Suzan explores her artistic boundaries in the world of performance art

"Performance art, for me, is about seeking intensity and exploring boundaries. It's about feeling and sharing the experience, both with myself and with the audience." Suzan van Dijk is graduating with a performance from the part-time bachelor's course in Fine Art and Design in Education. She has extensively explored performance art in her work as an Abramović re-performer at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

imponderable: ongrijpbaar, onvoorstelbaar.

"At the Stedelijk Museum, I am one of the re-performers in the retrospective of Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art. Her entire body of work is displayed here, which is a huge source of inspiration for me," says Suzan. During the piece Imponderabilia, she stands nude with a fellow performer in the doorway of the gallery. They look into each other's eyes without interruption and hold each other's gaze, creating an invisible energy between them. That is "imponderable": something intangible, unexplainable. The energy is there, but what is it, truly? The audience is allowed to walk between the two performers. Suzan explains, "It's very exciting because do you dare to...? I always wonder who feels more exposed. I think it's the audience."

Finals performance ANIMA

With this experience under her belt, Suzan developed a long-term performance for her finals called ANIMA, where she works with clay. She shapes the clay, consumes it, spits it out, and smears it over her body. Her performance is inspired by the ancient Egyptians, who believed that humans and animals were created from clay. "I want to return to this origin story and explore all elements of life: animal, human, plant, and nature."

Showing more of yourself

During her studies, Suzan discovered a lot about herself, particularly through visual art practice. "The visual practice has helped me a lot. You explore various methods that you can make your own. You essentially turn yourself inside out. What was already there shows much more clearly. This can be very intense, as you are fully confronted with all aspects of yourself." However, as the program progresses, this becomes easier, according to Suzan: "You dare to show more of yourself. I think you can develop a lot if you dare to do so."

Learn more about the part-time bachelor's course Fine Art and Design in Education