Performance and Pizza – Performance Club
Saturday 7 February, 6–9 pm, followed by karaoke
Iloinen Härkä, Ieskatu 1, Turku
Free entry
At the February edition of Performance and Pizza, three generations of performance artists come together. Olga Laine is a visual artist who recently graduated from Turku Arts Academy, working at the intersection of photography and performance. Her practice is shaped by corporeality, traces left by the body, and illusions constructed through light and spatial arrangements. Irma Optimist is one of the key pioneers of Finnish performance art. A Doctor of Science in Mathematics and an award-winning artist, she has realised nearly 400 performances around the world since 1989 and has also been an active curator within the field of performance art. Timo Viialainen works in the fields of sculpture, performance art, and sound art, creating works that activate the viewer both physically and sensorially. He has performed extensively at international festivals and events in more than 20 countries. The evening will be hosted by Leena Kela, Artistic Director of the New Performance Turku Biennale and performance artist.
Free pizza will be served between the performances, and after the show the evening will continue with karaoke.
Performance and Pizza is New Performance Turku Biennale’s travelling performance art club, which will take place at different locations around Turku. The Performance and Pizza is an open invitation for everyone to get to know performance art and to encounter a potentially new art form in an approachable way, without compromising on high artistic quality. The aim of the club is to find new friends in places where performance art may not have been seen before.
Getting there by public transport from Turku city centre
Bus no. 9 departs from Market Square (Kauppatori), stop B2, at 5:35 pm, arriving at Härkämäki, Ieskatu stop at 5:48 pm. From there, it is a 100-metre walk to Iloinen Härkä.
Returning to the city centre:
Please check detailed timetables at: https://www.foli.fi/fi/aikataulut-ja-reitit
Artists
Olga Laine
Olga Laine is a visual artist working at the intersection of photography and performance art. Her artistic thinking is permeated by corporeality, traces left by the body, and the construction of illusions through light and space. Laine’s performances unfold as visual compositions that she conceives as living sculptures—moments that invite the viewer to pause, linger, and immerse themselves in the experience. She graduated as a visual artist from Turku Arts Academy in 2024. At the Performance and Pizza club, she will present her work Duo, a duet with herself.
https://www.instagram.com/0lgalaine
Irma Optimist
Irma Optimist is one of the key pioneers and long-term developers of Finnish performance art. She holds a Doctorate in Mathematics and is an award-winning artist who has realised nearly 400 performances around the world since 1989. Optimist’s artistic practice often operates in the realm of attentive observation and strong presence. Alongside her artistic work, she has had a significant impact on the field of performance art through her curatorial activities, organising performance events and festivals. At the Performance and Pizzaclub, she will present her work Köyhien mökkien punaista.
https://la-bas.fi/irmaoptimist
Timo Viialainen
Timo Viialainen works in the fields of sculpture, performance art, and sound art. His works are often corporeal and sensorial, activating the viewer both physically and spatially. Viialainen has performed extensively at international festivals and events in more than 20 countries, and his works have been presented in galleries, museums, as well as public and unconventional spaces. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2021, and his works are included in the collections of Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, among others. At the Performance and Pizza club, he will present his work Streetlight, an action shaped by the space and the situation, for the ears and the eyes. Less explanation, more magic.
