
Courtney May Robertson
artist in residence 2020/2023
Courtney May Robertson (Scotland, 1992) is a performer and maker based in Rotterdam. Upon graduating in 2013, she joined Club Guy & Roni’s Poetic Disasters Club and has since performed extensively across Europe in the work of Jan Martens, Connor Schumacher and Florentina Holzinger, amongst others. She began creating her own small-scale / DIY produced performances in 2015, and as of 2020 is an ‘artist in residence’ at ICK Artist Space in Amsterdam. As a trained dancer Courtney’s work starts with the body, but spans various disciplines including video, generative art and writing. Recurring topics in her work revolve around a widely spread phenomenon she has defined as ‘the relentless desire to dominate’ - ranging from the micro; a patriarchal figure in the nuclear family, to the macro; totalitarian governments. For her first evening length solo THE WOMAN DESTROYED she was awarded De Troffel Prijs 2020; Festival Cement’s incentive prize for young makers.
"Courtney May Robertson (UK, 1992) won with her concept The woman destroyed. The jury finds it fascinating that she unravels the binary opposition between man and technology and has found 'a delicate and profound language' for it. She calls the concept 'contemporary, topical and relevant'.
She was also nominated for Het Theater Festival Belgium’s equivalent, the Roel Verniers Prijs. The short solo she created prior, the pleasure of stepping off a horse when it’s moving at full speed (production: Dansateliers), was selected for Aerowaves Twenty22. Additionally, in 2022 Courtney was awarded the Young Artsupport Amsterdam prize.