Maria Oiva (she/they)

I am a performance artist and theatre director dedicated to reimagining the intersection of technology and live performance, with a focus on power dynamics, gender, and embodied audience experiences. I have a strong foundation in developing new performative concepts that rethink spectatorship and redefine the stage. At the heart of my work is a focus on the embodied experiences of the audience.

Since 2015, I have pioneered the use of digital technologies in live performances, exploring "virtual stages" and technology in a performance as its own entity.  I co-founded #digiteatteri,  and my work there was recognized with the TINFO Award in 2019.

My work often examines power relations, I aim to deconstruct socio-political and personal power structures, exploring how power is exercised, also in a context of sexuality and gender..

I have worked a lot in Reality Research Center, Helsinki-based experimental performance arts collective committed to questioning the nature of reality.

My productions have been featured at major festivals in Finland, and I have worked in for the Finnish National Theatre and Riihimäki Theatre

I also work as a consultant and educator, for excample in the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Theatre Union. I serve as a guest lecturer at institutions such as Aalto University’s Department of Film, Television, and Scenography, and the Theatre Academy at the University of the Arts in Helsinki.

Internationally I have worked in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, the US, Brazil and Russia.