Julian
What began as a beautiful act of LGBTQ+protest art quickly turned into tragedy when Belgian artist and activist Fleur Pierets suddenly and unexpectedly lost her wife,Julian P. Boom, to brain cancer.In 2017, the soulmates embarked on a special project they had conceived – ‘Project22’ – so named for the number of countries that had legalised same-sex marriage at the time. With an ambitious plan to marry in every country on the list, the couple only managed to cross off New York, Amsterdam,Antwerp and Paris before Julian received her devastating diagnosis. After her death, Fleur Pierets had only one thing left to do: write.Julian explores themes of love, commitment,activism, loss and grief. It is so tactile,you can feel its energy. It’s a testament to the power of love in the face of illness and hatred. Pieret’s writing is deceptively simple,very essay-like, yet full of heart.
Fleur Pierets
Fleur Pierets is an award-winning performance artist, writer, speaker and LGBTQ+ activist whose work balances photography and theory, performance and non-fiction. A research-based practice that challenges the construction and mainstream understanding of LGBTQ people. A practice that acts as a mirror in which viewers can confront ideologies or beliefs. Together with her wife, Julian P. Boom, they founded Et Alors? Magazine, 20 magazines with 750,000 readers each in which they published their conversations with queer musicians, visual artists, writers and performers who inspired them, capturing the zeitgeist of a world in the midst of striving for change and its cultural awareness when it comes to LGBTQ representation in art history. In 2017, Fleur and Julian started 22 The Project, a performance art piece in which the couple would get married in every country that legalised same-sex marriage. There were 22 countries when they started the project in 2017 – since then, the number of countries has grown to 34. Fleur and Julian got married in New York, Amsterdam, Antwerp and Paris. After their fourth wedding, Julian was diagnosed with brain cancer. She died on 22 January 2018. Fleur wrote a memoir book called Julian. In 2020, US publisher 6ft. Press released a two-volume children’s book, Love Around the World and Love is Love, in which Fleur and Julian fulfil the dream of their beautiful project. They travel to all the places where same-sex marriage is legal, learning about the fascinating traditions, customs and idiosyncrasies surrounding marriage in each country. Fleur speaks at LGBTQ centres, consulates and embassies around the world, and at companies such as Google and WeWork in New York. She talks about the work she and her wife have done as an artistic couple. About their online publication Et Alors? Magazine, the importance of inclusion, the completion of the wedding performance piece, and the need to continue working as human rights advocates by launching bridge-building projects. Julian is currently being adapted into a film by filmmaker Cato Kusters, produced by Lukas Dhont and Michiel Dhont, who recently made the Oscar-nominated film Close. Fleur Pierets co-wrote the script. She ecently published her 4th book Heerlijk Monster with Dutch publisher Das Mag and is currently writing a 6-part series for Belgian TV. In May 2023, she’s been invited by the EU and the UN to speak about LGBTQ human rights during IDAHOT in Washington.
Author portrait © Fleur Pierets