Anemone Valcke

In the research project provisionally titled Domestic Goddess/Imposter, Anemone Valcke explores the tension between iconization and introversion. Inspired by artists such as Chantal Akerman, Virginia Woolf, Cindy Sherman, and Beyoncé, she investigates how her body can function as a vessel for the many images of womanhood she has internalized over the years. At the same time, she examines how she can use her body to transcend her introverted and insecure nature—one that stands in stark contrast to both her public image and the prevailing idea of “the actor.” Can she elevate herself, Anemone Valcke, to the level of an icon—a meaningless image onto which others can freely project their own desires—and thereby escape her overactive self-consciousness?

The research is grounded in two movements: from outside to inside—the internalization of defining female images—and from inside to outside—the externalization and transcendence of self-awareness. This creates a dynamic based on the mechanisms of looking, the commodification of the (female) body, and the complex nature of authenticity.

Together with artists from various disciplines, Valcke is conducting a first-phase multidisciplinary investigation at Be-Part and CC De Schakel into the mechanics of looking, in order to further dissect and question them. Domestic Goddess/Imposter thus becomes a search for the right form—monologue, choreography, installation, or happening—to make these tensions and contradictions tangible.