After several residency periods at Transcultures dedicated to the development of “About Marie”, Rafael (an artist working between Liège and Seoul) returns to the Couvent d’Hautrage to explore a new stage of the project: its transposition into a performative form.
Initially developed as a video and installation-based project, “About Marie” grew out of the artist’s encounter with the memory of Sister Marie-Guylaine Delaissé, the last nun of the Franciscan Sisters’ Convent in Hautrage, who passed away on July 4, 2023, at the age of 99. Rafael first encountered this singular figure during a previous Transcultures residency devoted to his installation “Contrepoint”. The presence of Sister Marie, still perceptible within the site despite her absence, then became the starting point for a new body of work.
Through “About Marie”, Rafael develops a polyphonic and multicultural dialogue, from Saint-Ghislain to Seoul, bringing together narratives, voices, traces, images and memories. Rather than attempting to reconstruct a portrait, the project explores the ways in which a person can continue to inhabit a place and be recomposed through different perspectives, testimonies and imaginaries.
This new residency now opens the project to live presence and the temporal dimension of performance. Rafael is experimenting with ways of reactivating the materials gathered throughout his research within the space, connecting them with the body, voice and gesture, and allowing them to give rise to an evolving performative form of this presence/absence.
“Mirror, poetic, historiographic, portrait, voice, dissonance, cultural, temporal, random, digitization, memory…”
Rafael (Kr/Be)
Rafael is a Belgian multimedia artist whose work lies at the intersection of live cinema, conceptual art, and experimental music.
He has presented his works at festivals, museums, and cultural institutions across Europe, America, and Asia, including Tate Britain in London, the Oberhausen International Short Film Festival in Germany, Instants Vidéo in France, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in the Netherlands, Transmediale in Berlin, Vidéoformes in France, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, Singapore Art Week, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul.
His artistic approach, often described as “Live Cinema,” combines video, conceptual art, and experimental music, creating unique performances that are interpreted live in front of an audience. Rafael divides his time between Liège and Seoul, where he continues to develop his art and collaborate with other international artists.
His work has been praised by critics for its originality and commitment.
Check the article “Dans la polyphonie de Séoul. Conversation avec Rafael – par Philippe Franck” | Turbulences Video #124 (Fr)
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Le Couvent d’Hautrage
The Couvent des Sœurs Franciscaines d’Hautrage is an emblematic site whose history dates back to the 15th century. Founded in 1453, it housed for several centuries a religious community dedicated to prayer, education, and caring for the less fortunate.
The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, who resided there, followed the principles of simplicity and service to others, which are characteristic of the Franciscan order. The convent remained a center of spirituality and education for a long time before its community gradually diminished over the years.
Informations
- 07.08 > 20.09.2026
- Couvent d’Hautrage
- 6, Plade d’Hautrage 7334 Saint-Ghislain
Production
- Transcultures, Planned Accident
