Multidisciplinary artist working with movement, performance and visual arts.
The naked body is a powerful symbol that has been used in art since the beginning of [our] time. As familiar as it is to us, it is almost impossible to remain indifferent to the unclothed human form, regardless of the context in which it is presented. Over the last few years of my artistic career, I have explored [and experienced] the implications and impact of nudity both on and off stage. In my work I often use the nude as an invitation for the audience to confront their humanity, the politics of the body and the vulnerability of the human form.
[Artistic Research]
Arenas' current research questions the discourse of the body in western societies by analyzing the history of nude art within the framework of Transgender Studies. In previous works Arenas experiments with new ways of displaying the human figure by blurring the line between dance aesthetics and visual art to experiment new forms of narration. For more information and other artistic research, click here.
[Dance & Performance]
After graduating in Visual Arts and Contemporary Dance at the URJC Madrid in 2014, Arenas moved to London and trained and worked as a dancer in Hip Hop Dance Theatre companies such as Alias LDN or Body Politic UK for three years. In 2017 Arenas obtained a MA in Theatre and Performing Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid and received a grant from Acción Cultural Española (AC/CE) to do a one-year artistic residency in Kassel, Germany. anverso (2018) was the final work of Arenas' residency and, to date, this piece has evolved from live performance to short film to art installation and has been shown in the UK, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Budapest, USA and Canada.
From 2019 to 2021 Arenas was invited to work as a performer for choreographers such as Johannes Wieland “Ares", Boris Charmatz “Tanzgrund” or Elio Gervasi “Marturanum“ and has developed artistic productions in collaboration with Aura Antikainen such as Quite Like You (2020), Body of Land (2021) or Visitors (2021) with the support of German public funding institutions.
[Lighting Design]
Since 2019 Arenas has been working also as a lighting designer for other dance and performance makers helping them to visualize their artistic ideas on stage while supporting the aesthetics of their work. For more information and to view Arenas' lighting design portfolio, click here.
[Other]
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Web Maintenance and Design - Tanzwerk Kassel e.V. (2020 - ongoing)
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Teacher [Introduction to Stage Lighting & Web Development] at SOZO visions in motion (2020 - ongoing)
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Social Media Coordinator - Tanzwerk Kassel e.V. (2020 - ongoing)
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Office Assistant / Coordinator of Tanzwerk Kassel e.V. (2020-2021)
EDUCATION
2016-17. Master in Theatre and Performing Arts. Madrid, Spain
2010-14. Bachelor (Hons) in Visual Arts and Contemporary Dance. Madrid, Spain
Other
2021-22. Developing an Artistic Research Project. Stockholm University of the Arts, Sweden
2017-18. Postgraduate Research Studies (PReS). Kassel, Germany
RESIDENCIES
2022. ON DISPLAY. Lake Studios Berlin, Germany.
2021. Studio Practice and Artistic Process. Stockholm University of the Arts, Sweden
2018. Atelier Real (REAT). Lisbon, Portugal
2017. Oulu Dance Hack. Oulu, Finland
2016. DOCH Summer Residency. Stockholm, Sweden
GRANTS
2023. Kulturförderung Kulturamt Kassel
2023. Fonds Darstellende Künste. NEUSTART KULTUR. #TakeHeart Rechercheförderung.
2022. NATIONALES PERFORMANCE NETZ - STEPPING OUT
2022. Kulturförderung Kulturamt Kassel
2021. Goethe Institut - Nachwuchsförderung
2021. Brückenstipendien - Hessische Kulturstiftung
2021. Kulturförderung Kulturamt Kassel
2021. Hessische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst
2020. Kulturförderung Kulturamt Kassel
2018. AC/E Programme for the Internationalisation of Spanish Culture (PICE)
CHOREOGRAPHY
Installations
2022. Violett Kunstgalerie. Body Tales. Kassel, Germany
2022. tonwerkstatt kassel. Kassel, Germany
2022. Pilotenkueche. Moving surreal curiosity. Leipzig, Germany
2022. 4bid Gallery. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2022. CreativQuartier Fürst Leopold. Dorsten, Germany
Performance
2021. anverso. Stockholm Fringe Festival. Sweden
2021. anverso. Gothenburg Fringe Festival. Sweden
2019. anverso. Oops Festival. Brighton, UK
2018. anverso. RandFilm Festival. Kassel, Germany
2018. anverso. The Dancer-Citizen Live 2018: MOVING THE MAP. Hamburg, Germany
2017. Wortenlust. Stockholm Fringe Festival (STOFF). Sweden
2017. Wortenlust. OT301 Highs and Lows #22. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2016. Wortenlust. UngaTur Festival. Stockholm, Sweden
Film
2022. anverso. Queeres Kurzfilmkino im TiF. Staatstheater Kassel, Germany.
2020. anverso. United Cowboys. Seasoning Summer 2020. Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
2020. noninara. The Dancer-Citizen. Online Journal. Issue 11.
2019. anverso. NB Film Festival. Puebla, Mexico and Texas, USA
2019. anverso. VideoSkin Festival. Ontario, Canada
2019. anverso. SzoloDuo Festival - Ork_Kota_Platform 2019. Budapest, Hungary
DANCE / PERFORMANCE
2021. late for laundry, again. Galeria Kollektiva. Kassel, Germany
2020. How long do I have to wait. Aura Antikainen. Hugenottenhaus. Kassel, Germany
2020. MARTURANUM. Elio Gervasi. Workshop, research and performance. Barbarano Romano, Italy
2020. Quite Like You. Aura Antikainen. Choregrafisches Atelier. Halle 2, Kassel, Germany
2019. Terrain. Boris Charmatz: Un essai à ciel ouvert. Theater Spektakel. Zurich, Switzerland
2019. Ares. Statisten-Staatstheater Kassel. Johannes Wieland. Kassel, Germany
2017. Dancers. Coproducción Sonia Gómez + CORPO A TERRA. Ourense, Spain
2016-17. Reflections: Triple Bill. Body Politic Dance Company. Oxford, UK
LIGHTING DESIGN
2022. DIE FLACHE ERDE. Lauren Rae Mace. Kulturhaus Dock 4. Kassel, Germany
2022. Silken Veil. C/O Mareike Steffens. Kulturhaus Dock 4. Kassel, Germany
2021. Visitors. Aura Antikainen & Iria Arenas. Kulturhaus Dock 4. Kassel, Germany
2021. EPILOGUE. Deborah Smith-Wicke. Halle 2. Kassel, Germany
2021. Could you stay for tea?. Aura Antikainen. Kulturhaus Dock 4. Kassel, Germany
2021. Body of land. TANZWERKE '21. Aura Antikainen. Kulturhaus Dock 4. Kassel, Germany
2021. Protrahere. Deborah Smith-Wicke. Halle 2. Kassel, Germany
2020. Rock, water, spell. C/O Mareike Steffens. Kulturhaus Dock 4. Kassel, Germany
2019. Choreografische Werkstatt, Staatstheater. Kassel, Germany
2019. SEVEN: I AM MANY, SOZO visions in motion Dance Co. Kassel, Germany
2018. CPAP, SOZO visions in motion Dance Co. Kassel, Germany