Christine Verheyden

The strength of Christine Verheyden's work stems from the diversity of her education. She obtained Masters in Archaeology (KULeuven) and Egyptian Archaeology (Dutch-Flemish Institute Cairo) followed by a Masters in Dramatic Arts (LUCA school of Arts).

In her work as an actress and theatre maker, she is always looking for how to relate to the darker sides of life, without being judgmental about them. She does not shy away from confrontation and always tries to create the most genuine relationship possible with her audience. Without shame, she gives the viewer an insight into her characters.

In 2016, at the Jan van Eyck Academy (JVE - Maastricht), she explored the connection between Archaeology and Acting with ‘To Act in Art with Active Art’. Central to her art practice are always the title of the work, the working method and the material. For her, the connection lies in storytelling, energy and the use of rituals.

She created ‘the Art of Disappearance’ in response to her research question: ‘How to turn vulnerability into strength’? ‘Sometimes it Snows in Egypt’, is an individual performance about trust between two strangers. Christine transformed ancient Egyptian rituals into a ritual in the here and now. This performance played at the JVE, Watou, Black Swan Gallery and Showbox, Oslo. The special thing about this work is that it is timeless and can therefore always be played.

The ‘uniqueness’ in the art world fascinates her in the series ‘Let's.’ This involves three elements context, value and content.She undercuts this by focusing on the fragility between history and art.