Anyuta and Kim married – without having a traditional love affair – to create a sustainable life community that requires Anyuta to be able to legally reside on Belgian territory for an unlimited period of time. The search for this ‘sustainable life community’ is the common thread of BETWEEN US. The medium of ritual, of a celebration, has stayed with Anyuta and – in response to her new nationality – she wants to propose a new project: BETWEEN US: verBELGingsfeest.

Unlike a wedding party, there is no set format for a ritual to become Belgian. That seems a shortcoming: it is precisely by consciously dwelling on important things that they can acquire meaning. In times of social challenges, such as the war in Ukraine, refugee crisis, climate crisis, pandemic… a sincere reflection on national identity seems an absolute necessity. To this end, they choose a rite of passage as a medium in which the audience and the artist mentally and physically experience the meaning of the words ‘national identity’ in a deep, intense way. This rite of passage includes the departure from the old identity on the one hand and the entry or initiation as a Belgian on the other.

During their residency at BUDA, they focus on the post-liminal phase. During this phase, the sense of unity, connection emerges. They work on the dramaturgy of the party. What does the “verbelgingsfeest” mean for the attendees? How does the background and nationality of the attendees impact the experience? How is the task of creating a sense of connection solved? What kind of space is suitable for this celebration?

by Anyuta Wiazemsky Snauwaert coaching Katya Ev, Steven Jolly, Liesbet De Cock external eye Kim Snauwaert coproduction KAAP, BUDA, workspacebrussels with the support of de Vlaamse Overheid thanks to De Grote Post

Anyuta Wiazemsky Snauwaert (RU/BE)

Anyuta Wiazemsky Snauwaert  is a Russian-Belgian artist, a graduate of the Law Academy in Moscow before embarking on the artistic tour. She then studied Fine Arts at KASK in Ghent. She is married with Belgian artist Kim Snauwaert.