31 August – 6 September 2026
Gallery Myymälä2, Helsinki
VERBA CORPORIS brought together artists who engaged with text and language as central materials in performance, each approaching them from distinct aesthetic, political, and personal perspectives. Through spoken word, recorded voice, textual appropriation, and embodied practices, the festival highlighted the multiplicity of ways in which performance artists worked with language. Unlike theatre, where meaning has traditionally been rooted in a written play, performance art has often treated text as taboo, associating it with theatricality, mimesis, and excessive meaning-making. VERBA CORPORIS challenged this bias by exploring how text could inhabit performance in diverse forms and modes, opening new possibilities for artistic experimentation and expression.
The programme included twelve live performances, two workshops led by Simona Orinska and Laura Feldberga, video performances, a public discussion, and an artist talk with Martin O’Brien moderated by Laine Kristberga. Through performances, practical exchange, and critical dialogue, VERBA CORPORIS created a space for artists and audiences to explore the multiple ways in which text, voice, and language inhabited contemporary performance practices.
The project built new networks through collaboration between Latvian and Finnish organisations – the Latvian Centre for Performance Art, Gallery Myymälä, Villa Eläintarha, and UniArts Helsinki – as well as a diverse group of international artists. Bringing together twelve live performances, two workshops, video performances, networking events, a public discussion, and an artist talk, VERBA CORPORIS created opportunities for artistic exchange, knowledge-sharing, and meaningful dialogue across disciplines, generations, and national contexts. By fostering new professional relationships and strengthening existing partnerships, the festival contributed to the development of a vibrant and interconnected performance and live art community in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Artists: Katrīna Albuže (Latvia), Laura Feldberga (Latvia), Andris Freibergs (Latvia), Maipelo Gabang (Sweden), Maria Lepistö (Denmark), Anna Maskava (Latvia), Mailo Mēness (Latvia), Martin O’Brien (United Kingdom), Simona Orinska (Latvia), Pianka Pärna (Estonia), Tomasz Szrama (Finland), and Kristiāna Šuksta (Latvia).
Video Artists: Diana Lelis (Latvia), Eliza Eikerte (Latvia), Normal Babyy (Elza Knese and Kristofers Knesis, Latvia), Dāniels Šatalovs (Latvia), Anna Maskava (Latvia)
The festival was funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Culture and Art Programme.
