About Vishnu
Photo by Antti Ahonen
Vishnu’s Artist Statement
I am a BODY PHILOSOPHER - I strive to integrate my personal experiences with my artistic practice. I create a lived praxis, where my art becomes a direct extension of my life's journey - on the frontiers of arts, performance, philosophy and politics.
I am a polyglot whose only instrument is my Body. Curiosity is my defining character. Religions, gods, metaphors, myths, rituals, emerging tech: my curiosities, which are as endless as the ever expanding human mind.
I dance, I move, I yoga, I emote.
I exercise an interpersonal and intra-personal intelligence. I'm grateful for having a bodily-kinesthetic and linguistic intelligence. I strive to improve spatial intelligence.
I wear my vulnerability as my strength. My aspiration in life is to bring the very essential lessons I have learned: feminism, gender awareness, equality, racial inclusivity to my immediate human companions.My current mission is to keep my underground spirit even as I surface exposing myself online.
Vishnu’s Bio
Vishnu Vardhani RAJAN (they/them) was born and raised in Hyderabad, India and is best described as a Body-Philosopher and Performance Artist, now based in Helsinki.
Vishnu considers themselves a hyphenated identity pursuing multidisciplinary practices that build connections between art, science, witchcraft, history and cultures. They find themselves consistently exploring themes such as sleep, conflict, nutrition, night politics, food, shame, investigation of sensory experiences, through various media such as dance, acting and stand-up comedy.
Oscillating between cultures, methodologies and sexual identities, each different from the other, are instrumental in their visual Language.
Vishnu's persona Vamp Master Brown has become known as the first Indian Drag King to grace the streets of Helsinki, Finland.
Vishnu intends to blend in their love of cinema and passion for film making with her ongoing practices, to explore new languages in story telling. They aim to embody the depth and breadth of affect theory.
Upcoming Work
2025 March - Curating and Organising Black Meme, Legacy Russell Reading group and a discourse session
2025 May - Schizophrenia mental health and anachronisms - MadHouse X Reality Research Center
Poetry: Performances & Published
June 24th 2024 : ‘’Universal Queer Thisness’’ Tekstin Talo’s Pride Week Poetry.
April 10th -15th 2024 : Rosebush Syndrome - Critical Matters 2: Ecologies of Relation symposium, Erasmus University/Humboldt University (April 2024, Rotterdam), convened by Christoph Brunner.
April 10th -15th 2024 : Rosebush Syndrome - Critical Matters 2: Ecologies of Relation symposium, Erasmus University/Humboldt University (April 2024, Rotterdam), convened by Christoph Brunner.
January 2024 : Rosebush Syndrome (an epic in the making) with Clara Balaguer at the WereldMuseum Amsterdam.
March 2023 - Long form epic poem published on texttissues
September 2023 : Interconnectedness of sounds and silences that make home, a sound scape commissioned by Oyoun and convened by Nina Martin & Gabbah Baya
August 2023 : A Poetry Jugalbandi with Jaamil Al Kosoko Jugalbandi (literally "tied together"), is an ancient Indian art form where two poets with different styles perform together at ColorBlock 10 - 2023 Ponderosa Stolzenhagen.
July 2023 : A New World: Ecofeminist Summer School, Gallery West (July 2023, The Hague), convened by baruch gottlieb.
May 2022 : Poetry performance at Helsinki Poetry Connection
August 2021 : Spoken Word Performance as part of Hands-up exhibition by Kihwa Andale.
July 2018 : ‘I am Indian’ as part of Poetry as a resistance Program at Musta-Kissa curated by Rosamaria Bolom
Publications & Exhibitions
2024 : A chapter on Schizophrenia as methodologies in the Book - A new world; Embodied thinking, ecofeminism & ecosocialism - Edited by Kolar Aparna, By University of Helsinki.
2020-2022 Glitch Feminism Translation group with Tutkijaliitto.
22 Oct-8 Nov Helsinki Myymäla2 - Quantum Critic - Exhibition
19 Nov - 19 Dec St-Petersburg, Russia - Quantum Critic - Exhibition
August 2020 : Perspectives - a four panel Comic strip - Worldcomics_Finland.
April 2020 : A copy - Four Panel Comic Strip as part of the Greatest Quarantine Art Expo. - Thisworksdiferently.
March 2020 : [Krah-seez] A reader as part of PiR - Publisher in Residence at C.off Stockholm.
Poetics of taking ‘it’ personally - an Essay.
2019 : Chapter in the book ‘Decolonising Participatory Research through Arts-Based Methods’ (Editors Tiina Seppala, Melanie Sarantou and Satu Miettinen)
Arts & Research
November 2022 - January 2024 Dance choreography and research participation in Samir Bhowmik’s Heat Work, a choreographic project with Santhali dances A nomadic tribe in the Mining region of Santhal. Machine Learning with applications of AI.
July 2021 - Ongoing. A slow essayist film ‘Rebel Constructs: Exploring Urban Spaces and Non-Spaces through PUNK Architecture’ in collaboration with Heritage walks Hyderabad.
January 2023 : Research and Testing with Oura Experience on Menstrual Bleeding.
December 2022 : research on ‘’Non-Visual Dance’’ with Zwoisy Mears-Clarke, Birte Opitz and Fia Neise.
December 2021 : Ongoing research with Rani Nair, Studio Skaftarp and choreographers focusing on contemporary choreography in an expanded field.
September 2021 : Utopian Plagiarism
Punk Orientalism and Punk Architecture
Convivial Complaint Cell a research project that works with NonPerformance Performance.
Feb 2022 - May Lectures with Sara Ahmed on Complaint Making as diversity work
Oct 2021 - Dec 2021 - Non-Performance-Performance of Convivial Complaint Cell
Jan 2020 - Collaborator of the Social Study of Microbes research group at STSHelsinki.
June 2020 - Founder and Researcher of Ongoing project Convivial Complaint Cell
Performances
September 2024 - Vamp Master Brown - at Kiihko Klubi
June 2024 - Participation with Samir Bhowmik’s Heat work Performance Lecture - At Decypher organized by Bio-Arts society.
February-March 2024 : 3 iterations of the performance CRICKET
November 2023 : Baltic Theater Circle Performance Rampa Productions as part of Coming Stage Funded by KoneenSäätio.
October 2023 : Showing of the short film Food on Wheels Short film in Nicosia, Cyprus at NiMac.
October 2023 : Teaching the concepts of Feminist Economy & Trauma Informed Economy at Zeppelin University.
September 2023 Chekhov’s Gun a Non-Performance-Performance at By the bend at Kairos X Together again festival.
September 2023 Vamp Master Brown speaks again at Solidarity Collectives and A-ryhma for Fundraising for Ukraine at Teater Viirus
July 2023 Non-Performance Performance at Oyoun kultur Neu Denken as part of anti-monumentalist approaches to lay the foundation for a game narrative/mechanics.
January 2023 - June 2023 : Performances commissioned with the grant from Taike
December 2022 - Divination as speculative storytelling space and Infinite Playlist Afterisms at Sons Of Lumiere pikku joulu.
November 2022 Cricket, One and a half over at Glow Up / Malla at Seinäjoen Taidehalli
September 2022 Collaboration with River Lin At Antti Festivaali ‘My body is a Queer History Museum’.
August 2022 : ‘Ghosts in the machine’ LARP sessions at Ponderosa Berlin.
June 2022 : ‘Ghosts in the machine’ LARP with Her/Their story dancing in and beyond the rural network supported by Nor
May 2022 : Performance 'Tuning the Gaze" at Glitch Feminism book launch event.
May 2022 : Infinite Playlist Afterisms Session 2.
May 2022 : Dance Tiger Dance at Revolve Performance Arts Festival.
April 2022 : Aistikkaat Kluubi
April 2022 : Infinite Playlist Afterisms Session 1.
March 2022 : We have a selfie-story! Dancing Solo-together with Studio Skaftarp
February 2022 : CCC Convivial Complaint Cell + IPA Infinite Playlist Afterisms - performance on Radio program - Harboring the social. On sculptures Internationally and the Messiness of Public Practice. Radio Paleis Maashaven in Het Gemaal op zuid. https://www.operator-radio.com/archive/radio-paleis-maashaven-2
January 2022 : IPA Infinite Playlist Afterisms The phenomenon called Item Songs in Telugu films on Stream.roll.fm.
December 2021 : Non-Performance-Performance of Convivial Complaint Cell at Samlingen at Folkets hus in Bagarmossen and Dansmuseet in Stockholm
November 2021 : Non-Performance-Performance of Convivial Complaint Cell at Artsi x Laps 20 years
October 29th 2021 : Translating Comedy with Transquips x Madhouse Helsinki.
October 29th and 30th 2021 : Non Performance Performance of Convivial Complaint Cell at UrabanApa x Ateneum
September 2021 : To Rummage in Raw Matters as part of Raw Matters in Vienna Le studio Film and Bühne.
August 2021 : IPA Infinite Playlist Afterisms Night of Culture at Åland Museum
August 2021 : Vamp Master Brown - PunchUp Glitter Curated by Jamie McDonald
July 2021 : Queer Embassy at Madhouse Helsinki.
November 2020 : Non-Performance Performance 5th iteration - Feminist accounting, a pursuit.
November 2020 : Video Performance For Finding Sisterhood mini festival by Fulkonst Sweden.
November 2020 : VampMasterBrown Performs ‘Code Red’ Haema, an intervention in Public Transport.
October 2020 : Translating Comedy with Transquips
September 2020 : Sugar Sugar Sugar - Performance at Suut ja Syljet
September 2020 : The already not-yet ‘Becoming Collective’ with Joy Mariama Smith, Ima Iduozee, Iida Nissinen, Jeanne Van Heeswijk. As part of Lapsody Paramatter, at Publics.
September 2020 : Non-Performance Performance a choreographic scenario with 4 questions - My Wild Flag Stockholm.
August 2020 : ‘Politics of Proper’ a Performance at Relational Art Week.
August 2020 : ‘Code Red - Revisited’ Haema - A video performance about the monthly bleeding.
April 2020 : ‘I am Indian’ as part of the ‘greatest quarantine art expo’
April 2020 : Book-Binding as a choreographic gesture exploring the question can a dance be a song ? as part of P.i.R C.off - Stockholm.
March 2020 : Exhausted Activist Project a durational performance of 55 hours.
January 2020 : Eco-Sexual Investigations a video performance at Kilpisjarvi (Biological Station)
January 2020 : Artists with Fermenting Cultures Publishers.
January 2020 : Ongoing - Research/Performance/Installation - Convivial Complaint Cell
December 2019 : Meet to Sleep - Blank Noise Action Heroes.
October 2019 : Vamp Master Brown 2019 : Loukko
September 2019 : BAM Biennale Mediteranne : Besmyslita (A form breaking Performance on ‘how to not be fucking seen while being hyper Visible’ with CV-Dazzle anti-surveillance make-up and mc-veillance methodology.
August 2019 : Sow Sew Talk Take Carrier bag, Festival Copenhagen
May 2019 : Non-Performance Performance as part of Pixelache Festival -Breaking the 5th Wall and Community Building. A self reflective performance with a series of 20 questions on the ethics of engagement.
May 2019 : Collective Performance with Catalysti at World Village Festival.
April 2019 : Non Performance Performance at Museum of impossible forms as part of curatorial self-reflections.
March - September 2019 Plants are Queens : Tampere, Berlin , Brussels (as part of Eco Sexual Investigations)
Febraury 2019 : Word Performance at Caisa Culture Center as part of Venlanrunoiluyhteiso
February 2019 : Performance Play (Talking about Mental Health Oppressions) at Lavaklubi in Helsingin Kansalis Teatteri as part of Omatuntoklubi for mental health awareness.
December 2018 : I Am Exhibitionsit - Performance at Porinjuhlaviiko.
September 2018 : Ahtautuminen (Squeezing into the nature's wonders) at Jättömaa Festival in Kouvola. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk86kHce0zg&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0hxsY4hivl7k5qf4RdK5lLpjo1PkFkfctZ7aFLsIw58jw8eBV91RX9cDo
September 2018 : Radio Play with BlauFrau.
September 2018 : Performance 'I am Indian' - ‘I am exhibitionist’ as part of the Collective Intelligence Exhibition Opening Ceremony at Myymälä 2.
July 2018 : Performance ‘5th Wall’. A free experimental art session composed as part of the residency ‘Energia Akatemia’ at Art Center Antares.
May 2018: Nutrition cafe and Nap cafe as part of Bluesfest Sweden.
April - October 2018: Pop up nap-cafe a series of Pop up cafes, Alongside Pop up separation-cafe, Pop up nutrition cafe for queer.
March 2018: Performance 'Tuning the Gaze" At Museum of Impossible forms Kontula Helsinki.
March 2018: Performance "I am exhibitionist" as Part of The random Home Cinema at Short waves festival Poznan-Poland
February 2018: Performance I am Indian (Gothenburg Kuntshalle)
February 2018: Code Red - Haema (A performance about Female monthly bleeds) At Madhouse Helsinki Festival.
October 2017 : Utti 'A post-colonial play' performance with a human inside a box at Feminist Forum
May 2017: Tiger dance Opening performance Zoo Exhibition Imatra Taidebunkkeri
March 2017: Organised and curated week against racism in collaboration with Sepideh Rahaa and Catalysti.
May 2016: Ykon Dinner games Performance + Workshop.
July - September 2015: HSL TaideLinja Ilo Palvelu Performance.
July 2015: Baltic spice food performance
June 2014 : Performance in Landscape project directed by Anna Estarriola
July 2013 : Pop-Up Nap café at Makasiini puisto.
Performance Lectures
June 6th 2024 - deCYPher lab: on the ethics and aesthetics of linking AI/ML & SynBio Convened by BIO-ARTS SOCIETY.
Film, Screen Work & Related Tours
August 2024 - Stars From an Other Sky - An erotic Film on mental health, interstitial spaces between India and Pakistan - Post Production.
Feb 2024 - Screening of Toms of Finland at Berlin Asian POC Queer Film Network as a side event at Berlinale.
Jan 2024 - Screenings of (Toms of Finland & Glitch) at Regnbågen Festival with the support of Platform Vaasa.
Jan - May 2024 - Baltic Analogue Lab - Riga Latvia - Experimental filmmaking with Super 8.
December 2023 - Jan 2024 A barque, A boat; Games for healing - practice-based and temporal lived concept and a poetic film that captures scenes of many generations of migrants making epic crossings of the ocean for a better life on boats made in collaboration with Social Geographer Aparna Kolar.
August 2023 - Military Aesthetic Short Film 7 minutes. (In post Production)
July 2023 - There is always an Elsewhere, dada short film 7 minutes. (In Post Production)
March 2023 - An essay film ‘Hastha Kala’ and published on texttissues
February 2023 - Glitch (Recon)naissance screening as part of Catalystii 10 years anniversary.
November 2022 : Let the right on in - VC (screening at Night Visions Festival 2022)
March 2021 - September 2022 Graduated Studies in Essay Film with VN Lab Studio of the Łódź Film School.
July 2022 - Toms Of Finland an Ode to the world of Tom of Finland. - Tampere short film Festival & Nordisk Panorama Festival
May 2022 - Glitch (Re)Connaissance screening at Kiasma as part of Urban Arts festival.
October 2021 - Graduation Film Glitch (Re) Connaissance
April 2020 - October 2021 - Filmmaking Studies at Academy of Moving People and Images.
July 2019 : Acting, Cinematography, Editing and Script writing at Kino Euphoria.
February 2019 : Acting, Cinematography, Kino Obscura.
July 2018 : Acting , Camera, Concept Building, Boom operating at Kino Euphoria.
November 2017: Music Video With the Rap artist Pastori Leksi.
2008 - March 2010 : Production assistant of Yellow Film Studios, Hyderabad.
2008 : Acting, In a film ' The crossing' by Murali Nair Stories on Human Rights.
Organising / Community Building / Curating
August 2022 - February 2023 - Artist Facilitator at UrbanApa Miniresidencies.
December 2021 - Ongoing - Her/Their story dancing in and beyond the rural network!
May 2022 : Infinite Playlist Afterisms Performances, Facilitations, Curation and Organising.
December 2021 : Delta, an oceanic call at the Museum of Impossible forms for PAM -Stockholm.
March 2018 - May 2019 : Artistic-Director of Pixelache Festival 'Breaking the 5th wall, Community Building'
Jan 2019 - December 2019 Curating Performance Lab 'Bodies' at Museum of Impossible Forms
August 2018 - Ongoing: Para-Nordic Institute Working Group
March 2018 - December 2018 Curating Performance Lab 'Fierce Urgency of Now' at Museum of Impossible Forms
Jan 2017- April 2020 : Radical Contact Improvisation Dance Gatherings in Sweden.
July 2016: Seeds of Change Arts and performance summer camp for the paperless - Mobile - teenagers.
October 2014 & 2015: MEFA (Middle Eastern Film and Arts Festival)
2009, Moussa Touré’s trip and project coordination, translation, execution to India:
Acclaimed Senegalese filmmaker who received a special mention in the ‘Festival Vues d’Afrique’ 2003. I interpreted for him during his visit to Hyderabad, including facilitating interactions between filmmaker and audience after the screenings of his film.Nov 2008-March 2009 MAD in India with Olivier Culmann, research, local contacts and network development in India, perspective building of Indian culture to support the photographer’s project Alliance Française, India 2003 – 2008: Artistic and cultural projects translation, including pre production work for French artists and organizations in Hyderabad, translation of technical sheets relevant to sound and light arrangements, and precision documents for animation.
Installations
August 2023 : Urban Futures with game/interface design with gabbah baya conceptualising a digital interface on urban futures online.
May - 2023 : Performative Book Fair organized by Alina Buchberger & Pajam Masoumi at Kampnagel in Hamburg
November 2021 - Complaint Scroll of Convivial Complaint Cell at Artsi.
October 2021 - UrbanApa x Ateneum - Installation - Punk Architecture of Convivial Complaint Cell
July 2021 - Pixelache Festival Burn x Oodi - Punk Architecture of Convivial Complaint Cell
Stand Up
August 2024 - Stand up at Stoa X UrbanApa Festival X Poc Open Mic
March 2024 - Stand up at Konttori Helsinki, MC’ed by Roxana Sadvo
February 2024 - Stand up at Das Gift Berlin, MC’ed by Anshita Koul
January 2024 - Stand up at the Moonlight comedy club hosted by Henri Näre
December 2023 - Stand Up at Stoa
August 2023 - Stand Up at Ponderosa Stolzenhagen (Germany)
June 2023 - Stand Up at Jakomäki Bar Bumerang
February - May 2023 : Stand-Up in Hyderabad at the Motor Garage cafe. Multiple Shows.
October 2022 - First Stand-Up Special Gauche Live and Recorded
Stand-Up headline 2019 at Luokko Pikkujoulu
Establishing Stand-Up in Hyderabad at Open Mics March 2023.
July 2017 - Start of Standup with many open mics.
Teaching / Workshop / Keynotes
July 23rd-30th 2024 Complaint Making as part of Setting Up Conflict-Positive Spaces for Community Building Praxis, at Karada House, in Berlin.
August - December 2023 - Mentorship and Artist Facilitation at LAPS program TEAK
August 2023 - Mentorship and Artist Facilitation Ponderosa Stolzenhagen at 10th ColorBlock
July 2023 (17th-21st) - West Den Haag Ecofeminist ecosocialist Summer School
September 2022 ‘’Stewardship curriculum’’ for the use of Toward Sanctuary Dome at Feinart and Zepplin University Gallery.
April - May 2023 : work with Jeanne Van Heesvik, Clara Balaguer , and the rest of the Community Portal team on the upcoming exhibition and public program Ultradependent Public School (UPS) at BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht
July -August 2022 : Teaching LARP at ColorBlock, Ponderosa
November 2021 - April 2022 At University of Helsinki Consensual Decision Making.
November 2021 - Workshop / Lecture at University of Helsinki for the cohort of Creative Writers on Critical Thinking and Predictive Policing.
October 2021 : 20 years of Platform at Vaasa - Consensual Decision Making.
June 2016 - Ongoing - Twerk Poetry workshops (Temporary, Pixelache, etc)
Residencies
February 2024 : Offline Berlin Decolonial Efforts
November 2022 : TuoTuo to work on a poem called Accomplice
May 2022 : Study trip to Amsterdam Arts Week with Frame Foundation and Finnish Institute of Benelux.
July 2021 : Artists in Residency at Eskus-Hiap.
April 2021 : Lund - Ful and Studio Skaftarp
November -December 2020 - Platform - Vasa
August 2020 - Hyrsylan Koulu Residency as an invited artist by Myymala2
March 2020 - PiR Publisher in Residency at C.off
January 2020 - Kilpisjarvi Artists in Residency with the fermenting Cultures & with Microbes Scientists.
September 2019 - Second Order Group at Kilpisjarvi (Sami Land) Bioarts Society
July 2019 - Berlin Ponderosa Transgressive Bodies
August 2018 - Berlin Ponderosa.
Other Engagements
2023 Decemeber - Ongoing - Board Member of Mad House Helsinki
2018 - 2023 Board Member at Museum of Impossible Forms
Advisory member of Para Institutional Models (Sweden)
Board Member of Pixelache Trans-disciplinary Platform for Experimental Art, Research and Activism.
2016-Ongoing Restorative Circles (Conflict Resolution, Sociocracy and Community Building practices)
2017 Organising Volunteers for Pixelache Festival
Member of Kino-Euphoria (DIY Movie making Platform)
2017-Current - Stand-Up Comedy
2012-2018 Midnight Sun Film festival working in the organising team that takes care of the festival guests.
2013-2018 Rakkauta Ja Anarkia Hosting guests of the festival and Q&A for the films.
2013-2018 Volunteering at Doc-Point film Festival, Hosting, Q&A.
Ongoing / Personal Development Trainings
2023 - Intersectional Feminist Policies Ombudsperson (In training)
2022- Ongoing : Learning Sign language (ASL and LSF)
2022 : Swedish language training
2021 : Feminist Leadership Training with UrbanApa.
2021 : Decolonial Nonviolent Communication with Meenadchi.
2021 : Facilitation Training with Sociocracy Forall
2020 : Conflict Resolution Patterns and Language With Sofia Bustamante
2020 : Community Building training - Sociocracy 3.0
20 17 : NVC Conflict Resolution Language.
2016 : Naps, Rest, Chats and Radical Self Care with Social Science Research Lab, MIT and Clinton Foundation - India Branch.
Blau Frau workshop on Conflict
Blau Frau workshop on immersive theater with Poste restante theater group from Sweden.
Blau Frau workshop with Sandra Yi Sencindiver.
Dance workshop with Mårten Spångberg (Baltic theater Circle)
Grants Received
Taiteen edistämiskeskus (individual)
Svenska kulturfonden For Middle Eastern Film and Arts Festival (collective)
Kone (Rampa - Baltic Theater Circle)
AVEK (collective)
Hobbies
Yoga.
DJ’ing.
Fermentation.
ADHD - Agent.
Feminist-Economics
Twerk-Demonstrations.
Making-Paper With Kombucha Scoby.
Complaint - A feminist Reading Group.
Inside-an-airport Decolonial Art Reading Group.
Performance Arts Forum - reading group.
Napping in Public Spaces in Solidarity with BlankNoiseActionHeroes.
PS
This above list covers only my work only since my migration to Finland from India.
PPS
I have formal education in Industrial Electronics Telecommunication Engineering from Osmania University of Hyderabad.
PPPS
I have been doing street theater since I was a child and making arts and performances for more than 25 years.