Jan Fabre's 'Belgian Rules' at Teatro Argentina in Rome

Jan Fabre's performance 'Belgian Rules' was staged at Teatro Argentina in Rome from September 30 to October 1, 2017, as part of the Romaeuropa Festival. The four-hour piece is a personal homage to Belgium, exploring themes of beauty, contradiction, and national identity through physical endurance and provocative imagery. Fabre, born in Antwerp in 1958, leads an army of fifteen performers, including Annabelle Chambon and Cédric Charron, in a chaotic parade that blends references to Flemish art (Rubens, Van Der Weyden, Bruegel, Ensor, Magritte) and contemporary artists (Marina Abramovic, Matthew Barney, Max Ernst). The work incorporates elements like beer, chocolate, urine, skeletons, and pigeons, oscillating between beauty and kitsch. Fabre's earlier exhibition of silicone human brains at Studio Trisorio in Naples is noted. The performance is less abstract than his previous work at Oriente Occidente in Rovereto, focusing on the unity of opposites and the instability of Belgian traditions.