Ria Pacquée (B, 1954) has been researching the concept of “identity” since the 1970s. She does this using her own body as a tool: via performances and body art, as well as through recent installations and video works.

From her position as a performer, she takes a central position in her work - in front or behind the camera - without it becoming biographical or personal. She sees identity as an open and therefore dynamic construction in constant dialogue with the outside world. Pacquée is an outsider, she is only too happy to escape categorisation and its expectations. The project undermines the seemingly unchanging concept of identity in various ways.

This exhibition is a larger museum presentation in Belgium since a while. The Middelheim Museum is placing the work of Pacquée in an international contemporary sculpture context. The project not only contains new sculptural installations, a residence, and performances by the artist herself, but also a performance programme with guest artists Suchan Kinoshita (JP, 1960), Tsubasa Hori (JP, 1976), Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen (PH, 1970) and Minja Gu (KOR, 1977). Le Tag (200m), which Joëlle Tuerlinckx created for Skulptur Projekte Münster 2017, will be reperformed on the occasion of the exhibition. Pacquée's work also engages in a dialogue with work from the collection of the Middelheim Museum by Luc Deleu, John Körmeling and Louise Lawler.

Ria Pacquée not only challenges her own body, but also that of the visitors and artists in and around her project. Never before has an artist been literally present in the museum for so long. Her residency on the island in the middle of the park pond is therefore the chance to see her live, because her performances are intuitive, direct and ephemeral.

Artists: Ria Pacquée