Open Studio: Antje Schupp & Kieron Jina
The director, performer and writer Antje Schupp and the multidisciplinary artist Kieron Jina are in residency in HELLERAU, collaborating on a new project called “Life of Joy”: “Life of Joy” is an intergenerational project, where Kieron’s grandmother Joyce (80) and Antje’s aunt Ingrid (92) , who grew up on different continents, but have parallels in their lives, „meet“.
Physically being unable to meet, the two are connected in their approach to life: through positivity especially because they know its endangering sides. Ingrid survived the bombarding of Dresden 1945, Joyce survived Apartheid rule. Now being old and moving closer towards death, both still have a striking joy of life. Antje Schupp and Kieron Jina plan to develop a performance through documentary means, storytelling, and reflections on female perspectives, where the energy of Joy and Joyce is tangible for an audience and where they meet each other.
In the Open Studio, the two artists will give an insight into their research for “Life of Joy”. They will talk about their artistic practice or share excerpts from their rehearsal process. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to give feedback or ask questions.
Duration: ca. 1 h
Language: English
Registration via:
Janka Dold
Residency program
dold@hellerau.org
Antje Schupp is a director, performer, writer and lecturer. Her artistic praxis is shaped by the variety of productions she’s been creating—performances, dance projects, site specific works, operas, plays—in total +70 productions. She is interested in political, ecological and social topics and combines different stylistic elements to create multi-layered narratives. She studied directing at the Theatre Academy in Munich, creating productions at Kaserne Basel, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Neumarkt Theater or Burgtheater Vienna a.o., performing at festivals such as Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Politik im Freien Theater, Berliner Theatertreffen, Antigel Geneva, Impulse Festival or Genève Genève. She regularly works in international collaborations, e.g. in South Africa, Lebanon, Kosovo or Brazil.
Currently, she is working on a new collaboration with Kieron Jina, “Life of Joy“ and with the international feminist campaign #Empty Chairs Campaign on a new collaboration, “The People’s Council“ (planned in 2026), which will move between activist work, performance and installation. Her new solo “You live you learn” (2024) as well as the multidisciplinary work “Recycling of Life” (2024) with the filmmaker and archivist Ayman Nahle and the musician Yanik Soland are on tour. Antje Schupp is currently teaching at ZHdK Zurich, HfMT Hamburg and Theatre Academy Munich, working with students of scenography, acting and dramaturgy.
Kieron Jina, recognized as Afrohomo and DJ Kiki Mon Ami, is a courageous queer professional provocateur and multidisciplinary artist, holding a Master of Arts in performance art making and choreography from Wits University in Johannesburg. Jina primarily engages in performance art, visual art, theatre-making, and conscious DJing, supported by a background in film. Their work explores themes of afrofuturism, sexuality, migration, climate change, emerging technologies, Indigenous cultural practices, site-specific performance, and interdisciplinary creative approaches. Jina finds inspiration in artistic residencies, which have led to impactful collaborations. They are committed to celebrating and honoring their ancestors through the spectrum of art making and dance.
