Jefta van Dinther: A Queer Divine Dissatisfaction

The question of what it means to be human lies at the heart of Jefta van Dinther’s work—examined in relation to society, community, and the environment, but also to other forms of life. The performances of the choreographer and dancer reach into metaphysical and otherworldly realms, engaging with notions of illusion, the visible and invisible, synaesthesia, darkness, labour, sex, the uncanny, affect, voice, and image. 

The title of the retrospective, drawn from Martha Graham’s (1894–1991) words to the dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille (1905–1993), captures the insatiable, restless drive at the core of Van Dinther’s work—a “queer divine dissatisfaction” that propels him to remain in motion even without the promise of resolution, sustaining a practice that resists closure.

The retrospective at HAU Hebbel am Ufer focuses on Van Dinther’s smaller yet seminal performances, ranging from the early studio work “Kneeding” (2010) to the premiere of his most recent piece “Mercury Rising” (2025). It also includes “Unearth” (2022), presented at St. Elisabeth-Kirche during Berlin Art Week in September 2025, as well as Van Dinther’s HAU-Debut “GRIND” (2011) and the work “Dark Field Analysis” (2017), which has been touring for eight years.

Beyond the live performances, the retrospective at HAU unfolds across a series of side programmes that invite audiences to engage with Jefta van Dinther’s work from multiple perspectives. “Dear Darkness” is an intimate listening session at HAU1, where nine of Van Dinther’s recent collaborators come together for a staged singing rehearsal, foregrounding the voice as a material force within his choreographic practice. “The Moving Image” transforms the studio above HAU2 into a cinema, presenting a curated programme of art films, music videos, and performance documentation that reveal the visual language and atmospheric textures of Van Dinther’s work. “Source & Resource”, an artist talk hosted by a fellow artist, opens up Van Dinther’s references—videos, texts, music, artworks—as living companions to his practice, offering insight into the inspirations and genealogies that shape his choreography. A new publication, “A Queer Divine Dissatisfaction”, edited by Gabriel Smeets, brings together thinkers, writers, artists, and close collaborators to reflect on Van Dinther’s work from aesthetic, philosophical, and socio-political perspectives, expanding the space of the practice into the realm of the written word. In addition, a workshop programme will be held at Van Dinther’s studio, DIORAMA, running alongside the retrospective and offering further opportunities for embodied exploration within his world.

Events
GRIND: November 12–14, Jefta van Dinther / Minna Tiikkainen / David Kiers
The Moving Image: November 12–22, a series of video works
Sources & Resources—an artist talk: November 13, 8:30–9:30pm, Jefta van Dinther & emeka ene
Dark Field Analysis: November 16–17, Jefta van Dinther
Mercury Rising (Premiere): November 21–23, Jefta van Dinther
Kneeding: November 22–23, Jefta van Dinther
Dear Darkness: November 23, 3:30–4:30pm, a singing session