Mailo Mēness is a Latvian-born multidisciplinary artist currently based in Riga. They are one of the few artists in Latvia whose practice is consistently grounded in artistic activism. Defining himself as a non-binary person, he uses performance art as a platform for documenting identity and self-experience, while simultaneously addressing broader sociopolitical issues – queer visibility, animal rights, and the survival strategies of the artist within the context of today’s economy. Mailo’s artistic language is radically personal, yet it reveals universal contradictions between the individual and society. His performances, often positioned at the threshold between the public and the private, confront deeply ingrained social norms of gender and identity. This practice is both a visual testimony to the existence of non-binary experience in Latvia and a strategy that redefines belonging and visibility through art.
Beyond his artistic work, Mailo’s activism extends into the podcast “Dzimtes r*sols” (Gender salad), broadcast on Latvian public media, where he has brought forward conversations about non-binary and transgender lives and raised the question of the absence of a gender-neutral pronoun in the Latvian language. This voice in the public sphere strengthens queer visibility and opens up wider debates on language and identity.
An essential part of Mailo’s practice is also drag king performance and participation in collectives that foster the sustainability and visibility of queer communities in the Baltics. This work expands the boundaries of contemporary art, introducing drag as a critical tool for deconstructing patriarchal gender constructs while simultaneously creating spaces for solidarity and collective creation.
In the field of Latvian contemporary art, Mailo Mēness occupies a unique and strategically important position: his practice demonstrates how an artist, working outside traditional institutional frameworks, can shape socially relevant discourse and generate new forms of representation for identity and political subjectivity.
Beyond his artistic work, Mailo’s activism extends into the podcast “Dzimtes r*sols” (Gender salad), broadcast on Latvian public media, where he has brought forward conversations about non-binary and transgender lives and raised the question of the absence of a gender-neutral pronoun in the Latvian language. This voice in the public sphere strengthens queer visibility and opens up wider debates on language and identity.
An essential part of Mailo’s practice is also drag king performance and participation in collectives that foster the sustainability and visibility of queer communities in the Baltics. This work expands the boundaries of contemporary art, introducing drag as a critical tool for deconstructing patriarchal gender constructs while simultaneously creating spaces for solidarity and collective creation.
In the field of Latvian contemporary art, Mailo Mēness occupies a unique and strategically important position: his practice demonstrates how an artist, working outside traditional institutional frameworks, can shape socially relevant discourse and generate new forms of representation for identity and political subjectivity.
Mailo Mēness ir Latvijā dzimis multidisciplinārs mākslinieks, kurš dzīvo un strādā Rīgā. Viņš ir viens no retajiem māksliniekiem Latvijā, kura prakse konsekventi balstīta mākslinieciskā aktīvismā. Sevi definējot kā nebināru personu, viņš performanču mākslu izmanto kā platformu identitātes un personiskās pieredzes dokumentēšanai, vienlaikus pievēršoties plašākiem sociālpolitiskiem jautājumiem — kvīru redzamībai, dzīvnieku tiesībām un mākslinieka izdzīvošanas stratēģijām mūsdienu ekonomiskajos apstākļos.
Mailo mākslinieciskā valoda ir radikāli personiska, tomēr tā atsedz universālas pretrunas starp indivīdu un sabiedrību. Viņa performances, kas bieži atrodas uz robežas starp publisko un privāto, konfrontē ar sabiedrībā dziļi iesakņotām dzimtes un identitātes normām. Šī prakse vienlaikus ir gan vizuāla liecība par nebinārās pieredzes eksistenci Latvijā, gan stratēģija, kas caur mākslu pārdefinē piederību un redzamību.
Līdzās mākslinieciskajai darbībai Mailo aktīvisms izpaužas arī podkastā “Dzimtes r*sols”, kas tapis Latvijas sabiedriskajā medijā. Tajā viņš aktualizē nebināru un transdzimtes cilvēku pieredzes, kā arī pievērš uzmanību dzimtes neitrāla vietniekvārda neesamībai latviešu valodā. Šī klātbūtne publiskajā telpā stiprina kvīru redzamību un rosina plašākas diskusijas par valodu un identitāti.
Būtiska Mailo prakses daļa ir arī drag king performances un līdzdalība kolektīvos, kas veicina kvīru kopienu ilgtspēju un redzamību Baltijā. Šis darbs paplašina laikmetīgās mākslas robežas, izmantojot drag kā kritisku instrumentu patriarhālo dzimtes konstrukciju dekonstruēšanai un vienlaikus radot telpu solidaritātei un kopradei.
Latvijas laikmetīgās mākslas kontekstā Mailo prakse pievēršas tam, kā personiska pieredze var kļūt par instrumentu plašāku sociālu un politisku jautājumu aktualizēšanai. Darbojoties gan mākslas institūcijās, gan ārpus tām, viņš pēta identitātes, piederības un redzamības formas un to, kā tās iespējams pārskatīt un paplašināt ar performances palīdzību.
EDUCATION
2020 – 2023 Art Academy of Latvia, MA in Audio-Visual Media Art, department “Motion. Image. Sound”
2020 – 2021 Laboratory of Stage Arts “Butoh art” course
2018 – 2019 Performance art course “Transformation of personal experience in body, voice and object” at Latvian Performance Art Centre
2010 – 2012 Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, MSc in Civil Engineering
AWARDS
2024 - VV Foundation award for the performance "Shred & Suspend: A Choreography of Imprints” at Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa
Residencies
2026 - residency at Myymälä2, Helsinki
2026 - literature magazine "Strāva" creative residency at Neiburgs
2025 - residency Undoing 2.0 at Savvaļa, Latvia
2025 - residency Simbioze 2.0 at Skujene, Latvia
2024 - residency PAiR* at Pāvilosta, Latvia
2022 - "Soundcheck" at Narva Art Residency (NART), Estonia
WORKS
2026
Performance “Svārsts” (Pendulum) during fine arts museum ARSENĀLS warm-up program “Arsenāls būs!”, Rīga (September)
Performance “This Sentence Needs Your Body” during performance festival VERBA CORPORIS in gallery Myymälä2, Helsinki (September)
Video work “Public Hearing of an Absent Chicken” during "Art for meat tax" Festival at Veldze creative factory, Riga (September)
Performance "Will you let me in" Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa, St. Saviours Anglican Church, Riga (May)
Performance "How to become an alpha male in uncertain times" during Scent Art Festival at Veldze creative factory, Riga (May)
2025
Performance "Manifesto of Chickens" at festival “Art for Meat Tax”, Riga (September)
Performance "The Burden of Choice" during outdoor art plein-air Simbioze 2.0 at Skujene, Latvia (July)
Performance "The Cost of Convenience" at Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa, k.k. Fon Stricka Villa, June (May)
Performance "Becoming An Artist" at Live Art Zine opening event in Copenhagen, Denmark, within Art Matter festival (Aprll)
2024
Podcast series "Dzimtes r*sols" with Latvian Radio platform for youth pieci.lv
Video work commission "Sunrise in Future" for Y: Slow TV Cinema during International Festival of Contemporary Theatre "Homo Novus"
Group exhibition "Brīnumjauki" in Kalnciema quarter gallery space, together with Karīna Volbeta and Alise Rudēvica
Performance "Genderbender II Vol. 2", PAiR residency in Pāvilosta
Zine "The Chicken diaries" in international zine and small press festival "Sābrs"
Performance: "Shred & Suspend: A Choreography of Imprints” at Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa, Riga Circus, June
Group exhibition “Drag yourself here: Riga edition”, MASA gallery, Riga (June)
2023
Group show "Drag Yourself Here" in Kogo gallery, Tartu (August - October), curator Mētra Saberova
Assisting Gundega Evelone in performance: "Destruction of Unpleasant Things in 7 Acts" (August)
Performance "Vistu manifests" ("Chicken Manifesto") at Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa, LMA, Riga (June)
Performance "Katram savu mākslinieku" ("For each their own artist") in the location of planned Contemporary Art Museum of Latvia, Mihaila Tāla iela 6 (May)
2022
Group exhibition "+/- Children" in gallery DOM, together with Laura Feldberga and Ilze Vēze-Balode
Participation in the creative summer camp for essay group (tutor Santa Remere) organised by the online magazine "Satori" (August), and participation in the readings of the camp texts "Readings of pleasure" within the theatre festival Homo Novus (September)
Participation in the butoh performance "Dzīslot" within the White Night, premiere at the opening of the procedural exhibition "The warmth of your hands does not hurt me" on 27 July
Performance "Genderbender II" at Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa, LMA, Riga (June)
Participation in the project "Baltic Drag King Festival 2022” (June)
Participation in the creative summer camp for essay group (tutor Santa Remere) organised by the online magazine "Satori" (August), and participation in the readings of the camp texts "Readings of pleasure" within the theatre festival Homo Novus (September)
Participation in the butoh performance "Dzīslot" within the White Night, premiere at the opening of the procedural exhibition "The warmth of your hands does not hurt me" on 27 July
Performance "Genderbender II" at Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa, LMA, Riga (June)
Participation in the project "Baltic Drag King Festival 2022” (June)
2021
Participation with prose work "On My Side of the Bed" in the reading evening organised by Latvian PEN “Aizliekts" within the festival "Prose Readings" (10.12.2021.)
Participation in the group exhibition "Public Encounters" at Art Station Dubulti: "Public Encounters: Engagement" with the work "Homosexual Sculpture" (tutors Kristaps Ancāns, Marc Hulson, curator Inga Šteimane) (10.09. - 31.10.) and creation of a performative work in London, Grenery Square, tutors Kristaps Ancāns, Marc Hulson and Alex Shady (01.10.-11.10.)
Participation in the performance "Universe" as part of the film "Homo Ludens" (LPMC film about the sculptor Ojārs Arvīds Feldbergs), as a member of the performance group "Animist"
Participation in the project "Art and Activism for a Fairer World", organised by ISSP (July-October 2021)
Participation in the project "Public Encounters" lecture series (LMA in collaboration with Central St. Martins College of Art, London) (February - March)
Video performance "It" , Riga Performance Festival "Starptelpa", Riga
Participation in the group exhibition "Public Encounters" at Art Station Dubulti: "Public Encounters: Engagement" with the work "Homosexual Sculpture" (tutors Kristaps Ancāns, Marc Hulson, curator Inga Šteimane) (10.09. - 31.10.) and creation of a performative work in London, Grenery Square, tutors Kristaps Ancāns, Marc Hulson and Alex Shady (01.10.-11.10.)
Participation in the performance "Universe" as part of the film "Homo Ludens" (LPMC film about the sculptor Ojārs Arvīds Feldbergs), as a member of the performance group "Animist"
Participation in the project "Art and Activism for a Fairer World", organised by ISSP (July-October 2021)
Participation in the project "Public Encounters" lecture series (LMA in collaboration with Central St. Martins College of Art, London) (February - March)
Video performance "It" , Riga Performance Festival "Starptelpa", Riga
2020
LMA student group exhibition “Hard drive of lost expressions” at PILOT gallery, Rīga (12.11.-31.12.)
Project “Baltic Drag King Online Festival 2020”
Butō performance “Kukaiņi” Pedvāles brīvdabas muzejā, Sabilē
Butō performance “Plaukums" Tu jau zini kur zālē, Rīga
Project “Dragking history 101” (5 video episodes)
Performance “An Intimate Moment”, Rīga
Project “Baltic Drag King Online Festival 2020”
Butō performance “Kukaiņi” Pedvāles brīvdabas muzejā, Sabilē
Butō performance “Plaukums" Tu jau zini kur zālē, Rīga
Project “Dragking history 101” (5 video episodes)
Performance “An Intimate Moment”, Rīga
2019
"Latvian Drag king Festival 2019" - project organisation and participation in the festival, Riga, co-founding Baltic (originally Latvian) drag king collective
Participation in NORDIC PERFORMANCE ART seminar NEXT LEVEL, Odense, Denmark
Performance "Connection" Academia. Latvian Academy of Art, Arsenāls, together with Anna Vilāne
Street performance "Baltic/Nordic Community", Gothenburg, Sweden
Performance "Genderbender" during Riga Performance festival "Starptelpa", Riga
Performance "Binding, Scattering, Gathering" with Polish artist Agnieszka Karasch
Performance "When was the last time you hurt someone?" as part of the performance evening "Springificationion", Riga
Participation in the performative walk "The Tree Walk" within the festival "No New Idols" (together with Linda Boļšakova, Anastasia Shnepps-Shneppe, Sarmīte Kalniņa, Mingaile Kola, Ilva Minajeva and Sandra Betkere)
Participation in NORDIC PERFORMANCE ART seminar NEXT LEVEL, Odense, Denmark
Performance "Connection" Academia. Latvian Academy of Art, Arsenāls, together with Anna Vilāne
Street performance "Baltic/Nordic Community", Gothenburg, Sweden
Performance "Genderbender" during Riga Performance festival "Starptelpa", Riga
Performance "Binding, Scattering, Gathering" with Polish artist Agnieszka Karasch
Performance "When was the last time you hurt someone?" as part of the performance evening "Springificationion", Riga
Participation in the performative walk "The Tree Walk" within the festival "No New Idols" (together with Linda Boļšakova, Anastasia Shnepps-Shneppe, Sarmīte Kalniņa, Mingaile Kola, Ilva Minajeva and Sandra Betkere)