Venus Parade

The Venus Parade is a unique parade in the public space that combines characteristics of a procession, contemporary sculptures and palaeolithic Venus statues into a joyful ode to femininity.

Yvan Clédat and Coco Petitpierre are sculptors, performers and choreographers who have presented amusing works, on the border of sculpture and performance, during earlier editions of Playground. In this participatory work they ask a large group of people from Leuven to carry six live-size Venus statues and accompanying banners representing the origin and age of each Venus through the city of Leuven. The statues, based on famous palaeolithic Venuses, are enlarged, finished with shiny, colourful materials and portrayed in a seated posture - as if they are tired from their long journey through history. The parade refers to Breton Pardons, pilgrimage processions in Brittany that lead to a saint’s church with a demand for forgiveness, a wish or a vow.

The procession is escorted by percussion and a (Leuven-based) occasional choir performing a libretto that was written especially for this Flemish version by author and spoken word artist Yousra Benfquih. The text focuses on the explicit racial and gender dimensions of the statues. Benfquih’s text is a poetic accusation of male dominance in the imagination of women and their bodies, but also expresses a desire to reclaim that body.

On Saturday 19th of November at 11:30, the procession will start from the Ladeuzeplein and will follow this route: Herbert Hooverplein > Sint Donatuspark > Charles Deberiotstraat > Tiensestraat > Jan Cobbaert Plein > Hogeschoolplein > Oude Markt > Grote Markt > Binnentuin M Leuven.