The man with sad eyes or Wild Eyes
By Michael Helland

Volksroom curated by Ivo Dimchev, February 13, 2011 (Brussels)
Artpotheek curated by Ignacio Galilea, March 5, 2011 (Brussels)

The man with sad eyes or Wild Eyes excavates the palimpsest of materials written into the body of a contemporary dancer. After several years originating roles, exhibiting himself, and touring the world through the works of New York-based artists Big Art Group, Faye Driscoll, Marina Abramović, RoseAnne Spradlin, and robbinschilds, Helland takes a turn at unpacking this sediment to assemble a living archive and create a veritable product of his own design. Defining roles come back to haunt him in a precarious live performance obstacle course; a series of exercises in humility that threaten to thwart his presence. Character archetypes and identity clichés become musings for an accidental performance questioning notions of self-hood and propriety for a man searching for solid and familiar ground in a foreign land.

Photos by Ivo Dimchev