Romeu, ‘my deer’

The performance Romeu, ‘my deer’ originated from the first encounter between the artist and the dancer in 2010, when De Bruyckere invited Runa to her studio to pose for a sculpture dealing with the metamorphosis of Actaeon. Instead of static poses, Runa, deeply moved by Ovid’s myth of the hunter transformed into a deer by the vengeful Goddess Diana and subsequently torn apart by his own hounds, offered to perform with the wax antlers she had provided for the pose. This unexpected, intimate performance was described by the artist as “the perfect metamorphosis of Actaeon, capturing all the different stages of the myth: the rutting stag with no self-control, unaware of what awaits him; the moment of awareness; the terror of becoming a deer; the tragedy of unfulfilled desire; and the desire to get rid of this false crown that has become a symbol of destruction.” This performance served as the inspiration for a substantial series of sculptures and drawings titled Romeu, ‘my deer’, introducing a new dimension to the work. The performance was first presented to an audience in 2013 at the Hauser & Wirth Piccadilly Gallery in London, marking the beginning of a lasting artistic relationship of mutual inspiration and co-creation.