Lisette Ros, born in the Netherlands in 1991, is a conceptual and performance artist whose work delves into the intricate interplay between society, identity, and the human experience. Using her body as a medium for exploration, she unveils the underlying mechanisms that shape our daily lives and scrutinizes societal norms.

Identifying as humanimal, woman, queer, and fluid, Ros embodies a hybrid existence that transcends conventional categories. Her performances, characterized by recognizable elements, serve as a lens through which she analyzes routines, questions conventions, and challenges the self-evidence of daily rhythms. Her art exposes the consequences of socio-cultural practices, with a unique twist—her persona is inseparable from the narrative.

The core of Ros’ artistic expression lies in her body, the focal point where questions about identity, society, and existence are posed and explored. Despite the centrality of her physical presence, the conceptual aspect always takes precedence. This results in interdisciplinary outcomes, where her body becomes a tool for research, and the final expression may manifest in various forms of media, all in service of conveying a profound message.

In her performances, Ros employs reiterations of gestures and acts, deliberately heightening the discomfort experienced by the spectator. Her body becomes a symbol, a tool, and flesh simultaneously—a multifaceted canvas for her exploration. The visceral nature of her work reflects a deep-seated desire for understanding that can only be achieved through the embodiment of feelings, vulnerabilities, flesh, and blood. Ros bleeds, breathes, wonders—an artist navigating the complex terrain of existence through her art.

NOTE: The video works on this website are mostly hosted on Vimeo, blocked in some countries. Viewers in those countries will need to use a VPN to watch the videos.

UPCOMING:

• January 27, Lisette Ros online speaker at ‘Sacred Body’ Congress by Performance Klub and Galeri Lorong, Yogyakarta, IDN.
• POSTPONED ‘Your Time’ workshop by Lisette Ros for School of Performance Art, Berlin, GR.
• May 31, ‘I Bruise Like A Peach’ (2023), live performance, In de WirWar, HAL25, Alkmaar, NL.
• June 15 – June 16, ‘I’ll dance as fast as I can’ Part 2: The Raving Ones (2025), live
  performance, Oerol Festival, Terschelling, NL.
• June 29, ‘Reframing Conventions’ Time-Lapse Edition, custom-developed live performance intervention as part of ‘In Our Time’ program with Tino Sehgal, De Balie, Amsterdam, NL.
• Date to be announced, “Presence in Absence” Piece two (2024), live performance intervention for ‘Trespassing 2025’ manifestation, Amsterdam, NL. More TBA.
• July 20, ‘Your Time’ workshop day by Lisette Ros, Kolenkitkas, Amsterdam, NL.
• August 3 – August 10, ‘Your Time’ workshop by Lisette Ros as performance workshop leader at Simbioze 2.0, Riga, LV.
• August 14 – 17, Work to be announced, group exhibition, Chateau du Fresne, Champéon, FR.
• August 15 – September 4, My Self, the (Unfamiliar) Roots, artist in residency, development second embodiment ‘(the Act of) Smelling’, Galeri Lorong, Yogyakarta, IDN.
• August 29 – 31, ‘(the Act of) Smelling’ solo exhibition and première of second embodiment at Galeri Lorong as part of Jogja Art Week 2025, Yogyakarta, IDN.
• September 5 – 11, My Self, the (Unfamiliar) Roots, artist in transit, development second embodiment ‘(the Act of) Smelling’, Melati Suryodarmo Studio Plesungan, Solo, IDN.
• September 13, ‘Your Roots’ workshop by Lisette Ros for Art Biennale Jatim, Gresik Surabaya, IDN.
• September 12 – September 30, My Self, the (Unfamiliar) Roots ‘(the Act of) Uprooting’, video work and photo prints, exhibition Biennale Jatim, Gresik Surabaya, IDN.
• September 15 – 16, ‘Your Roots’ workshop days by Lisette Ros, Indonesia Institute of the Arts (ISI), Yogyakarta, IDN.
• September 18 – 21, My Self, the (Unfamiliar) Roots, collaboration with sound artist Sean Hayward, development second embodiment ‘(the Act of) Smelling’, Yogyakarta, IDN.
• October, New work in the making, more TBA, group exhibition ‘UseMe’, Galerie de Schans, Amsterdam, NL.
• POSTPONED ‘Your Time’ workshop week by Lisette Ros in collaboration with Nomadic School of Wonder and NextTribe, Barcelona, SP.
  

New: Impression of Workshops now online
New: ‘(the Act of) Uprooting’ live performance Indonesia and The Netherlands now online
New: ‘Monstruo de Agua’ short docu in collaboration with Nowness now online

Stay notified by adding your contact.

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:

• ‘My Self, the Body’ video work on display at Art Basel Miami, as part of PerformVu exhibition, Miami, USA.
• ‘My Self, the (Unfamiliar) Roots’, phase three ‘Odor Print’ at Dalemwangi Art Space with Marintan Sirait, Bandung, IDN.
• Workshop ‘Your Roots’ and video screening of ‘(the Act of) Uprooting’ at Gudskul Ekosistem, Jakarta, IDN.
• Workshop ‘Your Roots’ and video screening of ‘(the Act of) Uprooting’ at GOR, Bandung, IDN.
• ‘My Self, the (Unfamiliar) Roots’, phase one ‘(the Act of) Uprooting’ at Studio Plesungan Melati Suryodarmo, Solo, IDN.
• Workshop ‘The Construction of Identity, and the fluidity thereof’ shared at Studio Plesungan, Solo, IDN and at Kaliwungu Performance Festival, Kaliwungu, IDN.
• ‘I’ll dance as fast as I can’ Special Art Nou Edition at Piramídon Centre d’Arte Contemporani, Barcelona, SP.
• ‘The Absence of Metamorphosis’ at Casa Lü Galería, CDMX, MEX.
• ‘Liberation from Definition’ publication Metal Magazine, Barcelona, SP.
• ‘My Humanoid Self, (Heavy) Metal’ live performance and installation at gallerí Korpúlfsstaðir as part of tunglið tunglið taktu mig exhibition, IS.
• ‘My Self, the Fetus’ at The Curators Room – La Oficina BCN, Barcelona, SP.
• Artist in Resident at Marina Abramovic, Peloponnese, GR.
• ‘My Self, the (First) Breath’ at SIM Gallery, Reykjavik, IS.
• ‘Reframing Conventions’ for INTERBELLUM #1 as part of New Viewings at Barbara Thumm Galerie, Berlin, Germany
• ‘The Mirror’ at Oped Gallery, Tokyo, JP, ‘Reflection’ exhibition
• ‘TRANCE’ collaboration with Asian Dope Boys (Tianzhuo Chen) at MWoods Museum, Beijing, CN.
• ‘My Self, the Body’ video screening at Uncensored Festival, London, UK.
• Launch of ‘My Self, the Body’ at South By Southwest (SXSW), Austin, TX, USA.
• ‘Reframing Conventions’ live performance at Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy.

© Biography by Roosje Klap
© Lisette Ros