Artist Teo Ala-Ruona sitting on a chair with his legs up, leaning his head on his knees.
Teo Ala-Ruona © Venla Helenius
Bio

Teo Ala-Ruona is an interdisciplinary artist based in Helsinki, working in the fields of performance, contemporary theatre, and choreography. His practice explores the potential of somatic fiction to shift our perceptions of the human body, navigating the intersections of linguistic, semiotic, and biological existence. He explores how trans experience can broaden our understanding of what the body can be, approaching the examination of trans embodiment as an autopsy of society’s conception of the body.

Working with the stage as a site for speculative narratives, he investigates how alternative performance politics can transform the perceptual frameworks of both performer and audience. Grounded in theory and embodied scores, his work treats the performer as both a reflective surface and an active agent in negotiating inherited categories and challenging the conventions of normalcy. He finds joy in the weird and the risky on stage, weaving choreographed audience engagement with emotional and psychological tension.

Ala-Ruona’s work has been shown in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (Venice, 2025), Performa Biennial (New York), Fundació Joan Miró Museum (Barcelona), The Vilnius Biennial of Performance Art (Vilnius), The Finnish National Gallery Kiasma (Helsinki), The Institute of Contemporary Arts in London (London), Sequences Festival (Reykjavik), Centrale Fies (Dro) and Toaster/Husets Teater (Copenhagen). Ala-Ruona is Associate Artist at Zodiak – Center for New Dance in 2026–2028.

www.teoalaruona.net
@teoalaruona

Productions

Damnat (2027)

Premiere
Damnat © Alana Proosa

Damnat is a performance for two performers, and a chef. The work continues Teo Ala-Ruona’s long-term practice and artistic research into the effects of sociopolitical norms on how we relate to and understand the body. It is the last part of the trilogy following the performances Lacuna (2021) and Parachorale (2024). Damnat is a co-commission with Zodiak – Center for New Dance and co-production by Toaster, Copenhagen.

Damnat is composed of dances that aim toward metaphysical transformation and processes of emptying the body of language and its categorising force. Accompanying the two performers, a chef cuts abstract jelly sculptures referencing organs, which are also shared and consumed by both performers and the audience during the performance.

On stage, Ala-Ruona is joined by dancer and choreographer Mina Tomic, and a food artist Pola Sutryk. In the process he continues his long-term collaboration with dramaturg Ami Karvonen, sound designer Tuukka Haapakorpi, lighting designer Sofia Palillo, costume and spatial designer Teo Paaer, and producer Sanna Ritvanen.

The work will premiere in Pannuhalli, Dance House Helsinki, in May 2027.

Link to dossier (pdf)

Contact: Katarina Lindholm (Zodiak – Center for New Dance), katarina.lindholm@zodiak.fi 

Trailer
Artist Teo Ala-Ruona lying down on a black floor, with a see-through jelly mask on.
Performer Mina Tomic standing in a shadow holding a head made of jelly.
Performer Mina Tomic in front with her hands on a table and performer Teo Ala-Ruona in the background. Both are wearing tall tapered hats / masks.

Industry Muscle: Five Scores For Architecture (2025)

Available for touring
Industry Muscle ©Venla Helenius

Industry Muscle: Five Scores For Architecture examines architecture using the trans body as a lens, establishing a dialogue with modernist concrete architecture. Working with a team of collaborators, artist Teo Ala-Ruona presents five speculative scores that serve as critical prompts for future architectural practice. The work was initially commissioned for the Nordic Countries Pavilion at The 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Kaisa Karvinen, for Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki, Industry Muscle: Five Scores for Architecture continues Teo Ala Ruona’s work on trans embodiment and petroculture, expanding his focus into architecture.

As part of the exhibition, the performance is a two-hour piece for four performers. Through it, they attune to the psychophysical effects of modernist architecture on their own bodies while imagining and proposing speculative corporealities for the future.

The exhibition opened and the performance premiered on May 8, 2025 in 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.

Link to dossier

Contact: Katarina Lindholm (Zodiak – Center for New Dance), katarina.lindholm@zodiak.fi

Trailer
Reviews, podcasts and more

Paula Volpato: Skin in the game, Positions, e-flux.com , October 2025.

Industry Muscle ©Venla Helenius
Industry Muscle ©Venla Helenius
Industry Muscle ©Venla Helenius