Anni Puolakka explores shifts and vulnerabilities between humans and other organisms, with a particular interest in the biological, social and cultural forms of togetherness produced by such exposure. In their latest work, Puolakka examines Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that is transmitted from cats to humans. The parasite leaves traces of its passage in humans as it spreads around the world, and with climate change its traces can be found even up in the Arctic regions.

Puolakka’s works are often performances, videos or installations that incorporate autobiographical and documentary materials into fictional worlds, and they often explore the human body and its boundaries. In their work Puolakka experiments with the conventions of theatre and film and also with new technologies.

Anni Puolakka was born in 1983 in Oulu and lives and works in Helsinki. Jyväskylä is a place where Puolakka has family – they lived there as a teenager. Puolakka has an MA in visual communication from Aalto University and an MFA from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam.