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).
Damnat (working title) is the final part of Teo Ala-Ruona’s three-part series (Lacuna 2021, Parachorale 2024) that explores the psychophysical extremes of transcorporeality. The work examines the politics of pathologization and diagnosis associated with transcorporeality and their effects on the body. The performance drills through the dramaturgy of an anxiety attack into the brain, opening a connection through the hypothalamus to a realm beyond symbols and words. The post-anxiety state is one of relief and belonging. The work draws from theoretical, medical, and autobiographical material, transforming these into fiction through the creative process of the performing bodies. On stage, Ala-Ruona is joined by dancer and choreographer Mina Tomic. In the process he continues his long-term collaboration with sound designer Tuukka Haapakorpi, lighting designer Sofia Palillo, costume and spatial designer Teo Paaer, and producer Sanna Ritvanen.
