Joakim Stampe, Sweden

Born in 1959 in Gothenburg, lives and works in Gothenburg,

Joakim Stampe (Sweden), co-founder and honorary guest of the festival, presents his poetically democratic vision of 2025, a vision that unites artistic action with social reflection, in dialogue with place and audience. Stampe is a key figure in both Swedish and international performance art. With over 150 works performed in more than 20 countries, he is one of Sweden’s most established artists in the field. Born into an artistic family, he began painting at an early age but soon left the canvas behind in favor of object painting and public art. In the 1990s, he developed his voice through street art and urban water paintings.
A turning point came in 2006 when he co-founded Live Action, now one of Europe’s leading platforms for contemporary performance art. Since then, Stampe has deepened his artistic language in works that combine body, material, narrative, and strong presence. Avoiding repetition, he allows each performance to emerge through a sensitive dialogue with space and audience. Stampe works with unexpected materials, red wine, stones, flags, dead bees - ordinary objects that in his hands are transformed into charged, poetic expressions. His performances merge body and story, emotion and thought. They are not repetitions but living actions, unfolding in the moment and shaped by the immediate environment.
In a world dominated by TV and computer screens, algorithms, and constant information, Stampe’s art reminds us of the authentic encounter – of stillness, presence, and embodiment. His work holds a deeply human dimension, where vulnerability and strength coexist. Through his artistic practice, he demonstrates how performance can be a tool for both inner and outer transformation.

Joakim Stampe. Principle Of Hope, Bar Paradiso Giardini, VIVAAR Venezia 2024, Photo: Enrique Ježik