New Performance Turku Biennale is an unique event showcasing the current streams and phenomena in performance art. The first New Performance Turku Biennale will be held in September 2023, gathering audiences around Finland and Europe. 

The renowned New Performance Turku Festival has been developing means of production and audience in the field of performance art during its 10-year history. The New Performance Turku Biennale will continue the work and aspires to develop the goals of social, ecological and communal sustainability in the long term even further. The event’s two-year production span enables inviting high-profile artists to Turku as well as genuine interaction between the artists, local communities and audiences.

Leena Kela will continue in the position of artistic director and María Villa Largacha has been appointed in the role of the co-curator. María Villa’s background is in research, pedagogical curating and relational art. In addition to her work in Finland and Sweden, she has worked as editor in Colombia for contemporary art publications and colloquiums, including the Latin American art journal ERRATA#, Seguros Bolivar Contemporary Art Collection, and as pedagogical curator for several years in public art programs in Bogotá city and ArtBo International Art Fair. The biennale curatorial team is supported by mentor Lois Keidan and the association’s managing director Anni Sundbacka. 

The NPT Biennale invites artists to work in residencies already during the year 2022, preparing site and situation specific, communal and large-scale performances for the biennale in 2023. The residencies enable supporting the artists’ work with more depth and over longer time-spans. This idea of longitude is a key aspect in aiming towards a more sustainable workflow and strengthening ways of collaboration between the artists, local communities and performance art production. 

The residencies also include open discussions, workshops and work in progress -outcomes. New Performance Turku Association also hosts various events with local collaborators also during the pre-biennale year in 2022. Together with Contemporary Art Archipelago two performance event days will be organized: an event day at the Seili Island on Friday 12th of August and another in Turku on Saturday 3rd of September. New Performance Turku Association’s 10-year-history and the launch of the biennale will be celebrated in Turku on November 24th 2022.

More information on the upcoming events can be found on the upcoming events page.