Stina Fors sits on the floor against a white wall, legs spread wide. In front of them are two ventriloquist dummies with exaggerated smiles, dressed in white tops and dark trousers, positioned to mimic the person’s seated posture.

Answer me, Pythia

Stina Fors

Artist-in-residence Stina Fors presents a new live performance examining the role of the soothsayer. Answer me, Pythia marks the artist’s first performance in the UK.

Initially presented as a multi-day durational performance in 2025 at Kunstraum Niederoesterreich, Fors has spent her time in residence at Studio Voltaire adapting Answer me, Pythia into a new, shorter format. Inspired by her research into the ancient Greek figure of Pythia, the artist re-imagines this fabled figure for the anxieties of contemporary life. 

Fors’ performance takes the cryptic answers that the mythical character would give those seeking to know their destiny and frames them through familiar elements from modern life, including call-centre agents and life coaches. Using her body and a ventriloquist’s dummy, the resulting work is a raw, intense and at times absurd reflection on the urge to know one’s fate.

  1. Stina Fors (b. 1989, Sweden) is a performance artist, drummer, and choreographer. In 2024, Fors performed at the Luxembourg Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and in the Austrian Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale. Fors’ work has been presented at TQW, Vienna (2025), brut Wien, Vienna (2025, 2022), Wiener Festwochen, Vienna (2020, 2018), La Ménagerie de Verre, Paris (2024), Short Theater, Rome (2024), Centrale Fies, Trento (2020), MDT, Stockholm (2025, 2023), Inkonst, Malmö (2025), La Casa Encendida, Madrid (2022), CA2M, Madrid (2023), STUK, Leuven (2022), and Campo, Ghent (2020), among others. Fors also teaches voice techniques and is trained in choreography at SNDO in Amsterdam.

  2. Since 2007, the H13 Lower Austria Prize for Performance has been a fixed date on the calendar of Kunstraum Niederoesterreich. It is the only award in the field of contemporary art in Austria that is exclusively dedicated to performance. Winners of the H13 Prize in the past years include Katharina Ernst (2024), Rehema Chachage (2023), Elisabeth Kihlström and Alexander Martinz (2022), Sara Lanner (2021), and Julischka Stengele (2020).

  3. Seating will be available. Lighting levels will remain consistent throughout the performance. Please note that latecomers will not be admitted. If you have any questions or need assistance with your visit, please feel welcome to contact us at +44 (0) 20 7622 1294 or info@studiovoltaire.org. Read Studio Voltaire's full access information here.

  4. Kunstraum Niederoesterreich and Stina Fors © eSeL.at. Credit Robert Putenau

Artist Stina Fors lies on the floor, embracing two ventriloquist dummies or masks with painted faces and synthetic hair. The person is dressed in white, blending into the neutral background, and gazes softly at the camera.

Stina Fors Residency

Residency