Bouchra Lamsyeh is a multidisciplinary artist ( dj/curator/dramaturgical doula) with a background in international public law and geopolitics. Over the years, she has developed a strong practice of collaborating with performers that critically examine issues such as access, positioning, and power dynamics within artistic practices. Currently, she is co-directing the artistic program of the Bâtard Festival alongside Sabine Cmelniski.
She is a Brussels-based curator, dramaturg, and activist. Engaged with dance and body practices since early childhood, she studied Choreography at the SNDO (Amsterdam). She created "Friends with Benefits," a platform exploring the notions of affective labour and friendship within the art sector, slowly infusing this artistic research into her practice as a cultural worker. Since 2020, she has co-directed the Bâtard Festival with Bouchra Lamsyeh and is the artistic coordinator of HIROS, focusing on artists' trajectory development. She collaborates closely with the ISAC choreography department (ARBA-ESA) as a teacher and mentor, where she develops tools for more “conscious” artistic feedback in collaboration with students. Since October 2023, she has been part of the collective Caddy for Palestine, which fights for Palestinian liberation through community and protest care. She has worked as a dramaturg and/or performer with Oneka Von Schrader, Danae Theodoridou, Jija Sohn, Parvin Saljoughi, Mercedes Dassy, and Netti Nüganen.
is an Argentinian writer and cultural worker based in Brussels. He studied Latin American History at the University of Buenos Aires and later obtained a PhD in Literature and Cultural Studies at KU Leuven. His work focuses on queer identity, imagination and fiction, affects, collective action and performance. Among others, he is the author of the short novel Scalabritney (Entropía, 2015) and the prized poetry book Del Principe Azul al Hombre invisible en una semana (EMR, 2018), and a collaborating artist in the collective The Place Where Clouds Are Formed, organising exhibitions in the US and Mexico to reflect upon borders, migration and belonging. He is interested in writing and cultural work as a way of creating and sharing knowledge in an alternative way.
was born in Nigeria and grew up around Africa in a culture-savvy family. She studied Communication/PR ( EFAP Lyon ) in France and moved to Brussels to pursue a Masters degree in Cultural Management ( Université Libre de Bruxelles). Since then she gained extensive experience in communication, human resources, management and music production working for Le Botanique, Vk/De Vaartkapoen and HIM Dub Festival in Portugal. Multitasker at heart, she recently joined the team as the administrative and financial coordinator of this year’s Bâtard festival.
A multi-faceted culture enthusiast and ISFSC communications graduate, her background in theater has nurtured a deep love of art and culture. She began her journey at Beursschouwburg and later gained event management experience organizing and promoting events with Decoratelier and Black History Month Belgium, as well as through roles at Kunstenfestivaldesarts and La Bellone. She now works as the Project Responsible for “Art for All” at Globe Aroma, connecting art enthusiasts with a newcomer background to the artistic scene in Brussels and Flanders through visits, meetings, and masterclasses. Her work fosters a community built on cultural exchange, co-creation, and storytelling. Outside of her professional work, she crafts jewelry and harmonizes melodies, but above all, she thrives at the heart of Brussels’ cultural life.
After completing her studies in choreography at the SNDO in Amsterdam, she decided to take a different path and learn how to code. After trying to live a double life for a while, she decided to fully commit to being a professional web developer. Over the past seven years, she has honed her skills, merging her artistic background with technical expertise to craft creative, immersive, and engaging websites and designs. She's always open to collaborating on innovative freelance projects, so don't hesitate to reach out.
Amelia Malfait Lakhtara (°1995, she/her, Brussels), is a Moroccan-Belgian theatermaker/director, scenographer/bricoleur. After some university wanderings; studying history, Arabic and philosophy, she found home and passion in theatermaking and scenography. She earned her master's degree Drama-Regie at RITCS in 2021. As a kid from Brussels, she fell in love with Surrealism; a movement, atmosphere, world of feelings, a realm of dreams, that she seeks to breathe life into with each project. She is fascinated by the Abject and the Shadow Realm, the negative of an awake reality, the underbelly of existence where Funghi, Mushrooms, Slime and Algae thrive. Malfait Lakhtara is obsessed with the rhythm of circular movements, in contrast to the linear narratives that bind us. From the intricate networks of mycelium to the eternal dance of jellyfish, from the silent conversations of trees to the echoes of intergenerational trauma— What all circular movements have in common is connection, and she finds solace in the interconnectedness of all things, by reactivating what is considered dead material