Work title: In Search of Nijinsky

Latest and ongoing project (started November 2023)

In Search of Nijinsky is a personal quest into the inner world of Vaslav Nijinsky, one of the most influential dancers of the 20th century. What began as a fascination with his extraordinary dance ability—his ability to convey emotions and stories through movement—grew into a deeper exploration of his mental state, particularly during his period of schizophrenia and the time he spent in clinics leading up to his death.

The images I create are metaphors for the complexity of the human mind—the confusion, disruption, and vulnerability that often remain invisible to the outside world. Nijinsky’s diaries, written shortly before his admission to a psychiatric clinic, reveal a stream of unfiltered thoughts, as if the words flowed straight from his pen. The sincerity and intensity of his writing make me think of how he might have danced—uninhibited and fully in the moment. There are no moving images of his performances, only descriptions and a few photos.

My project is neither a documentary nor a biography of Nijinsky. Those stories have already been told. Instead, I want to capture the loneliness and inner struggles that followed his public life. It is an attempt to understand what happened inside him when his body was no longer his most important instrument.

Dancers: Lorenzo Mattioli, Niek Wagenaar, Kiran Gezels.