Caz Egelie and Hildur Elísa Jónsdóttir
July 2025
Artist duo Caz Egelie and Hildur Elísa Jónsdóttir in front of Van Gogh House London.
Netherlands Based artists Caz and Hildur lived at Van Gogh House during July 2025.
About the residency
At the end of their stay at the house, Caz and Hildur programmed and devised a performance to take place in the space as part of our Festival of ENCOUNTERS. The performance of Seven for a Secret focused upon the untold tale of the three seamstresses that lived in the house in approximately 1873. Through this, the pair focused on”destiny, luck and chance” as well as exploring the many ways in which women control what happens behind the scenes of daily life. By observing historical instances of clothing being used as a means of self expression in which people “make their own rules” in relation to what they can wear, their research delved into textile history as well as folk music history through the examination of working songs.
Seven for a Secret was an immersive performance that consisted of five elements looping throughout the house and down the road in Durand Gardens. These were: a sleeping score in Van Gogh’s bedroom; a string performance by (what were the trio) representing the three seamstresses reincarnated as three fates; a performance from the ‘Mistress of Music’ roaming the house; and a vocal performance from a running character throughout the gardens. By allowing visitors to the house to roam freely and undirected, the artists invited the audience to dictate their own viewing experience; making each observance of the performance unique to the individuals and in turn allowing them to become the director of their own individual play.
Video interview with
Caz and Hildur
About the artists
Caz Egelie (they/them) engages with art history from the perspective of an artist, curator, scenographer, DJ and art educator. Caz’s works consist of installations combining different media and are often presented in relation to performances. They hold an MFA from the Sandberg Institute, as well as a BFA in both Fine Art and Art Education from Hogeschool van de Kunsten Utrecht. Their works have been exhibited internationally across the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Slovenia, Prague, Belgium and Denmark.
Hildur Elísa Jónsdóttir (she/her) is an Icelandic artist, musician, composer and curator interested in storytelling and creating engulfing experiences within spaces. She holds an MA in Operatic Performances from Sandberg Instituut, a BA in Fine Arts from the Iceland University of the Arts, and a diploma in classical clarinet from the Reykjavík College of Music. Her works have been exhibited and performed internationally across the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Iceland and Denmark.
Acknowledgements
This residency was supported by The Embassy of The Kingdom of The Netherlands and The Mondriaan Foundation. Photographs by Neena Percy.
