Paria Mohajerani & Xiaole Wang

Photo Credit: Aman Askarizad

Paria Mohajeani is a performance artist based in Helsinki studying Live Art and Performance Studies at the University of the Arts, Helsinki, and originally from Iran. Her background is in acting and directing both in stage shows and experimental, site-specific, and online performances. Working with audience responsibilities and ethics in performances drew her to question how to engage the audience to redefine power structures in performance arts and events. She also works with concepts of alternative ways of storytelling, navigating historical gaps, and challenging the constructs of memory. Her portfolio spans political, immersive, documentary, and site-specific performances often intertwining with video installations and multimedia arts.

Wang Xiaole is a young performance artist who prefers to identify as an experiencer and explorer. Her interests often stem from paradoxical personal feelings toward common human issues. Drawing on insights from Chinese cultural background and her education in philosophy, she employs absurdity as a tool to approach political questions, striving to embrace irrationality. She also delves into the body-mind relationship, placing a strong emphasis on the body. A weirdo, foodie, overthinker, and a contradiction, she possesses a curiosity about the world and humanity. Currently, she is exploring and experiencing life in Finland and Europe, pursuing studies in Live Art and Performance Studies at the University of Arts Helsinki.