Teo Ala-Ruona - Vilnius Biennial of Performance Art

Enter Exude explores the intersection of technology, sexuality, and the human body. The work features three performers and a Chevrolet Camaro as the central element of the story. The techno brothers, born from the car’s anal canal, find pleasure in inhaling the car’s spirit and unfulfilled desire. They dance in the metallic cosmos as they journey to their final destination, idolising highways, the body of a car, and memories of a father. The performance is both excessive and delicate, moving across different time scales and blurring the line between life and slow death. It invites the audience to get turned on by the union of rubber, pollution, and the engine, creating a unique techno-sexuality and techno-corporeality experience.

It is part of Ala-Ruona’s series of performances that explore the interconnection of environmental toxicities and trans-corporeality. The bodily transformations and complex sexuality depicted in the performance create an intense, mutually accelerating cycle. The piece challenges us to confront the ways in which technology shapes and transforms our physical and emotional experiences, questioning the boundaries of what we perceive as real and imagined.

Teo Ala-Ruona (b. 1990 in Kuopio, Finland) is a Helsinki-based performance artist specialising in queer somatic speculative fictioning. His work explores techno-trans-masculinity, sex, queer ecology, and toxicity by redefining language and narratives about pleasure and intimacy on a toxic Earth. Ala-Ruona often uses his own body as a site for speculative stories, experimenting with how fiction can transform both himself and the audience’s perspectives. He addresses queer ecological topics from a sexual perspective, challenging heteronormative biases in research on biology, ecology, gender, and sexuality.

Ala-Ruona graduated from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2016 and from the master’s programme in Ecology and Contemporary Performance at Helsinki Theatre Academy in 2018. His work has been showcased internationally, including art events in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Bangkok, and Los Angeles.

Performance credits
Summoning and concept: Teo Ala-Ruona
Performers: Raoni Muzho Saleh, Charlie Laban Trier and Teo Ala-Ruona
Dramaturg: Even Minn
Set and costume design: Teo Paaer
Sound dramaturg: Kaino Wennerstrand
Sound design: Miša Skalskis
Lighting design: Heikki Paasonen
Producer: Sanna Ritvanen
Pre-production: Jonni Korhonen
Artistic dialogue: Remi Vesala
Production: Kiasma-teatteri, Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, Viernulvier, Warehouse9
Supported by: Niilo Helander Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre, Wihuri Foundation, Oskar Öflund Foundation, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Finnish Cultural Institute of Denmark
Residencies: FABRIKKEN, Zodiak-laboratory, BUDA