Marriage Stories

Candidates

Karolien Boucquaert

Belgium I 1959 I karolienboucquaert@gmail.com This jewel is based on the long-term marriage of a middle-aged couple that was confronted with illness. This jewel tells ‘Accept my fragile and vulnerable heart and wear it close to your heart to feel my love, to take care for and support it.’ You can compare it, to a […]

Natalie Arsenow

Germany I 1977 I n.arsenow@hotmail.com Story 2, Brussels 1900 I partly chose this story because it is set in Brussels where I also live and partly because of the terrible times that we are going through in Europe at the moment. This is unfortunately, once more, a very recognizable situation, mostly for our neighbors in Ukraine, of […]

Mara Santos

Portugal I 2001 I marah.yati@gmail.com “Lady Lazarus”, is a beautiful poem written by Sylvia Plath about her suicidal attempts and the feeling of anger and despair. “The Suicide Bride” story, also explores this darkness inside us, and the feeling of emptiness and sadness that we feel after we have been wronged by someone, or ourselves, or just […]

Ivana Ranisavljević

Serbia I 1983 I ivkerivke@gmail.com VIDEO PERFORMANCE … My Memory of the Future My mother was preparing me for leaving home, for marriage, for a wedding in a white dress. I resisted her attempts to make a good, submissive girl out of me. Her efforts were rewarded after her death when I became a mother myself. […]

Paul van Beijsterveldt

Netherlands I 1955 I paulbeijs@outlook.com Weathered hands in ceramics reaching for each other with the middle finger. Not a very abstract work but rather “romantic”, in line with many wedding dresses. There are gold rings on the ring finger of both the left and right hand, elements that refer to the different situations in which […]

Rune Fonteyn Seidel

Belgium I 2002 I runi@skynet.be I love walking around and gathering objects that are usually considered trash. There is so much more to newspapers, plastic bottles and fabric scraps; they are simply part of our common idea of trash. If we could change this idea and give the word ‘trash’ connotations such as ‘useful’ and ‘beautiful’, […]

Polina Tarasova

Russia I 1996 I itsmeapolinaria@gmail.com This year I wanted to find a way to talk about war through my art because it’s my first thought when I wake up and the last one before I go to sleep. Women always played a significant role in the history of wars until nowadays, but I found out that more […]

Tijana Zoric

Serbia I 1994 I zoric.tijana1@gmail.com I was always fascinated by love and the strong bond between my parents, and the emotional bonds that form between two people. My sculpture “DNA” was inspired by the first story 1. “Just the idea that she will be mum to the first generation of Belgians makes this birth anniversary of Belgium extra […]

Stien Boogaerts

Belgium I 1988 I stienboogaerts@hotmail.com My parents got married in 1979, after meeting 5 times. The first time they met was on the farm in West-Flanders where my mother lived with her 7 younger siblings. My father was on a farm youth camp in the summer of 1978. Mother wanted to get away from the […]

Irene Oses Zudaire

Spain I 1999 I 2022105053@esad.pt This design is inspired by the need to break down the social barriers that the LGBTQ+ community still faces today. Based on the story of our protagonists “Two identical dinner jackets”, a double garment is presented, alluding to Jan and Filip’s desire to walk together during their lives. But it is also […]

Camilla Prey

Italy I 1998 I camilla.prey@gmail.com The work “I feed you – You feed me” is inspired by a letter from a wife to a husband. It is commenting on the tension of human relationship. The balance of a relationship between two people, narrated through a metaphor of the everyday meal ritual. Every action has a […]

Bárbara Morais

Portugal I 2001 I barbaraaraujomorais@gmail.com “Cracks bring luck 1990” – Story 16 – Starting from the symbolism and the content of the chosen story, It was selected raw materials that follow the idea of the story “Cracks bring luck” such as white transparent organza and a material commonly used in the hospital context, the medical bandage. This […]

Elena Mazneva

Portugal I 2001 I elena03.1977@abv.bg Consequences This artwork, shows the consequences of choices and mistakes, made by the characters of the story “The Suicide Bride”. The painting represents four of the faces in the tale. The future bride in the color yellow, the fiancée in red, the mistress in blue and her unborn baby in pink. The faces communicated with […]

Rene Stiegler

Austria I 1991 I renestiegler@gmx.net October storm 1981 This story, oh so contracting to me, the story of my parents which resulted in me. In their marriage and maybe so many all over society, they find many similarities. They are human, that is why. The psyche is something two-sided. You are never enough, you always find […]

Izadora Rojas Núñes

Brasil I 1991 I izadorachiara@gmail.com Story 13 touched me with its simple yet so essential message: True love. Fairy-tale stories deal a lot with topics that might seem cheesy at first sight but hold such timeless, deep importance if anyone thinks about it for a while. True love is a precious experience, to both love and be […]

Lora Abci

Serbia I 1999 I abcilora@gmail.com I never associated marriage with love, passion, or longtermism, on the contrary, I considered it an unnecessary sealing of a relationship, which will last or not, regardless of a piece of paper and the involvement of a state. Therefore, this topic seemed unattractive to me at first. However, in the […]

Ellen Vangheluwe

Belgium I 2001 I ellen@vangheluwe.net I have a hard time understanding marriage and the reasoning behind it. My own parents are divorced, and so are many others in my immediate surroundings. Growing up with this view has a big impact on you and on the life you want to live, mine does not include the need or […]

Celia Renée Meissner

Germany I 1997 I info@celiarenee.de My walk-in installation for “Marriage Stories” consists of two objects facing each other: A pew and a light altar. The light altar consists of a wooden box with a luminous front, which is covered by a centrally positioned white wedding dress. The bridal gown takes on the role of a saints’ depiction […]

Lana Zubović

Croatia I 2001 I lana.zubovic@gmail.com Marriage is really something special. It’s a contract between two people, a business contract. There is neither love in contracts nor in business. I learned from my experience that love is not supposed to have a price tag, it is unconditional. It is hard to judge what love actually is because every […]

Rune Gybels

Belgium I 2000 I rune.gybels@outlook.com The concept of marriage, in our modern western society, is one that mostly symbolizes love. I’m still learning every day what love means to me. Having spent several years with my partner, I’m being taught a lot about this idea. I know what I want it to look like and what […]

Charles Wartelle – Sentenero

France I 1999 I charlenewartelle@gmail.com Vestiges Every evening, at the stroke of midnight, Otto listens to the whisper in his ear. A sound, which comes to him each eventide since, tenderly flattering his skin from his earlobe to the base of his tanned neck. Otto had taken pleasure and habit in going outside on his […]

Helena Berg

Belgium I 2002 I berghelena2@gmail.com I am turning 21 this year, and I am not married, but I fantasize about it sometimes, and it makes me wonder… how will I end up? Throughout my entire life, I always had people telling me I look like my dad. And it’s true. We’re pretty much the same person. […]

Monika Stach

Belgium I 1975 I art@monikastach.com My marriage story is one of awakening. After I dawned my veil, it took a long time to take it off. I got wrapped up in it and didn’t even notice. I wore my veil for many years. It blurred my vision and hid me from myself. It shielded old life from […]

Aleksandra Nikolova

Bulgaria I 1997 I aleksnikolova23@gmail.com October 19, 1996, was the date of my parents‘ wedding, Natali and Aleksander. In the middle of the greatest economic crisis in Bulgaria, they were hustling for a living and thriving for a brighter future. My mother, a working independent 27-year-old woman and studying a career in illustration, wanted to be an […]

Constantin Prückner

Germany – Korea I 2001 I constantin.prueckner@gmail.com One swan is floating on the river creating waves while parting the water on its way. Sparkling reflections of colors created by the shining sunlight dancing on the waves are painting pictures in your eyes. So beautiful, I want to touch that painting. But I know when touching it I will […]

Mai Nácher

Spain I 1995 I maignacher@gmail.com A dress for thirty years, A love story made of practical decisions like that dress — taupe — she liked to say. Blazer and 3/4 skirt. She. A borrowed and too big suit. Him. A huge smile on both of their lips and a bouquet of pale roses. My mother didn’t marry […]

Ivana Kosanović

Serbia I 1980 I ivanakosanovic8@gmail.com When I was little and just started reading fairy tales with pictures, I came across a motif that was engraved in the depths of my being. It was the motif of a girl dying of grief. My limited life experience had acquainted me with sadness. But what amount of grief does it […]

Kitman Yeung

Australia I 1999 I yolkmoose@gmail.com This artwork is inspired by the overseas marriage story of my Chinese parents. They always told me that they married initially for ulterior purposes. My mother wanted to marry because she heard that the good energy from marriages can bring life and energy to one, she was hoping that this ‘happy’ wave […]

Estelle Arnauts

Belgium I 2001 I arnauts.estelle2001@outlook.be When I was 2.5 years, my parents got divorced. This, of course, did a lot to how I see ‘marriage’ now. It made me feel confused and estranged from the concept. Naturally, other people in my life were in (happy) marriages, but nonetheless did the concept feel like something that wasn’t […]

Milica Lavadinović

Serbia I 2001 I milica.l.2001@gmail.com A while ago, while reading an art history book, I came across a painting named “Mr. And Mrs I. N. Phelps Stokes” by John Singer Sargent. An Art historian explained how the painting became popular during the 50s with the rising feminist movement. Why is this painting feminist? In the times it […]

Noga Karpel

Israël – Poland I 1993 I nogakarpel@gmail.com “I’ve always been fascinated by wedding gowns. As a Jewish Israeli woman, I’ve grappled with the concept of a Jewish wedding and how its traditionally approached. While I admired the beauty of wedding gowns, the ceremony itself was less appealing to me. During my third year at the […]

Frank Helsloot

Belgium I 1955 I helsloot.vanroy@skynet.be It’s the end of September 1978. The weather is rainy, powerful gusts of wind distribute the raindrops unevenly among the wedding guests. The bridal couple have been looking forward to this wedding for a long time. The affirmation of their love for each other is significant to them. Just before the ceremony, […]

Erwin Marien

Belgium I 1970 I erwin.marien@gmail.com My marriage story ends or ends not Like a car crash that may or may not happen It’s the split second where it all depends on It is the moment that decides the next part of your life It is the cold wind that blows it all away It is […]

Marc Bernaerts

Belgium I 1956 I marc.bernaerts@telenet.be A dream image broken in the blink of an eye. Her eye image only sees two cacti and in their twilight zone a pregnant naked woman with her lover. Website

Marian Lesage

Belgium I 1958 I marian.lesage@telenet.be Cracks bring happiness Interpretation: Cracks do not always bring happiness What often starts with ‘the most beautiful day of your life’ is for many the beginning of harassment, humiliation, disappointment, abuse… Cracks keep cracking and chafing stains through heart and soul. Instagram

Jan Verhaert

Belgium I 1955 I jjr.verhaert@gmail.com The excitement is mounting. So much remains to be done to make this day a joyous celebration. Whether there was much sleep the night before and then the wedding night has yet to arrive. Website

Petra Gruiters

Netherlands I 1968 I p.gruiters@outlook.com I’m drawn to story 12: the innocent story of the bride (muse) and the dark story of the designer (artist). I like to show this contrast in my painting: the dreamy warm light vs shadows, sharp vs soft edges, saturated vs natural colors, thin vs thick paint, invisible vs bold […]

Sahar Zuher

Belgium I 1969 I saharzuher@outlook.com Born in the late 15th century in Ruthenia, which is now modern-day Ukraine, she was captured by the Crimean Tatars during a raid and sold into slavery. She was brought to Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, and eventually became a concubine in the women of Sultan Suleiman, who ruled the Ottoman […]

Katharina Bader

Belgium – Austria I 2001 I baderkatharina12@gmail.com Andromeda’s daughter The ceremony was in full swing. The people danced on violins paired with hymns and chatter echoed through the night. In the beautiful garden, resembling art nouveau sculptures or the floral background of the “prince of painters”, pale petals reflected the moonlight. Not a star hid […]

Hilde De Maesschalck

Belgium I 1961 I hilde.de.maesschalck@telenet.be VIDEO PERFORMANCE … When William and Mathilde first met on the Groenplaats in Antwerp, it was love at first sight. They both dreamed of building a new life among nature in Canada. Before their departure in 1926, they tied the knot together in the Sint Andries Church in Antwerp. Because they […]

Izabel Monnerat

Portugal I 2001 I izabelmonnerat@gmail.com Using the Story 20 as a reference, “Runaway Bride”, this project consists in my interpretation of the bride’s mental state. Given the information she was doubtful and decided to flee from marriage, I developed a look that represented herself freeing away from the marriage duties. The wedding dress is almost falling apart […]

Sophia Oberhauser

Austria I 1997 I so.oberhauser@gmx.at The old ladies have become rather quiet lately. Each of them seemed to withdraw increasingly into her own world and her own thoughts. You experience a lot in a human life. But with increasing age, a certain monotony had crept in. Their spouses had also all passed away several years […]

Renée Somers

Belgium I 1999 I reneesomers@hotmail.com Just the idea of her becoming the mother of the first generation of Belgians makes this birth anniversary of Belgium extra special. Symbolism in clothing is something powerful, we can see throughout history how many women made statements with their clothing without ever uttering words. That’s why the first story […]

Melissa Karabekiroglu

Turkey I 1996 I melissammova@mail.ru I am a 22-year-old Muslim female, born in America. I married to my husband, I married him because I thought that he was a good person. Not only that, but I wanted to break off the marriage when we were still engaged about 4 years ago because he was saying mean things […]

Raphaël Wu

Belgium I 1983 I raphael.m.wu@gmail.com In 2014, when Dapeng’s father was diagnosed with cancer and was critically ill, he had one wish for his only son: to get married and start a family soon. So, Dapeng and Pengyan decided to advance their wedding to fulfill his father’s wish before it was too late. Before the wedding, Dapeng […]

Lucia Femia

Italy – Peru I 1996 I luu.femia@gmail.com The first glimmer of spring started with the encounter of the two lovers. Xataña, she who brings the dew, and Quirllqi, guardian of the secrets of metals, met in the darkness. They danced, and their hearts tuned, agreeing in a mystic symphony. The smallest and most distant particles […]

Nicolas Himschoot

Belgium I 1994 I nicolas.himschoot@outlook.com The story “Old Love doesn’t Rest” emphasizes the importance of non-material things like values and love over the transience of material things. The composition is a subtle reference to the ornamentation on the back of a wedding dress. The use of plant motifs refers to the transience of material […]

Manon De Bruyn

Belgium I 2000 I manondebruyn00@gmail.com I chose the 3rd story, ‘the suicide story’. What intrigued me the most is the contrast of the banal and funny shape of the dress in contrast with the sad story. The shape of the dress invited me to start drawing right away. I want to translate this story into a tapestry. […]

Martin Kläs

Germany I 1955 I Martin.klaes@gmx.de A wedding, a bond for life can later become a ride through hills and valleys, sometimes prickly itself … Instagram

Walter Laureyssens

Belgium I 1965 I lauryssens.walter@gmail.com A natural setting, focusing on the meeting of the swan and the elf king Finnvara. The transition from the swan to the princess Nuala.

Svetoslava Petrova

Bulgaria I 2002 I s.p.1356790@gmail.com After reading the stories written by Mrs. Karine Huts, one of them stood out to me the most: “The suicide bride”. What would you do for love? How would you live without them? So many questions surrounding LOVE, but what is “love” itself? The truth is, even though most people understand the […]

Carmen Oya Viejo

Spain I 2002 I oyaviejocarmen@gmail.com Concept inspired by Story 9 “Old love doesn’t rust, or does it?” Perfection is a strong emotional trigger for me. Self-demand is a dual-edge quality that has the potential to corrode the soul. The objective is to find beauty in the imperfect. Instagram

Paulien De hornois

Belgium I 1999 I pauliendehornois@telenet.be Marriage? To be honest, what do I know of it? I am only 23, I have never been in a long-term relationship, and my parents were already divorced by the time I was three. In matters of love and marriage, I insist that it is important not to pretend everything is […]

Roos Van de Walle

Belgium I 2001 I roosvandewalle01@gmail.com Once upon a time, In a captivating video game, Player1 eagerly anticipated marrying the handsome Roger. They were engaged, and the wedding countdown had begun. Player1 dreamed of a joyous union, unaware of Roger’s hidden secrets. But when a mysterious non-playing character revealed herself as Roger’s pregnant mistress, Player1 felt […]

Maaike Moyson

Belgium I 2000 I s139522@ap.be Marriage, she thought, is when two become one. Two souls emerge. It sounds scary, dependable. Maybe marriage is not two becoming one, but rather two people becoming a team. To be together – apart and not in one form. It sounds too small for two people with their thoughts and […]