Miet Warlop
Miet Warlop (b. 1978, Torhout, Belgium, lives and works in Brussels) is a performance artist known for her deeply interdisciplinary work. Her work blends theatre, dance, and visual arts, creating immersive and unexpected experiences. For twenty years, Warlop has made the interplay of visual and performing arts her feeding ground and field of action. Her work is associated with the stage, but always starts from something material and tangible, from her studio. Experiments with plastic materials and physical boundaries are inextricably linked.
Warlop earned a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. When she won the prize for young talent at Theater aan Zee in Ostend in 2004, there was slight consternation. How could a visual artist with no theatre training win a theatre award? She used the prize money to continue developing her path, gaining attention with projects like SPORTBAND / Afgetrainde Klanken and Springville, which have toured worldwide.
In 2014, she set up her own production company: Miet Warlop / Irene Wool vzw. She was an artist-in-residence at CAMPO, Beursschouwburg and NTGent. Notable performances include Mystery Magnet, a playful, liberating fantasy world of action painting which won the Stückemarkt Theatertreffen Prize in Berlin, and Fruits of Labor, which premiered at Kunstenfestivaldesarts in 2016. She has also presented her work at leading art institutions such as BOZAR (Brussels), KW Institute (Berlin), and the Palais de Tokyo (Paris).
In 2021, she was invited by WIELS as part of the Indiscipline festival at the Casino in Knokke. Recent acclaimed productions include ONE SONG (Avignon Festival, 2022), a requiem of sport and music that was named one of the best theatre performances of the year by The New York Times, and Chant for Hope, a collective sculptural choreography channelling the power of language which premiered at the Dhaka Art Summit in 2023. Her new performance INHALE DELIRIUM EXHALE, an explosion of silk and dance, premiered at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in May 2025.
In 2026, Miet Warlop represents Belgium at the Venice Art Biennale 2026 with the exhibition-performance IT NEVER SSST. With this choice, the Flemish Community seeks to showcase the artist’s 20-year body of work, while also recognizing Belgium’s strong tradition of performance and interdisciplinarity. This presentation marks the first time that performance art takes centre stage in the Belgian pavilion.
“Miet Warlop is one of the most interesting artists today. Her exciting work has earned her a meaningful place in the landscape of contemporary art”
Jury report for the Venice Art Biennale 2026
