Imaginairy Rooms - Fading sculptural bodies

The series Imaginary Rooms emerged in 2017 and marks an important

moment within Vanderhaeghen’s artistic practice.

The works were deeply influenced by the paintings of

Francis Bacon and his ability totransform the human body

into an emotional and psychological

presence.

What fascinated her most was the way Bacon translated movement,

distortion, and vulnerability into

something abstract yet deeply human.

That tension between figuration and disappearance continues to

resonate throughout her work today.




For this series, Vanderhaeghen invited dancers and close friends

to participate in a performative process

Positioned within a golden circle on a pedestal,

their bodies became temporary living sculptures

Covered in organic materials such as fireplace ashes, honey,

white clay, and other natural elements, the figures slowly transformed

through movement, stillness, and time.

The body became a surface of fading matter; fragile, tactile,

and constantly shifting. Through held poses and subtle gestures,

abstract forms emerged that questioned identity, presence, and the

impermanence of existence.

The resulting works exist somewhere between performance, sculpture,

photography and painting:

emotional landscapes in which the human figure appears and

dissolves at the same time.  

Fosbury & Sons Antwerp