RUMI . Say That I Am You

Walk & Talk with the Artist
Meet the artists behind the work

Step into the world of Rumi and be guided by the creators of this poetic installation. During an intimate Walk & Talk, the artists will take you on a personal tour through their work and inspiration.

Dates & Artists (each day starting at 4 PM):

• Leen Goossens: Mon 21 July & Tue 22 Sat 26July
• Leila Feys: Wed 23 & Fri 25 July
• Monali Meher: Wed 23 & Sat 26 July + Mon 20 July (Performance)
• Yilmaz Koçak: Thu 24 July

What to expect?
A unique opportunity to engage in dialogue with the artists, discover their vision, and reflect together on the power of image, language, and spirituality.

Price: free of charge!
Registration: Send an email to yilmaz.kocak@stad.gent with your preferred date/moment.

Sun, July 20 - 4:00 pm
Performance as statement, as protest!

'Keep moving' . Monali Meher + Haroun Iqbal (music)

Keep Moving (Blijf in Beweging ) is a performance in which site-specific installations come to life. Various props – from neon LED lights and fabrics to mannequins with costumes and a soundscape in the background – form the setting. The performers move through the space and engage in dialogue with their surroundings: with the people, the Gothic architecture, and with each other – through body language, voice, and movement.

The inspiration for this work came from a poem by Rumi, which encouraged me to make a powerful statement: keep moving, toward the sun and the truth. We are all deeply connected. Speak out for those who suffer and are humiliated. Now is the time to act – nonviolently, but with passion and determination. It is time for everyone who values freedom to raise their voice, to organize, and to protest.
(Monali Meher)

Five artists, five unique voices, one poetic dialogue.

As part of the artistic development project "Continentals", the exhibition "Rumi, Say That I Am You" brings together five artists, each guided by the timeless words of Rumi, translated by Kader Abdolah.

In the spring of 2024, De Centrale launched an artistic journey, searching for creators willing to engage in dialogue with this mystical poetry. Following an open call, a jury selected five artists who, in their own unique ways, explored the essence of Say That I Am You.

From May 29 to July 27, the Saint Jacob’s Church in Ghent will transform into a space of encounter, inspiration, and sensory discovery. Visual art, sound, textiles, and movement intertwine in an immersive experience.

The Artists:

• Monali Meher – mannequins awakening from their silence
• Leila Feys – a video installation as a bird’s nest of the subconscious
• Haroun Iqbal – a musical composition in collaboration with other artists
• Mohamed Shabini – forty lamps wrapped in wool, enveloped in words
• Leen Goossens – a six-meter-high installation, a fabric that speaks

Young talent also takes part: the Pavlova class of Toverberg Primary School joins as the sixth “artist” with a writing exercise inspired by Rumi’s poetry.