O SOLITUDE
3,48 | Isabelle Lewis, Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe is a Belgian performer, singer and director. From a young age he was fascinated by the universes of puppet-theater and visual art. In 2018 he graduated from the Academy for Performance Art in Maastricht where he focussed on music and the big gesture. In 2022 he became part of the artistic leadership at Toneelhuis, the Antwerp City Theater, where he also created his work. Meirhaeghe is known for his extravagant, bombastic, alienating style, which he contrasts with sobriety, intimacy and intuition. He plays this shadow game both as a person as in his own work. His performances start from an intriguing cast, radical scenography, visual art, music, choreography and texts. He interweaves elements from old repertoire into an electronic futuristic carpet, he sees theatre as an echo chamber in which old and new forms exist interchangeably.
“I'm conducting a conversation between the past and the present, rather than smashing the place down. I just reshuffle the times.” Meirhaeghe’s work builds bridges between genres, art movements, artists and audiences and has an utopian enthusiasm.
Isabelle Lewis represents a bold fusion of artistic vision and musical innovation. Created by composer and producer Valgeir Sigurðsson, countertenor and director Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe, and violinist Elisabeth Klinck. Their debut album “Greetings”, released in October 2024 under the prestigious Icelandic Bedroom Community label and presented at Ancienne Belgique Brussels, marks a significant entry into the realm of genre-defying music.
The fictional persona of Isabelle Lewis serves as a vessel for their shared artistic vision, a shapeshifter with three distinct sonic dimensions embodying a blend of nostalgic charm and modern innovation. Each track unfolds as a dynamic soundscape, revealing new layers and textures that invite deep listener engagement. Draped in melancholic atmospheres, their music seamlessly integrates pop sensibilities with classical depth. continually revealing new auditory perspectives.
Isabelle Lewis crafts enigmatic narratives delivered through the transcendent operatic timbre of Meirhaeghe, interwoven with the refined electronic textures crafted by Sigurðsson, and enriched by the intricate musicality of Klinck. Together, they construct an experience that is as intellectually stimulating as it is viscerally compelling. Their magnetic live performances make Isabelle Lewis a must-see act, captivating audiences with their unique and transformative sound.