Els Vanden Meersch
(Ninove,
1970 )
Els Vanden Meersch dissects the relationship between politics, architecture and identity. At the heart of her art practice is her fascination with the architectural environment, which reflects social functions and relationships and carries a collective memory. In photographs, videos, sound collages and installations Vanden Meersch explores what happens when these shared memories become part of a political strategy and are forgotten or just glorified without reflection, particularly in conflict zones in the Middle East. In 2017, Mastering the Curtains earned her a PhD in Arts from the University of Antwerp in association with the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts. Her artistic photographic research shed light on the social potential of secular mysticism in Iran. Since then, Vanden Meersch’s work has included the creation of public space and other platforms for artists with a view to a more direct and wider social exposure of their practice.
