Marieke Warmelink

Artist
Netherlands

RESIDENCY DATES

9 January 2015 – 2 February 2016

Marieke is an interdisciplinary performance artist interested in exploring ideas about the voices of minorities in relation to social structures, and questioning underlying socio-political topics such as structures of power, nationalism, gender, civil rights and intercultural communication. Her work is socio-politically engaged, interdisciplinary and involves the public in social issues, and combines a variety of disciplines including painting, performance, film and installation. It is also often site-specific and designed in collaboration with local communities nationally and internationally. Her humanistic approach is at times playful and uses humor in a creative way, thereby providing alternative ways of seeing and decision-making.

Marieke’s proposed to re-stage “Husband for a Day” project, collaborate with Balinese Woman for her residency in Bali. “Husband for a Day” is a project which Marieke staged in India in 2014 during a 5 week residency in Partapur. As Bali, a country in transition, filled with tradition, ceremonies and social expectations she would like to re-imagine a relationship where women can choose freely without restrictions. Together with the woman she strived to create and reshape moments of togetherness. It is the new bond between the women, and her, who enables her to get an insight in the women’s relationship, their values, wishes and needs in society today. The performance enables this without having to rely on language as a form of exchange. It is by sharing normal daily- life routines, which behold a level of intimacy, which she explored through performance.

After a while, doing observation in Bali, she found out that there were a lot of women working on construction works. Then, she adds one more project called KUAT (strong) working with several women in around Ubud and Denpasar.

Artistically she strives to combine performance with elements of theatre, film and installation, often working with non-actors and local communities. In her performances Marieke often offers an alternative system where she replaced a current form.

During the process she is focused on the personal aspect. She questions how people engage with a system. Then she launched a series of performative interventions, questionnaires and /or workshops. With that she open up a debate in which she encouraged participants to think about their own responsibilities as leaders of society using role-play techniques of improvisation theatre. Marieke use this method to bring hidden aspects of deeply rooted history to the surface and to understand the diversity of viewpoints.

The results of these performances are documented and became supporting evidence of her research rather than assumptions. It is her aim to portray the emotional aspect of these underlying assumptions. The documented material becomes a part of the final presentation. She presents her work cross-disciplinary, between different genres such as art, politics and science as well as during art venues and festivals.

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