Noa Verborgh • Deep Down The Rabbit Hole

NOA VERBORGH

Curiosity starts quietly, with a small gap in what we already know. A question arises, almost unnoticed, yet our mind can't ignore it. We pursue it, seeking patterns and collecting fragments of meaning. One answer leads to another door, drawing us into a chain of exploration. As natural storytellers, we connect symbols, impressions, and ideas, crafting narratives to understand the world around us. Sociologists have called these thought cycles curiosity loops: moments when imagination and meaning draw us inward. Like falling down a rabbit hole, the journey unfolds
slowly, revealing new layers with each revisit. It is here that the most captivating
stories are created. Welcome to Noa’s world.

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For those who do not know you. Who is Noa Verborgh?

Good question, who am I? I don’t think I can answer that in one sentence. But if I have to describe myself, I most often say: I am a professional dreamer. I am a very pensive person. I spend a lot of time in my head, and I must say, I like it there

Tell us more. What exactly is a professional dreamer?

I mean that imagining or dreaming is not just something I do when I’m bored or have free time, it literally is my work.

I am constantly thinking, imagining, and building places that do not exist in our physical reality, but could exist in a world parallel to ours. I could walk around in it. I observe it. It almost feels as if I take snapshots there and then return to reality to paint what I have seen. Sometimes it is like playing a video game where things get added every level: with every new work, my world changes. A landscape becomes a house. A house gains an object. A story grows. It is always the same place, but it evolves as I expand myself.

It allows me to escape, but it is not an easy escape, the world is not always a cheerful fairy-tale land like Alice in Wonderland. It contains darkness, desolation, and tensions. I try to turn darker elements into something meaningful, even beautiful. Like yin and yang, trying to find balance between elements. My paintings tend to be colourful, which could be interpreted as happiness or a cheerful scenery, but there is always an eerie edge to the scenes I paint.

What is the last rabbit hole you have been stuck in?

I ‘m a big fan of (history) podcasts, while in my studio, I put on my headphones, and I easily lose myself in the stories that are being told. I am fascinated by how different events have happened at the same time in completely different parts of the world. For example, when you realise that while one empire was at its peak, something entirely different was happening across the globe. It changed my perception of time. And made me question what now/the present really means. What it means to me is, at the same time, a completely different thing to someone else.

One of those podcasts took me into a deep rabbit hole. Recently, I became fascinated by the story of HMS Terror, a ship that got stuck in the ice near Greenland. Some of the crew left the ship in search of help, and all froze to death. After hearing the story, I went on Google Maps to find the exact location where it happened. I searched for coordinates and read everything I could find on the topic.

At first glance, these rabbit holes may seem like insignificant information, but for me, they ignite my imagination. While they might not transform my life immediately, they do shift my perspective on the world we live in.

What is the last thing that made you completely rethink your truth?

Reflecting on our current way of life and recent history, I see how fragile our perception of reality can be. Occasionally, I come across something in reading or podcasts that makes me feel less isolated. It reminds me that others have shared similar thoughts and fears, and even though each person's experience is unique, many go through comparable moments in life. During these times, I find myself reevaluating my understanding of my reality in that moment. I've come to see that what often feels deeply personal is, in fact, almost always universal.

When do you feel most seen, or do you prefer to be invisible?

I love it when someone truly understands the atmosphere of my work. Not necessarily the story, since it’s not that important. But when someone feels the tension, the darkness, the silence, that means the world to me.

Not long ago, at the academy where I teach, a 10-year-old girl approached me and said she loved my imagination. That moment really filled my heart, and I believe she also felt understood in her unique view of life and the world she constructs for herself. No, we are not crazy!

When I am simply moving through the daily hustle and bustle, I love feeling invisible: on a bus, in a shop, or on a terrace. I enjoy being alone and actually take pleasure in observing people. I can sit on a terrace and watch others for hours, imagining their lives. In those moments, I am intentionally invisible, and I love it.

What feedback do you hope never to receive?

If someone were to say that my work feels dishonest, that would hit. Because everything I make is completely myself. I stand behind it 100%. It is a part of me Criticism itself does not scare me, cause I know it is a personal opinion of that person at that moment. But showing my work does feel scary. After my last exhibition, I woke up the next day in tears. Not because I regretted it or the feedback was not positive, but because suddenly everyone could see it, I opened up my world, which I live in in my studio, to everyone outside of my safe space. That vulnerability of letting people into my head, my world, felt intense, which brought me to tears.

If tomorrow your inspiration is gone, what would you do? And what would remain of you?

I don’t believe this will ever happen. I have never experienced a complete absence of inspiration. Even on holiday, when I try not to think about work, it comes back automatically when I read or listen to music. That’s my lively imagination I guess. I don’t have to try or force anything, it’s how my brain works. I ‘m not afraid of it happening, I will always be someone who observes, who thinks too much, who questions reality. I believe I will always stay a dreamer. Maybe I will be expressing it differently through writing, reading, or simply being, one day.

What is wealth for you?

Wealth is freedom. The freedom to think, to create, to spend hours building a world that only exists in my head and gets out into the world by my paintings, sculptures, … Of course, money makes life easier, but true wealth for me is mental space and independence. I feel rich because I can do what I love.

What is your favourite part of the day and why?

Mornings for sure.

In the morning, anything can still happen. The day is open. It feels full of potential, a great feeling to have. A blank canvas to fill. I arrive at my studio ready to work. I mix my colours, turn on music or a podcast, and begin.

By evening, I am exhausted, and I can look back on what I have done. I leave the studio behind completely when I get on my bike. But the morning, there are only possibilities.

What is the last book you have read?

I recently stumbled upon a collection of older English short stories from the nineteenth century. They deal with emotions that are difficult to name. The common factor throughout the stories was an eerie atmosphere, which felt familiar to me. I felt a sense of recognition as I dove into the book. Reading those stories reminded me that people have always struggled with similar feelings throughout history, although we live in a completely different society now.

To finalise, do you have any travel plans to look forward to?

In April, I will visit family in Portugal. I'll be away for two weeks, staying an hour from Lisbon. I’m excited to spend time abroad and paint in a new environment.