Barbara Raes worked since 2000 as a programmer and artistic director of Arts Centres BUDA and 404. In 2014, she took time to re-energise and refocus. She trained as a facilitator of farewell rituals at Green Fuse in Totnes (UK). As a researcher (2015-2018) at KASK, School of Arts, this knowledge and experience developed her into a unique connector between art, care, farewell and rituals.

Barbara was guest curator of Theatre by the Sea #2018, for which she developed Sun Day Child. This ritual for children with a major loss experience has since been performed annually at various locations (including on Ghent's Boekentoren). In 2019, Barbara curated the programme Amen & Beyond together with Colin Van Eeckhout (Amenra). A ten-day event around mourning and loss with a big fire ritual in the Citadel Park as the end point. In recent years, Barbara Raes has also organised the international (Berlin, Amsterdam, Dublin, Antwerp and Brussels) programme U.Loss, in which she coaches artists to create and perform their own farewell rituals.

 In addition to public rituals and curatorship, Barbara founded her private practice, Beyond The Spoken. In this workshop for unrecognised loss, she creates farewell rituals together with artists for life's big and small turning points (dismissal, surgery, divorce,...). Her private practice is known for its enduring nature and artistic angle.

In NTGent, Barbara wants to open up her practice to the world. Based on the conviction that healing, connecting and caring is an important and impactful part of the Stadstheater of the future.