The two-week dance programme of the Venice Biennale in summer 2026 consists of more than 60 new works, with Kalle Nio’s Tempo the sole Finnish representative.
Tempo features text, movement and hypnotic stage illusions where time runs backward, gravity disappears and the laws of nature dissolve. In the piece, created together with Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo, Nio combines visual theatre, cinematic expression, contemporary circus and new magic.
Tempo premiered last autumn at the Helsinki Festival. It has garnered significant international interest, and starting in spring 2026 it tours a range of countries, from Singapore to Portugal.
Finnish artists have not often been seen in the performing arts programme of the Venice Biennale. Tero Saarinen’s Hunt was featured previously in the dance lineup, in 2002.
