Malmö, a dynamic city in southern Sweden, is a hub of modern architecture, lush green spaces, and a thriving cultural scene. Home to iconic landmarks like Santiago Calatrava’s Turning Torso, Sweden’s tallest building, the city serves as an ideal backdrop for innovative artistic endeavors. Among its cultural gems is Lilith Performance Studio, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to contemporary visual performance. Founded in 2007 by artists Elin Lundgren and Petter Pettersson, Lilith commissions and curates large-scale performance art, inviting artists from across the globe to create immersive experiences in Malmö.
This year, Lilith Performance Studio collaborated with Jacob Fabricius, director of Art Hub Copenhagen, to co-curate “iwillmedievalfutureyou2,” part of an ambitious conceptual exhibition that has unfolded over the course of several non-chronological group exhibitions spanning a decade. The series explores speculative futures through imaginative, dystopian, and bizarre perspectives, offering a deeply thought-provoking engagement with contemporary issues.
“iwillmedievalfutureyou2” showcases more than thirty artists from fifteen different countries. Among the highlights are Mire Lee, current featured in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall commission, Li Yi-Fan, and Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, who will represent Taiwan and Iceland, respectively, at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Each evening at Lilith offers a fresh, unpredictable experience, with performances evolving in layout, content, and participating artists, ensuring that no two visits are the same.
A standout performance, Waste of Death (2025), by Lilith artist duo, delves into the tension between decay and desire. Featuring the mesmerizing movements of Selma Kjellsson, the piece captures a visceral struggle between surrender and survival. Every motion oscillates between implosion and expansion, exploring the fragile balance of existence and the longing to be seen.
Beyond the performances, visitors can engage with various thought-provoking works, such as Protect the Salmon (2024) by Ida Marie Hede. This sound piece, exclusively commissioned for “iwillmedievalfutureyou2,” places audiences in a cryonics clinic where two character converse about past, present, and future societies, blending science fiction with existential reflection.
Mire lee present two sculptures in the space, including Horizontal Forms (2024), an excerpt from her Hyundai Commission at Tate, and Four Head, Two of Which Open (2021–25), a newly created piece developed during her residency at Lilith. Lee’s work blurs the boundaries between technology, machinery, and human emotion, using raw materials like silicone and metal to evoke deep, visceral responses. Speaking to Louisa Elderton for Flash Art’s fall 2024 issue, Lee remarked, “I’ve always made sculptures and seen myself as a sculptor. Everything is a body or a mass, a volume, and then there’s a body of machines.”1
Li Yi-Fan challenges the intersection of art and technology. His film What Is Your Favorite Primitive (2023) portrays a protagonist grappling with ethical dilemmas stemming from digital image production. His DIY software-driven approach rivals the complexities of mainstream visual effects, offering a haunting meditation on how images shape human communication and identity.
The exhibition features an extensive list of participants, including Kristoffer Akselbo, Pranay Dutta, Jules Fischer, Leif Holmstrand, Heecheon Kim, Louise Lawler, Laura Lima, Molly Lowe, Éva Mag, Dafna Maimon, Hyeji Nam, Agnieszka Polska, Riar Rizaldi, Natasha Tontey, Magnus Wallin, and many more.
Beyond Malmö, Lilith Performance Studio extends its reach with Game Changer, a new interactive performance debuting on March 28–29 at Södertälje Konsthall. In a dimly lit club environment, actors and visitors navigate an eerie borderland, clad in identity-obscuring hoods with carnivalesque feathers. Through gestures, rituals, and dance, they explore themes of intimacy, desire, and human connection in an unpredictable setting.
Lilith Performance Studio remains a beacon of experimental and immersive performance art in Europe. As co-founders Lundgren and Pettersson affirm, “We don’t want to become an institutional space; we want to remain free.” Their unwavering dedication to artistic freedom and innovation ensures that Lilith continues to push the boundaries of contemporary performance art, offering audiences a truly transformative experience.
