Anatheistic Performance (2018) '30

The Anatheistic Path: Returning to the Sacred

Within Rotterdam’s WORM S/ash Gallery, Anatheistic dared to chart new territory. This naked performance was a radical act of return—a creative leap towards the sacred after the end of old certainties. In a world flooded with easy distraction, Anatheistic brought the focus back to the exposed, vulnerable body as the ultimate site of meaning.

Anatheism: Beyond Old God and New Possibility

The philosophy behind Anatheistic is rooted in anatheism, the “God after God.” Coined by Richard Kearney, this idea embraces creative unknowing. It insists that after the collapse of domineering, unquestioned beliefs, a renewed sacredness can still emerge. The performance becomes the wager: Will we welcome the divine in new forms, or meet uncertainty with hostility? The body, offered naked, embodies this wager.

Nakedness as Creative Resistance

Stripped of costume and armor, the performer’s body becomes a sacred remainder. No longer shielded by convention, nakedness reveals both fragility and power. Every movement, every glance, signals to the audience: here, honesty is non-negotiable. The act of undressing is also an act of creation—it dismantles the illusion that the sacred lies only in the distant or invisible.

The Gallery as Ritual Space

Anatheistic transformed WORM S/ash Gallery into a living altar. Rotterdam’s most innovative venue became a crucible for new meaning. Lighting wasn’t just practical—it cast the body as both vulnerable and miraculous. The gallery itself participated in the ritual. No participant—audience or artist—left untouched by the immediacy of presence.

The Performance Wager: Hospitality and Courage

Anatheism is never passive. It asks performer and witness alike to risk comfort, to extend hospitality to the unknown. Every gesture is a wager: to expect the sacred in what follows the deconstruction of old faiths. This performance placed the audience on this creative edge. Some entered with skepticism; many left transformed.

New Cosmology

Music and movement shaped a contemporary cosmology. The body became instrument, while live soundscapes recalled ancient rituals. Echoing the Music of the Spheres, each note and step linked earthbound flesh to the mysterious rhythms of the universe. The choreography didn’t just entertain—it invited participants into a new, sacred order.

From Vulnerability to Empowerment

Nakedness in Anatheistic was not humiliation. Instead, it was a bold claim of agency and trust. By standing exposed and unguarded before others, the performer reclaimed wholeness and autonomy. Vulnerability turned into a vibrant testament to the power of presence.

Documentation, Digital Ritual, and Enduring Legacy
Performance art is fleeting, but Anatheistic understood the need for permanence. High-quality documentation ensures that the experience endures beyond a single event. With optimized writing, strategic keyphrases, and visual storytelling, the work remains accessible to future curators, researchers, and seekers. Each digital trace is a commitment to the ongoing, living archive of sacred revelation.

Rotterdam’s Ground for Radical Creation

Rotterdam, home to experimental energy, was the only possible birthplace for such a performance. WORM and the MINT residency fostered the risk-taking and professional rigor that Anatheistic demanded. This performance stands as testament to the city’s role as a beacon for avant-garde art and creative bravery.

The Sacred, Here and Now

Anatheistic calls everyone to boldness. Whether faced with spiritual uncertainty or craving a sense of the sacred, the naked body on stage stands as hopeful guide. New beginnings require vulnerability. The divine, always unexpectedly near, waits for us to welcome it—stripped of past assumptions and open to the creative now.