Maria Metsalu “Permanent Resident”

“Permanent Resident” is Maria Metsalu’s new solo work, which treats fear not as a temporary emotion but as part of the fundamental architecture of the self. The piece unfolds in a strongly stylised landscape in which the performer’s body exists in a dynamic and paradoxical relationship with its surroundings.

Through movement, sound and poetic metaphor, “Permanent Resident” maps the geology of the psyche, creating a visually and physically demanding investigation into what it means to live intimately with a fear that has become home. At the heart of the work is a human question: how do we live with parts of ourselves that we did not choose? The piece goes beyond fear as an emotion to be conquered and presents it as a foundation of identity.

It deepens one of the central questions of Metsalu’s practice: what effect does the inner landscape of the mind, with its fears, memories and rules, have physically on the body?

Maria Metsalu is an artist whose work centres on the body as an archive of lived experience, a focal point where social and political issues meet. Her performances explore the tension between abject embodiment and flawless high-tech design. Rather than defining meanings, Metsalu cultivates ambiguity, leaving room for wider interpretation instead of offering a conceptual conclusion. In 2014 the artist co-founded the performance collective Young Boy Dancing Group (YBDG).

Concept, performance, text: Maria Metsalu

Sound: Rodrigo Sobarzo de Larraechea

Landscape: Maria Metsalu, Madlen Hirtentreu

Production assistant: Madlen Hirtentreu

Technicians: Henry Kasch, Kalle Tikas

Construction: Konesko Autotarvik

Light: Maria Metsalu, Henry Kasch

Costumes: Kirke Talu, Liisa Kanemägi

MUA: Kristiine Kaljurand

Photographer: Kertin Vasser

Adviser: Jaakko Pallasvuo

Project manager: Kaie Küünal

Co-production: National Museum (Norway), Kanuti Gildi SAAL, Maria Metsalu

Supported by: Estonian Cultural Endowment, Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Estonian Embassy in Oslo, OÜ NOBE

Premiere: 14.04.2026, National Museum (Norway)

Duration: approx. 75 min

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