This was WIPCOOP Antwerp 2025!
WIPCOOP landed in Arenberg again this year, where three Antwerp artists (/collectives) took the stage. Kaspy Ndia, Yvette Poumpalova and Gwendalyne van Erp & Deniz Polatoğlu each shared 30 minutes of their Work in Progress. They gave everything – they moved, surprised and made audiences laugh out loud more than once with their powerful, multidisciplinary performances.
*A fourth WIP, Where figs don’t grow, was originally programmed but was canceled last minute. Together with Eden, Zilan and Bora, we are exploring in the coming period how to further support and shape their trajectory.*
We kicked the day off with a brief introduction by Tine and Mulanga – including … you guessed it: delicious coffee, tea and cookies. Manu Moreau guided the audience through the program as the host. Victoriano Moreno (photography) and Thijs Paijmans (video) captured everything professionally. During the break, Aya Sabi & Dounia Mahammed inspired us with a pitch of Dit is (niet) de evolutietheorie van troost.
In addition to the private feedforward sessions, we have also gathered input from the public: during roundtables with Joana Rossi, in the in-between spaces with Enrica Camporesi, or through a “letter to the artist.” Which yielded so many new ideas, references, reflections – and above all, lots of warmth, support and motivation for the creators.
Merci to all the artists and their teams.
Merci to the crew at Arenberg.
Merci Joana, Enrica, Manu, Victoriano, Thijs, Aya & Dounia.
And merci to everyone who shared their voices, views or words, in private or directly from the audience.
Together we continue to draw the red line. See you in Ghent… our final stop! ✨
