On May 3 & 4, Polish Canadian artist Ula Sickle takes over NW with a live exhibition merging choreography, performance, and visual arts. Sickle has developed an internationally recognized practice that explores movement as both a cultural archive and a political act. Her work, presented at major institutions and festivals, interrogates how bodies encode, resist, and transmit ideology.
‘A Choreographic Exhibition’ is not a retrospective but a work of sampling, where fragments of past performances—including ‘Free Gestures’ (2018), ‘Relay’ (2018), ‘The Sadness’ (2020-22), ‘Echoic Choir’ (2021), and ‘Holding Present’ (2023)—are edited, reassembled, collaged, and set in motion throughout the building.
A CHOREOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION, ULA SICKLE
📣 ONE WEEKEND ONLY!
📆 3—4.5.2025 13.00—18.00
📍 NW, Houtkaai 15, 9300 Aalst
🎟 Info & tickets via link in bio.
NL
Op 3 en 4 mei neemt de Pools-Canadese kunstenaar Ula Sickle het gebouw van NW over met ‘A CHOREOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION’. Op het snijvlak van beeldende kunst, dans en muziek onderzoekt Sickle hoe ideologieën zich inschrijven in taal en lichaam. Haar werk is te zien op festivals en in kunstinstellingen wereldwijd. In ‘A Choreographic Exhibition’ brengt ze performances en videowerken samen uit de periode 2018-2024. Geen retrospectieve, maar een samengestelde verzameling van samples uit eerdere werken zoals ‘Free Gestures’ (2018), ‘Relay’ (2018), ‘The Sadness’ (2020–22), ‘Echoic Choir’ (2021) en ‘Holding Present’ (2023).
Performers: Amanda barrio Charmelo, Sidney Barnes, Ewa Dziarnowska, Jose Funnel, Ashley Ho, Amber Vanluffelen
Costume design: Sabrina Seifried
Technical coordination: Ofer Smilansky
Production: Joëlle Laederach for Outline
Executive Production: Emilie Legrand for Outline
With the support of Flanders State of the Art, City of Aalst, Friends of NW, Outline
The works in Venice that touched me the most this past week had strong connections to liveness and to life outside the exhibition walls. I was naturally drawn to the many artists working with dance and performance but also to artists like Lydia Ourahmane who used the exhibition format to connect with different groups working in the city and to highlight the many social choreographies that impact it. Artists whose work is made with awareness of current conflicts and to the art workers protest in solidarity with Palestine that disrupted business as usual. These moments highlight the interconnected struggles that our work as artists is always embedded within.
Not all but some of what resonated with me:
Lydia Ourahmane “5 Works” @nicolettafioruccifoundation curated by @polly.staple@emogirl4 with among others: a pier built for Poveglia island and the collective Poveglia per tutti, a months worth of retired hotel bedlinen reflecting the industry hosting us
Some scenes from Venice and my travelling companions @savannahmarquardt and Markos Moschos
Egle Budvytyté “anarchy sings animism” trembling @lithuanian_pavilion curated by @louise_okelly@egle_budvytyte@godabud
Florentina Holzinger “Seaworld Venice” bombastic @austrianpavilion curated by @noralmes
Miet Warlop “it Never Sssst” @belgianpavilionvenice curated by Caroline Dumalin @miet_warlop
Álvaro Urbano “Disobedience After Hilma af Klint(Kalyan)” @pinchukartcentre exhibition « Still Joy - from Ukraine to World » meticulous crafting of a resilient weed from Ukrainian folklore
The first DRC Congo Pavilion! “Simba Moto, Sieze the Fire” with works by Sammy Baloji , Nelson Makengo, Géraldine Tobé and others. Curated by @nadia_yala_kisukidi from collectif Motto
Protests both inside and outside the biennale with exhibitions being shut down or works transformed, such as Tabitha Rezaire who anticipated the addition of the Palestinian flag in her handmade shell works
Collective readings of poetry for Palestine and beyond in front of Gabrielle Goliath’s powerful work “Elegy”
The Belgian pavillon shut down along with 25 other pavilions @angalliance
HOLDING PRESENT
13/14.03.2026
Le Vivier, Montréal, Canada
Holding Present in Canada at La Semaine du Neuf 2026. An important reminder of the power of building momentum together and the strength of human collectivity.
📸: P. Latour
#IctusEnsemble
La première de Holding Present à l’Agora, c’est dans 2 jours ! On s’y retrouve ?
Après avoir marqué les scènes européennes, la chorégraphe Ula Sickle et l’ensemble bruxellois de musique contemporaine Ictus signent ensemble cette performance où musique et danse se fondent en un geste collectif puissant. On a de la chance de les accueillir ! 🧡
🎟️ Il reste encore quelques billets ! Lien en bio.
Rencontrez Ula Sickle @ulasickle , chorégraphe bruxelloise qui a travaillé aux côtés de l’ensemble de musique Ictus @ictusensemble pour la création de Holding Present, présenté chez nous les 13 et 14 mars prochains !
Ensemble, ils signent une performance où musique et danse se fondent en un puissant geste collectif. 🎶
🎟 Billets en vente. Lien en bio.
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Meet Ula Sickle, a Brussels-based choreographer who collaborated with the contemporary music ensemble Ictus on the creation of Holding Present, presented at Agora on March 13 and 14!
Together, they deliver a performance in which music and dance merge into a powerful collective gesture. 🎶
🎟 Link in bio to secure your tickets.
Photographes : Bart Grietens, Ania Rosinska Luczak, Marin Driguez, Rasa Juškevičiūtė
𝗔 𝗹’𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 : Ictus & Ula Sickle - Holding Present | Semaine du Neuf
Holding Present, collaboration entre la chorégraphe Ula Sickle et l’ensemble de musique contemporaine bruxellois Ictus ensemble, est une performance où musique et danse se fondent en un geste collectif puissant.
Sur scène, sept interprètes - trois musiciens et quatre danseurs - partagent le même espace, brouillant les frontières entre corps et instruments. Inspiré par les mouvements de protestation passés et présents, Holding Present devient ainsi une réflexion scénique sur la communauté : un espace où la présence partagée, le rythme commun et l’écoute mutuelle dessinent une forme d’action collective.
Vendredi 13 mars | 19h30
Samedi 14 mars | 15h
Edifice Wilder - Espace Orange
➜ Infos & Billets : https://levivier.ca/fr/concert/saison-2025-26/ictus-ula-sickle-holding-present-semaine-du-neuf
Producteurs / Coproducteurs : Ictus & Outline, @ircam_paris , @centrepompidou et @ictusensemble . Coproduction IRCAM, Les spectacles vivants du Centre Pompidou, @concertgebouwbrugge , Perpodium.
Diffuseurs : @groupelevivier & @agoradanse .
Avec le soutien du programme d’optimisation fiscale du gouvernement fédéral belge, Flanders State of the Art, @lecalq , @conseilartscan , @conseilartsmtl .
Artistes : Ictus ensemble | @ulasickle (direction artistique, chorégraphie), @tom.pauwels.6090 (direction artistique, direction musicale, musicien), @amanda.barrio.charmelo (danse), @marie_goudot (danse), @mohamed_toukabri (danse), @_marinadelicat (musicienne), @rubenmartinezorio (musicien), @mike.ictus (musicien), @ofer_smilansky (conception sonore et éclairages), @sad_girls_bureau (dramaturgie), Joëlle Läderach (responsable de tournée), @lahaag (nouveaux instruments), Richard Venlet (scénographie).
Join us on January 22 for Embrace, an event in solidarity with Palestine and beyond bringing together many artists for concerts, performances and talks. 18:00-22:00 @beursschouwburg All proceeds go to Social Developmental Forum working on the ground in Gaza, supporting those most directly affected by the ongoing violence.
We will perform a special version of Relay starting outdoors on the Beurseplein from 18:00 and moving indoors with sound and lighting from 19:00-22:00 with a crew of new and old cast members:
Sainabou Johm @sainabou._
Nathan Ooms @ooms.nathan
Beatričė Zaveckaitė @bee__trees
Vladimir Babinchuck @v.l4d1m1r
Sophia Dinkel @sophiaclea
Amber Vanluffelen @am_j_v
Ashley Ho @asheyho
Live sound by
Raphaël Hénard
Thanks to @mohamed_toukabri@matthieu_c_vergez@annalenafroehlich for the invitation and organisation
Sharing an interview with Silvia Fanti that was recently published @nero_editions website. Thank you to Silvia and Daniele for the invitation to perform Relay at the Palazzo de ‘Toschi in Bologna as a new « Hole » event, an interstitial and communal format launched by @xing.it since 2021. Interview link in Bio.
Performance in Bologna: Amanda Barrio Charmelo, Sidney Barnes, Mohamed Toukabri and Ula Sickle
Live sound: Ofer Smilansky, original sound design by Yann Leguay
Photos by Luca Ghedini courtesy of @xing.it@amanda.barrio.charmelo@sidbarn_s@mohamed_toukabri@ofer_smilansky@outline.gram
• Xing presenta • Ula Sickle • RELAY • durational performance
giovedì 4 dicembre h 18-23
Hole 44°49'22"N 11°34'57"E
Salone Banca di Bologna - Palazzo de’ Toschi
Piazza Minghetti 4/D – Bologna
• In RELAY una bandiera nera fluttua in aria, tenuta perennemente in movimento dai performer per cinque ore consecutive, genera al contempo suono e coreografia. Presentata come un'unica azione continua, RELAY si ispira alle numerose proteste che si svolgono in tutto il mondo e in particolare alle marce polacche in difesa dei diritti delle donne chiamate "Czarny Protest" (protesta nera). La bandiera nera non può essere collegata a una battaglia in particolare: sfugge a facili interpretazioni. Il gruppo di diversi performer riuniti dalla coreografa si alternano in una prova di resistenza. I loro movimenti oscillano tra inerzia e speranza, resistenza e impotenza. Ognuno di loro si assume individualmente la responsabilità di mantenere la bandiera in movimento, ma è lo sforzo collettivo che rende RELAY un lavoro dalla decisa valenza simbolica.
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• In RELAY a black flag floats in continuous motion, and it is kept in motion by several performers for five hours on end. Its movement and the flapping of the fabric become both choreography and sound. Presented as a single continuous action, RELAY draws its inspiration from the many protests taking place around the globe, and in particular from the mass marches in Poland in defense of women’s rights called “Czarny Protest” (Black Protest). The black flag cannot be linked to one particular battle and hence defies easy interpretation. The group of diverse performers that the choreographer assembled relay one another in a test of endurance. Their movements pass back and forth between inertia and hope, resistance and powerlessness. They each individually take on the responsibility to keep the flag moving, but it is the collective effort required that makes RELAY a work with such symbolic value.
@ulasickle@xing.it@bancadibolognaofficial
#xinghole
NW takes part in RendezVous – Brussels Art Week, a city-wide programme dedicated to the vibrant Brussels’ contemporary art scene. At 20:00, we host a listening session of Echoic Choir by Stine Janvin, Ula Sickle and Raphaël Hénard. Blurring the lines between concert and performance, the work returns to the essence of clubbing: replacing loudspeakers with the pure voices of a choir. It stages the collective ritual of the dance floor, where sound and movement bring people together in the early hours of the morning. At 18:00, Lisa Vlaemminck presents a poetry reading, ahead of her upcoming exhibition Gut, opening at NW on 31 October.
📆 Saturday, 6 September 2025
📍Salon de RendezVous, Rue de la Régence 67, 1000 Brussels
NL
NW neemt deel aan RendezVous – Brussels Art Week, het jaarlijks evenement dat de Brusselse hedendaagse kunstscene viert met een stadsbreed programma vol galerieopeningen, tentoonstellingen, en exclusieve atelierbezoeken.
Om 18:00 presenteert Lisa Vlaemminck een poëzielezing. Op 31 oktober opent bij NW haar tentoonstelling Gut.
Om 20:00 volgt ‘Echoic Choir’ van Stine Janvin, Ula Sickle en Raphaël Hénard. Deze luistersessie brengt clubbing terug naar de essentie: niet via luidsprekers, maar door de pure stemmen van een koor die de ruimte vullen. Op het snijvlak van concert en performance onderzoekt het werk de rituele dimensie van het nachtleven dat mensen samenbrengt in de vroege uren.
🫶🏻 @rendezvousbxl@lisavlaemminck@stinejanvin@ulasickle
📸 Camille Blake (1) Dani Canto (2) Eline Willaert (3)
Some images from a workshop presentation following a residency at Vorres Museum together with Joelle Laederach @wang_consulting_ For Clay Bodies participants followed two days of workshop using clay in its different states. Pieces formed on the dancers own bodies were fired in a kiln so that they could work with their own ceramic objects the following week. Worn like a fragile armour, a second skin or bodily extensions, the pieces emphasised the fragility and resilience of the human body.
Clay Bodies explores movement research in dialogue with material practice, through practical experiments, as well as in dialogue with mythology and art history. The workshop was followed by a discussion with Savannah Sather Marquardt @savannahmarquardt whose research focuses on the relationship between land and burial in Ancient Greece.
Our conversation turned around the multiple relationships and resonances between clay and the body in ritual and daily life from ancient times to present day. From myths of creation, to the use of clay in burial rites, as vessels and containers, clay has been seen as both sacred and profane.
Savannah is an art historian and archaeologist in the department of art history at Yale University. She is committed to crafting a more expansive, inclusive and stranger vision of the ancient Mediterranean, producing stories about the past upon which to build more humane futures.
The residency at Vorres is in preparation for an upcoming performance project exploring ceramics, sound and movement with @maikagarnica@wang_consulting_@ofer_smilansky
Workshop & residency curated by Myrto Lavda
Residency July 2025 @vorresmuseum
Photos: @xristina_styl@a_kappas
Performers (seen here): @elli_trl@antivasi_emma@nefelik_@irinikoui@venetsiana.k@despoina.gkougkou@yavraji
Some behind the scenes images from our recent residency Clay Bodies at Vorres museum on the outskirt of Athens with @wang_consulting_ exploring movement and physicality in dialogue with material practice. As part of our research we held a two-day workshop with local performers. For the first session we worked with raw clay, shaping pieces on the performers own bodies and exploring task based movement. For the second session we worked with the fired pieces towards a small improvised presentation and installation.
For the firing, we were lucky to be able to meet and work with local artist Voula Gounela, who welcomed us in her studio and kiln. Our time at Vorres and the encounter with the performers and Voula was extremely rich. Many thanks to Myrto Lavda for the invitation, to the performers who joined us and to @vorresmuseum for hosting us.
The residency is a preparation for a new creation coming up next year with @maikagarnica and @wang_consulting_
Photos: @xristina_styl@a_kappas
