LT
Inside SODAS 2123’s event hall on May 30 at, 6 PM, SODAS 2123 residency programme participant Teo Ala-Ruona will perform ‘Parachorale’, a work-in-progress.
At the end of his residency, Teo Ala-Ruona will perform a work-in-progressio version of ‘Parachorale’ he has been developing in collaboration with dramaturge Even Minn and sound designer/composer Tuukka Haapakorpi, with additional input from artist and tattooer Pooja Sethi. ‘Parachorale’ will have its premiere in November 2024.
Cotton candy, tattoos, and tactile hallucinations form a magical web, whose internal logic the performance’s protagonist weaves ever tighter. Immersed in the complexities of his world, he seeks similarity and identification through various means of self-revelation.
The audience’s gaze and mode of viewing are actively challenged as within the world of ‘Parachorale’, it is impossible to determine the correctness of the mind. The othering gaze changes directions repeatedly and the deviant body, labelled as abnormal, examines its own spirit, overwhelmed within its skin. The skin is a portal.
‘Parachorale’ is a sequel to Ala-Ruona’s 2021 solo performance ‘Lacuna’ and continues his series of works addressing the psychosomatic extremes of transcorporeality and paranormal potential.
The event will be in English.
Duration: 45 min
Feature artist: Pooja Sethi
Content notes: nudity, loud sounds, discussion of self-harm
About the artist:
Teo Ala-Ruona is a Helsinki-based performance artist. His work centres on the realm of somatic speculative fictioning. He delves into themes such as techno-trans-masculinity, sexuality, ecology and toxicity, weaving together elements of theoretical discourse, autobiographical text, and intense physical and psychological performance scores. His overarching goal is to challenge conventional language and narratives, especially those addressing pleasure and intimacy within the context of our increasingly toxic Earth.
Teo Ala-Ruona frequently utilises his own body as a canvas for the unfolding of speculative narratives, serving as an experimental ground where fiction can reshape not only his identity but also how the audience perceives him. He is dedicated to harnessing the transgressive and fictitious potential inherent in performance art to expand our understanding of humanity. Finding joy in the weird and the risky on stage, he pushes the boundaries of how the audience comprehends bodily limits and challenges conventions of normalcy.
Ala-Ruona’s work has recently been shown in Performa Biennial (New York), Vilnius Biennial of Performance Art (Vilnius), Finnish National Gallery Kiasma (Helsinki), Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), The Place (London), Sequences Festival (Reykjavik), Centrale Fies (Dro) and Toaster/Husets Teater (Copenhagen).
This event is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture.
Teo Ala-Ruona’s residency is organised by the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association, with curators Aušra Vismantaitė-Silva, Monika Kalinauskaitė and Edvinas Grinkevičius. The activities of the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association are funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
SODAS 2123’s activities are supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.
