BIO
Elina Pirinen’s artistry and practice is entangled in choreography, dancing, music making and experimental writing, pedagogy and curating. She is committed to make stage, performative, aural and linguistic autopsies to the subconscious registers, deep primary emotions and intelligence through them. The focuses of her art are in imagination, romanticism, doom, obsessions, nightmares, daydreams, taboos, sorrow, lust, despair, joy, suffering, silence, horror, satisfaction, shame, unwantedness, consolation and hope driven by feministic psychoanalytical depth and try to say something about these realities and experiences here through it. With deep Karelian roots Pirinen lives in Helsinki and by the lake Kalliojärvi with her gorgeous doctor husband, wonderful daughter, sweetest Russian Blue queen cat and a true gentleman Karelian dog plus two small cute vipers.
In Finland she has been collaborating with Zodiak – Center for New Dance, Kiasma Theater of Kiasma Museum of contemporary art, performance art venue Mad House, Live Art Society, Dance Theatres Rimpparemmi and MD, Tampere University, Theatre Academy of Arts University Helsinki, Helsinki Dance Company and Dance House Helsinki. Abroad she has worked with Iceland Dance Company, Carte Blanche Norway, Spring Festival Utrecht, Arsenic Lausanne, ADC Geneva, Tanzhaus Zürich, Hellerau Dresden, Kampnagel Hampuri, Tanz im August, Pact Zollverein Essen, Buda Kortrijk, New York Live Arts, ImpulsTanz Vienna, Brut Vienna, Seoul Performing Arts Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, SEAD – Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, Reykjavik Dance Festival, Ice Hot Nordic Dance Platforms, Norrlandoperan Umeå, MDT Stockholm, Aerowaves, Bit Teater Garasjen, Liettuan Teatteri- ja tanssiakatemia, Xplore festival Bucarest, 4+4 days in Motion Prague, Dampfzentrale Bern, Kanuti Gildi Saal and ZIL Moscow.
She has toured widely with her works Mortal Tropical Dances, Personal Symphonic Moment, Meadow, meadow, meadow, Concerto under Waterlilies, Brume de Mer and La Beaute du Coeur and Lover of the Pianist.
Elina Pirinen works with 8 year state grant for artists for 2017-2025. She is awarded with the Finnish State Art Award 2022, Prix Jardin d’Europe prize in ImPulsTanz Vienna 2015 and with The Finnish Critics’ Association honorary prize Critics’ Spurs 2014. Pirinen is representated by Plan B – Creative Agency for Performing Arts.
She also works with domestic animals in need and plays and sings affective, romantic, peculiar and thunderian doom-baroque-synthesis-psycho-mortal-lyrical music with her orchestra Al2Be3 and Fe3O4.
CONTACT
Image: Sarah Ibrahim