At the heart of Haaponiemi and Lillhonga’s performance art is working in between dance and battle improvisation. Their playful movement features childhood heroes from action movies, pop culture, computer games, and the mystique aesthetics and pseudo-science of oriental martial arts. In addition to the physical dimension, Haaponiemi and Lillhonga’s performance discusses the cultural demands of masculinity: emphasizing hardness, aggression, glorification of violence, individualism, coping alone, insensitivity, competitiveness for physical performance and virility. The strange aspects of the traditional male identity are tackled with solid self-irony and humor. In the process, the positive dimensions of masculinity and the artists’ own attitude towards masculinity are considered.
Curators’ comment: Haaponiemi and Lillhonga’s performance is an interesting and special improvisation. The work exudes a true-man catalog and turns it into a play with a humorous but personal touch. Good self-irony and humor!