Opening THE TAIL (2025) door MAISON the FAUX bij Framer Framed, Amsterdam. Foto: © Marlise Steeman / Framer Framed 12 Jul 2025
18:00 - 21:00
Introduction and Q&A with MAISON the FAUX
Before the final performance of THE TAIL on 12 July, MAISON the FAUX – consisting of designers and artists Tessa de Boer en Joris Suk – gives an introduction to the work and its development, offering insights into their process and artistic vision. The introduction starts at 18:00 and is followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions.
“In THE TAIL, an enchanting witch’s brew, fashion, opera, theatre, visual art and literature merge. It is a tale of having or lacking a tail and a voice, in which three performers (with black lenses and white eyebrows) act, dance, speak, lip-sync, hum, sing and give the utmost with their voices and bodies.” – Janna Reinsma in de Volkskrant.
“The Tail, a performance by Maison the Faux commissioned by Framer Framed and NITE, strips the mermaid of her scales. What begins as a visual spectacle turns into a physical war of attrition full of horror, alienation and ritual violence.” – Gina Miroula in het Parool.
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From 20 June to 17 August, MAISON the FAUX presents THE TAIL, a performance installation that draws on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid to explore themes of transformation, and the sacrifices that are made in pursuit of one’s true identity. The work is developed in close collaboration with artists Diamanda Dramm, Dae Uk Kim, Anto López Espinosa, Oriana Ikomo, Bien De Moor and Luthfi Darwis.
Who are we really? What distinguishes the real from the artificial? Are we ever truly ourselves, or are we constantly in flux, hiding behind masks and conventions? In THE TAIL, audiences are drawn into an emotional and sensory journey, as The Little Mermaid becomes a lens through which to view the quest for selfhood.
The performance installation seeks to reframe the mermaid as a symbol of queer identity and personal transformation. In a time of escalating hostility towards queer and trans communities globally – from anti-trans legislation to the rollback of healthcare, education and bodily autonomy – the mermaid’s journey feels strikingly relevant. THE TAIL responds to a political landscape in which people are still being asked to justify their identities, conform to imposed norms, or risk erasure. It reclaims the mermaid not as a fantasy of otherness, but a metaphor for self-determination.
A siren song guides visitors through the space, revealing the mermaid’s tale in fragments of song and installation. Under the musical direction of Diamanda Dramm, performers Bien de Moor, Anto López Espinosa, and Oriana Ikomo animate the anatomy of the mermaid, each embodying a different facet of the siren archetype.
Throughout the installation, the performers interact with sculptural objects created by visual artist Dae Uk Kim. Each object poses a question: When we change our bodies, our roles, our places in the world – is it an act of care or of pain? Is transformation a form of healing, or a kind of violence? This is echoed in videos by Luthfi Darwis, which follows a being navigating desire and survival within systems of control.
With THE TAIL, MAISON the FAUX continues its pursuit of a hyper-disciplinary practice. Creators Tessa de Boer and Joris Suk, the minds behind MAISON the FAUX, are deeply engaged with the tension between illusion and authenticity. Blending music, fashion, performance, scenography, video and visual art, their work challenges perceptions: What makes something genuine? When is the FAUX more real than the real?
All proceeds from the Pay-What-You-Can tickets for this performances are donated to Don’t Go We’ll Fund Them – a trans-led fundraiser that supports trans people in the Netherlands with surgery costs.
The project is co-commissioned by Framer Framed and NITE, and co-produced by Framer Framed, NITE, and This is Not an Office.
Supported by
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; Amsterdam Fund for the Arts; Municipality of Amsterdam; VriendenLoterij Fonds; het Cultuurfonds and Performing Arts Fund NL.
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