My manifesto

I am. My life is… the work of art

This manifesto is about taking life into my own hands. The Art of living my own best life. In connection with who I truly am. Freeing my Self is a lifelong journey of deprogramming my mind of our cultural, societal, and familial conditioning, purifying my body of toxins and re-connecting with my inner child. I have fallen into patterns. And mistaken it for my identity. 

Practising life art means being radically aware of your power to shape your experiences, relationships, and aspirations. Like an artist, we select our colors of emotions, draw lines of purpose, and blend shades of growth. 

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

pablo picasso

El genio maltratador

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Art as therapy

Selfportrait without face - 1994

Body image disturbance

I have never lived in my own body. Since my early childhood, I have been inhabiting my body like a cheap motel on my way somewhere else. My spaceship never really landed on planet Earth. By the age of 17, I was convinced I had saggy breasts and a disproportionately fat belly and fat ass. Body image disturbance (BID) is a common symptom in patients with eating disorders and is characterized by an altered perception of one's body. In retrospect, I was never really overweight. Not as a child, not as a teenager. I was depressed, and I had a distorted self-image. I drew my discomfort in this body (see Selfportrait without face - 1994). Be careful what you wish for: in 2016, I actually had the body that I drew in 1994! And then, I decided to fully own my creation. 

© Ernst van Deursen

Muriel Van Peteghem at DUS in Doka Volkshotel Amsterdam 2016 © Ernst van Deursen 

Occupying space

For the first time, I talked about these experiences on a stage. And how art kept me going. To express myself and to transform the pain and bad memories into healing. It was both an indictment and an ode to the body. 

"In an artistic ego document, Muriel Van Peteghem reflects on 'la condition humaine'. How does our body limit us or, on the contrary, give us freedom? Can we occupy more space on Earth and conquer the universe?"

© Ernst van Deursen

Muriel Van Peteghem at DUS in Doka, Volkshotel Amsterdam 2016 © Ernst van Deursen

This is my church. This is where I heal my hurts

Faithless

God is a DJ

Art and activism

Muriel Van Peteghem
Photo: unknown
Photo volcano goddess: © Dave Pelham
Body painting: House of body art 

Dam Square Amsterdam, 8 March 2022

I am angry. I have no words. I am a woman. I stand in solidarity.

Every 8 days, a (trans) woman is murdered in The Netherlands. Worldwide, 137 women and girls are killed by a family member or intimate partner every single day, according to UN statistics (2021). What the f*** is wrong with us, humankind?

Enjoy my art

Shamanic art

I know I have many blindspots. I see glimpses of my true Self in every encounter and work of art. Spirit birds leading me the way to rebirth.

Soul blueprints

Want to switch off the cognitive brain and connect with the depths of your soul? Order your unique and personalized Soul blueprint. 

Collages

Let me take you on a tour of my inner realms. I mix media: from old school paper cutting of magazines to drawings and photographs. 

Goddesses in me

Man, woman or gender fluid... After ages of patriarchy it is time to balance the masculine and feminine energy in ourselves.