Radical Space: Loved2Death
Loved2Death is an ongoing artistic research project by choreographer Christian Guerematchi, in which he reflects on the fine line between cherishing and suffocating within interracial relationships. Drawing on his personal experiences as a child of colour in Slovenia, Guerematchi unravels the complexity of cultural erasure, the coldness of exclusion and the so-called double consciousness.
Location The Bookshop
Run time 60 minutes
Genre Perspective
Language English
Loved2Death
During a residency at MGLC (International Centre for Graphic Arts) in Ljubljana, Guerematchi was inspired by the book On Cuddling – Loved to Death in the Racial Embrace by researcher Phanuel Antwi. He went in search of a connecting factor between the white and Black parts of his identity and found it in animism. Animism is based on the idea that everything is animated, that the spirit is present in everything. It is a philosophy of life rooted in both Slavic and Central African cultures.
In Loved2Death, Guerematchi explores how both African and European animists have had to endure a forced “civilisation process” in which attempts were made to erase their cultural identity.
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The performance aims to disrupt and challenge. The audience is taken on a journey that asks: who determines the narrative, and to what extent are we ourselves responsible for shaping our collective truths? What happens when people take the liberty of shaping reality to their own liking?
Radical Space in The Bookshop
With the arrival of The Bookshop, ITA introduces Radical Space: an initiative that reclaims theatre as a place for solidarity, empathy and artistic innovation. In this space on Leidseplein, we will give a stage to diverse voices and perspectives, exploring the complex legacy of (our) theatre and its social impact.
Following successful programmes such as Keti Koti and City Talks, Radical Space focuses on pressing social issues such as colonialism, class inequality, sexism and transphobia. Here, together with artists, makers and thinkers, we develop interdisciplinary projects that provide space for critical artistic commentary.
