Born in 1951, living and working in Helsinki

In this world of enlightened heroes like politicians, sportsmen, terrorists, businessmen, gurus, famous artists and whatever trademarked darlings of global media, I like the small places offered for performance art.  I like to be busy with themes that are recognizable for everybody: the joys and fear of relating, the longing for and shying away from contact, the getting entangled in a swamp of emotions, desperately trying, getting lost in futile attempts for importance, the illusion of certainty. My performances are based on trust in my body. I like its movements, its expressions, and most of all its downright honesty. Preparing for a performance is stripping away all kinds of illusion. The leftover is a need to add something, something else, something new to whatlife is offering me.  I am amazed myself that time and again this is possible with the most simple materials.

Willem Wilhelmus is a helsinki based dutch performance artist and created over 40 performances in Finland, France, Germany, Estonia, Quebec, Indonesia, Sweden and Spain. He is directing the performance art festival Art Contact in Helsinki.