A workshop on Alter Ego’s
Artists: Ina Darakchieva, Philippine Hoegen, Sohrab Kashani and Nika van Woenzel
An alter ego is another version of you—someone you sometimes want to be. This version might look, talk, and act differently, but it’s still you! It’s like trying on a new character to see the world in a new way.
Many artists, like Beyoncé and the writer Elena Ferrante, use, or are, alter egos. Ina Darakchieva, Philippine Hoegen, Sohrab Kashani and Nika van Woenzel are four performance artists who explore this idea in different ways: as social commentary, creative expression, coping strategies, art therapy, research, or political refuge. We’ve had amazing experiences with our alter egos and find that they help us understand things better.
In the upcoming evening event, we’re excited to share this technique with anyone interested—no art experience is necessary! A safe and welcoming space is created, where you will be guided through finding and practicing your own alter ego.
Date:
29 November 2024
Time:
6 – 8PM
Location:
Marres, Maastricht
Language:
English
Ina Darakchieva
Ina Darakchieva creates an alter ego that defies traditional gender norms and challenges societal definitions. Using digital glitches and data moshing, Ina distorts their image to explore identity. They also experiment with drag makeup and bold fashion, incorporating these into daily life to see how aesthetics influence personality.
Philippine Hoegen
In her doctoral research Performing Working*, Philippine Hoegen explores the connection between work and performance. She asks who we are when we work versus when we don’t or can’t, focusing on the value of hidden and unwaged labor and the invisibility of those who do it. Previously, she used an alter ego named David to investigate different versions of the self. Now, she’s developing a new alter ego to explore work refusal and identity in a possible post-work society.
*This research is part of a Professional Doctorate project at HKU (University of the Arts Utrecht), launched in 2023.
Sohrab Kashani
Sohrab Kashani explores space, body, and perception, focusing particularly on the self in relation to others, and on themes of agency and community. His different personas include ‘Super Sohrab’, a satirical superhero who uses humor and embraces failure in everyday life, and ‘the Museum of Sohrab’, a living museum filled with objects, documents, memories, and feelings.
Nika van Woenzel
As a visual artist and game therapist, Nika van Woenzel makes connections between art and psyché. In her work, she starts from people’s singularity and investigates what a person needs to secure and develop it. Within this project, Nika explores the function of the alter ego and how it is created from a person’s singularity.
