Last weekend I participated in an event by @matchbelgium , between the hustle and the bustle of an art expo upstairs, live shows and DJ's downstairs, food being served, so many people, so much variety, there was a kind word to be had from everyone there. There were queers and queer queers, people of colour, different nationalities, all kinds of languages, females, non-binary, males, transgender and some who don't quite know yet where they belong. My attention kept drawing to Angelica Spinardi.
We were searching for connection, a careful dance we repeated several times and every step took us closer.
As a person coming from Latin America, living in Brussels, working as a tattoo artist, painter and performer, she showed the value of rare places like this. She sees movement as an essential part of life, and creates with her whole body, performing on stage, almost dancing while painting her fluid artworks.
We talked about contradictions, the burden and liberty of uniting behind a flag and how that flag should include as many minorities as possible. "It's important to be seen, to be heard, to have people listening, both as an artist feeling the audience and as part of an intersectional group. Visibility gives minorities a powerful voice. Although I'm an extravert person, I don't necessarily feel like I really belong anywhere." Listening to her made me wonder if belonging to nothing is perhaps not that different from belonging everywhere. In both cases you can look from the inside and the outside. You never quite see yourself as others see you. What we want to communicate is often much deeper, much more complex and subtle than the diluted words we use. After the performance Angelica said that she felt 'free to be', without the weight of others, no expectations, no need to be masculine or feminine, it was a cathartic experience, being able to create social meaning through art performance in a safe place.
Instagram : @penseesauvage__
Text by Biem D'hondt
Photo by Marijn Achten
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