl. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  20. ↑ Loon, Linda van (13 August 2005). "Verslag van Boulevard 2005 - Cultureel dwalen en vermaakt worden". 8weekly.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  21. ↑ Takken, Wilfred (24 May 2005). "Weldadige treinreis door droomwereld". NRC (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  22. ↑ Weegh, Ellen op de (13 August 2006). "Verslag van theaterfestival Boulevard 2006 - Multidisciplinair zwerven op Bossche Boulevard". 8weekly.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  23. ↑ "You Are Here - Salzburg Festival". Salzburg Festival.
  24. ↑ "U bevindt zich hier (You are here)". Spring Festival. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  25. ↑ "Dries Verhoeven keert terug met 'U bevindt zich hier', Archief, Theaterfestival Boulevard". Theaterfestival Boulevard (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  26. ↑ "FFF1 | No Man's Land". Onassis. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  27. ↑ Kouters, Vincent (29 November 2010). "Zonder blozen de fragiliteit van leeftijd tentoonspreiden".
  28. ↑ "2010". LIFT. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  29. ↑ Stadler, Michael. "Dunkelkammer (UA) – In München lässt Dries Verhoeven das Publikum mit Blinden sehen". nachtkritik.de (in German). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  30. ↑ "Recensie God zegene de greep door Dries Verhoeven". Theaterkrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  31. ↑ "Hebbel am Ufer and raumlaborberlin present The World is Not Fair - Announcements". e-flux. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  32. ↑ "Ceci n'est pas…". Spring Festival. 23 January 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  33. ↑ Westerlaken, Nell. "Hoop op de mieren". De Volkskrant .
  34. ↑ "De uitvaart". Spring Festival. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  35. ↑ "Asylum of the Tired European". Kulturstiftung des Bundes.
  36. 1 2 "Wanna Play?". Hebbel am Ufer. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  37. 1 2 "Wanna Play? (love in times of Grindr)". Spring Festival. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  38. ↑ "Dries Verhoeven | Hacking Habitat | Exhibition | Utrecht". Hacking Habitat. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  39. ↑ "Guilty Landscapes, episode I". Spring Festival. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  40. ↑ "Dries Verhoeven". www.berlinerfestspiele.de. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  41. ↑ "Guilty Landscapes (episode IV) - Dries Verhoeven". MU hive. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  42. ↑ "FFF4 | Phobiarama". Onassis. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  43. ↑ "Phobiarama – Holland Festival". hollandfestival.nl. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  44. ↑ "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi". Spring Festival. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  45. ↑ "Happiness". Spring Festival. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  46. ↑ "Happiness | NDSM". www.ndsm.nl. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  47. ↑ "Broeders verheft u ter vrijheid". Spring Festival. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  48. ↑ "West Den Haag > projects > Dries Verhoeven". www.westdenhaag.nl. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  49. ↑ "The NarcoSexuals". Spring Festival. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  50. ↑ "Dear beloved friend". Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  51. ↑ Metropolis (6 June 2023). "Dear Beloved Friend by Dries Verhoeven & Kininso Koncepts". Metropolis. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  52. ↑ "Nieuw Dakota". www.nieuwdakota.com. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  53. ↑ Takken, Wilfred; van der Jagt, Marijn; van Wieringen, Han; Idir, Mehdi (2009). Robers, Janneke (ed.). 80 cm away from you: voorstelingen 2002 - 2009 (in English and Dutch). Translated by Pond, Susan; Martens, Tom. Utrecht: Dries Verhoeven. ISBN   978-90-90-24300-9.
  54. ↑ Verhoeven, Dries; Hoffmann, Rainer; van Heuven, Robbert; Dobričić, Igor; Popelier, Willem (2016). van Twillert, Harmen (ed.). Scratching where it hurts = krabben waar het pijn doet: Dries Verhoeven, works 2012-2015. Utrecht: Studio Dries Verhoeven. ISBN   978-90-824737-0-4. OCLC   984696790.
  55. ↑ Bleeker, Maaike; Coussens, Evelyne; Weijts, Christiaan; Verhoeven, Dries (2020). In Doubt: Studio Dries Verhoeven. Bielefeld: Kerber Verlag. ISBN   978-3-7356-0646-4.
  56. ↑ Coussens, Evelyne. "'The NarcoSexuals' is een morele mindfuck" (PDF). De Morgen .
  57. ↑ Quickert, Anja. "Abschied mit «Uncertainty»" (PDF). driesverhoeven.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  58. ↑ Kouters, Vincent. "Een raadselachtige installatie van Dries Verhoeven of de moderne werkende mens". De Volkskrant .
  59. ↑ Schütz, Theresa. "Immersive guilt factories" (PDF). driesverhoeven.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  60. ↑ Forbes, Alexander (2 October 2014). "Artist Uses Grindr to Make Pancakes". Artnet News. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  61. ↑ "Public discussion with Dries Verhoeven about "Wanna Play?"". HAU Hebbel am Ufer. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  62. ↑ "Cultuurfonds Talentprijs Charlotte Köhler - het Cultuurfonds". www.cultuurfonds.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  63. ↑ Peter, Anne. "Salzburger Young Directors Award 2009 für Dries Verhoeven". nachtkritik.de (in German). Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  64. ↑ "Mime / Performance prijs". Nederlands Theater Festival (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  65. ↑ "36th Fajr Theater Festival names winners". Mehr News Agency. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  66. ↑ "Cultuurprijs - Fentener van Vlissingen Fonds". fentenervanvlissingenfonds.nl. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
  67. ↑ "Golden Calves awarded at Netherlands Film Festival 2023". Nederlands Film Festival. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
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