Children of Zeus ‘Mythical whispers of the Diaspora’
“A journey through forgotten Lemurian realms, summon the erotic spirits of Sulis, and bathe in the shadow of the dark moon. Cross the Western Gate into the ancestral beyond, scented with myths and nostalgia.”
Children of Zeus is a living exhibition that reimagines human relations with the body, nature, technology, and spirituality through a queer, decolonial lens. In this world drawing from Greek mythology, Zeus represents the dominant patriarchal order while his "children" embody a new generation moving beyond binaries, fixed identities, and colonial structures. This project transforms mythology into a living landscape that explores queer ecology.
Robin Nimanong and Valentina Gal, two artists deeply engaged with the relationship between nature and the digital, create an immersive space where sculpture, installation, body and performance merge into a symbiotic dialogue.
This living exhibition builds on Valentina's earlier work Troubled Waters (2024), where 3D-printed water lilies floated in a digital-physical basin and continues the exploration of ecological tension and digital "authenticity." It also draws from Nimanongs 'Cyborg DNA' (2023 in collaboration with Lux Nautilus), which investigated technology through the lens of queer ecology (Donna Haraway).
With this background knowledge, Children of Zeus stages the body as a site of resistance and transformation, supported by queer theory, BIPOC perspectives, and meditation. Nimanong previous work experience with Marina Abramovic (2024), serves as a huge inspiration. Addressing themes like presence and the limitations of body and mind. Ultimately, Children of Zeus is an intuitive journey, an embodied call towards a more fluid future, questioning western culture and lifestyle.
The premiere of Children of Zeus will take place in May 2026 at Bellevue, Amsterdam.
Credits
Scenography and sculptures, Visual Artist, cocreator: Valentina Gal
Performers: Qiqi (Qiyun Zheng), Fleur van der Schaaf, Robin Nimanong
Residency 1 Huis Conny Janssen danst
Residency 2 Pleintheater
Residency 3 Hollandse Luchten
What You See Festival - work in progress
Dramaturgy: Suzy Blok
Coach 2024-2026: Hildegard Draaijer, DOX
Research movement and ballroom artist: Shiva Mugler
Artistic research, dramaturgic support: Sophie Cohlen & Dovilee Krutulytė.
Make up art developed with: Sharmila Gabbana
Music: Guenter Raler, Nils Davidse, Robin Nimanong; work in progress
Creative producer, Choreographer, Artistic direction and concept: by Robbeduz, (Robin Nimanong).
Inspired by Troubled Waters from Valentina Gal
& Cyborg DNA by Nimanong and Lux Nautilus
Special thanks to Mariko and Erik Spruijtjes, and Conny Janssen.
Filmed by MMMViideo (instagram personal: tremattia)