For the exhibition, Celibatair Divas at Herkenrode Refuge, Sara Bomans has taken up her practice of drawing with human hair. The drawings, with the umbrella title ‘I used to be sexy’, focus as usual in her work, on the fragility of human beings.

Celibatair Divas takes place in a former abbey and focusses on the idea of its original inhabitants who were nuns, caretakers and confidants, but equally entrepreneurs, landowners and capital managers. A bleeding catholic wafer enabled them from 1317 onwards to develop the abbey of Herkenrode into the largest pilgrimage centre of the low countries.

Starting during the so-called Virga Jesse Festivities that celebrate the story of the bleeding wafer, the exhibition takes place in the refuge that was constructed by the absis Mechtildis de Lechy (1520-1548). It discusses aspects like “power, richness, escapism, diversity, identity, knowledge, superstition, conviction, searching, emotion, passion, consolation, pain”. The invited artists, a mixture of internationally established and upcoming talents, are invited to show their vision on the current tensions between the worldly and the spiritual.

Other artists showing work are amongst others, Miles Aldridge, Nick Ervinck, Koen Vanmechelen, Erwin Olaf, Hans Op de Beeck, Trees de Mits, Jim Dine, Nan Goldin, Vanessa Beecroft, Peter de Cupere, Maria Roosen, Rudi Knoops and Frederik de Wilde.

The project is organised in collaboration with art gallery De Mijlpaal.

Celibatair Divas runs from Saturday 1 July until Sunday 3 September 2017

Opening hours
2 July until 4 August; 21 August until 3 September:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 2 – 6 PM

5 Augustus until 20 August (during the Virga Jesse Festivities):
Daily 2 PM – 6 PM and by appointment

at Herkenrode Refuge, Maastrichterstraat 100, Hasselt, Belgium

More info on the website here