14:00: start performance at Braem Pavilion (free admission)
14:30: drawing workshop at Braem Pavilion (ticketed)
Against Ageism: A Queer Manifesto (Emily Carr University Press, 2023) begins by stating what it is not: a socioeconomic argument against ageism that celebrates ‘elders’ as economically viable. Instead, Simon(e) van Saarloos presents a radical critique of conventional arguments against ageism, rejecting constructions of ‘age’ and ‘youth’ and assumptions about their inherent qualities.
The manifesto is based on personal experiences and offers an overview of how ageism overlaps with structures of white supremacy and patriarchy. Through the lens of crip and queer theory, as well as anti-normative and anti-colonial perspectives on time, this compelling text calls for the abolition of age-related laws, reframing commonly accepted ideas about age from Simon(e)’s challenging perspective.
© Simon*e van Saarloos
About the artist
Simon(e) van Saarloos is a Dutch-American philosopher, writer, and thinker known for combining sharp ideas with a distinctive style. They write essays, columns, and critiques for publications such as NRC, Vrij Nederland, De Volkskrant, and De Correspondent, and actively engage in public debate.
Born in Summit, New Jersey, Van Saarloos was raised in the Netherlands. They studied philosophy and literary science at the University of Amsterdam and The New School in New York. Their voice quickly gained attention, notably through their thrice-weekly column in nrc.next.
Their work explores themes such as love, freedom, gender, sexuality, power structures, and the language that shapes them. In Het monogame drama (2015), Van Saarloos advocates for relational freedom and challenges monogamy as the norm. Together with Eva Marie de Waal and Sophie van Winden, they co-wrote the feminist play Holy-F (2016).
As a speaker and performer, Van Saarloos frequently appears on (inter)national stages. In 2015, they were the youngest ever guest on the Dutch television program Zomergasten. Their philosophy centers on radical equality and space for alternative perspectives — not only as a framework for thought but also as a way of life.
