Artist Tom Hallet and author Jonas Roelens discuss the central themes of their exhibition and book.

In Heavy Air, Tom Hallet presents a new series of works stemming from his research into the word “faggot“. He reinterprets this term, which originally referred to locally available bundles of firewood, to illuminate a dark chapter in queer history. In the Middle Ages, witches, heretics and convicted queer individuals were tragically used as firewood, leading to the derogatory epithet “faggots”.

Jonas Roelens, in his new book, The Unspeakable Sin: Sodomy in the Southern Netherlands (1400-1700), focuses on sodomy, at the time considered a sin so reprehensible that the mere naming of it counted as a crime. Despite limited historical sources, after years of research in various archives, Roelens was able to find an unexpectedly rich amount of information on this “unmentionable” sin.

Biographies

Tom Hallet (born 1990 in Leuven) has a multidisciplinary practice and mainly creates drawings and sculptures. His work is always nourished by a search for representation and recognition. Kunstwerk van M-resident Tom Hallet Tom Hallet Hallet focuses on drawing and sculpture, two media which he joins into a constant dialogue with each other and with the spectator. Central to his work are queer themes and dominant narratives of love, identity, violence and loss.  As an artist, Hallet starts from his personal history and experiences.

Jonas Roelens studied history at Ghent University. In 2018, he defended his PhD thesis there on sodomy in the Southern Netherlands. With this, he won both the jury and audience award of the Flemish PhD Cup in 2019, as well as the Erik Duverger Prize. This dissertation was published by BRILL in 2024 as Citizens and Sodomites. Persecution and Perception of Sodomy in the Southern Low Countries (1400-1700).

Roelens has published frequently on his research into deviant sexuality in (inter)national scholarly journals and is co-author of Verzwegen verlangen. A History of Homosexuality in Belgium (2017) and Medieval Companions. Beyond the clichés about the dark ages (2023). As a guest lecturer, he was previously associated with KU Leuven, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Radboud University Nijmegen. He attaches great importance to scholarly communication and writes freelance for Openbaar Kunsttijdschrift Vlaanderen and De Standaard.