KIAC

From Odesa, Ukraine, and currently lives between Malta and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Ira Melkonyan is an artist and biologist whose work spans several disciplines. Her background in microbiology and virology brings a unique perspective to her artistic practice and informs her current artistic research on biological fluids. Through her performances and installations, she explores non-human actants, transitions, fluidity, and liquid boundaries.
Ira holds an MA in Theatre from the DAS Graduate School (DasArts) at the Amsterdam University of the Arts. She is a founding member of the transnational Rubberbodies Collective who create visual theater performances, installations, interventions, and publications.
During her residency at Kinosaki International Arts Center, Ira Melkonyan will be joined by her collaborators Jimmy Grima, Maria Rößler, and Isadora Tomasi.
Jimmy Grima is an artist, designer, and curator working in the fields of graphic arts, performance, and film.
Maria Rößler is an independent dramaturg, based in Berlin.
Isadora Tomasi is an Amsterdam-based performance and sound artist who also releases music under the artist name YKA.

Jimmy Grima is an artist, designer and curator working in the fields of graphic arts, performance and film.
In 2009 he co-founded The Rubberbodies Collective. His theatre works are a part of an ongoing investigation into human nature and human social contexts. After graduating with a Master’s in Theatre Curation from DasArts Amsterdam in 2021, Jimmy was awarded the 3Package Deal by Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst. Jimmy’s performances have been shown at Zürcher Theater Spektakel (CH, 2021), Theaterfestival Boulevard (NL, 2021), Théâtre de Liège(BE, 2022), Oerol (NL, 2023), Over het IJ (NL, 2023) and others.

Committed to being an evolving cast of contributors, artist duo Ira Melkonyan and Jimmy Grima install temporary collaborative structures to create and foster performative situations on the Island of Malta, the Netherlands, and elsewhere.
RUBBERBODIES began as a reason to come together and develop as a theatre and art group. Initiated by Rebecca Camilleri and Jimmy Grima, on the island of Malta, in 2009.