Waag’s Theatrum Anatomicum was built in 1691 as a space dedicated to advanced experimenting, observing and learning. In practice, this often meant that corpses of criminals or other “undesirables” were put up on display for the public and opened up in the name of science.

Adriana Knouf invites the visitors to consider a more expansive realm within the Theatrum Anatomicum for xeno bodies, inspired by ancient Greek and Roman sculptures of bi-gendered deities. What does xen dream of in the Theatrum? reappropriates the space for queer multispecies purposes and invites people to understand their own potentials for xenformation.

By creating a queer response encompassing soundscapes, light projections, poetry, bioart, and interactions with the visitors, the artist will add another layer of meaning onto the building’s history.

Set design by Toni Steffens.

About the artist

Adriana Knouf, PhD (NL/US) works as an artist, writer, and xenologist. She is the Founding Facilitator of the tranxxenolab, a nomadic artistic research laboratory that promotes entanglements among entities trans and xeno. Adriana regularly presents her artistic research around the world and beyond, including a work that has flown aboard the International Space Station. Her work has been recognized by a number of awards, including an Award of Distinction at Prix Ars Electronica (2021), an Honorary Mention from the Science Fiction Research Association's Innovative Research Award, and as a prize winner in The Lake’s Works for Radio #4 (2020).