Baltic Circle is pleased to welcome Yilin Ma to the festival team as Interim Artistic Director.
Yilin Ma is a Helsinki-based curator working across performance, writing and other contemporary art contexts. Her practice focuses on festival-making, long-term artistic collaboration, and experimental curatorial formats that move between institutional and independent contexts. Her experience ranges from independent curatorial projects (Lou gallery 2024 & Titanik gallery 2025) to institutional contexts, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma’s Kiasma-theatre’s URB-festival, where she has worked as the co-curator and producer since 2024.
“I am excited to join Baltic Circle and become part of a festival that has long supported experimentation and international exchange,” says Ma. “Baltic Circle occupies a unique place within the Finnish and international performance field. I am honoured to be part of its activities, and to see through Hanna Parry’s artistic work in the 2026 edition of the festival.”
Yilin’s curatorial approach combines artistic direction with production leadership. She is interested in cultural organisations that are thinking beyond individual projects and communities, and instead creating the conditions for long-term artistic experimentation and sustained dialogue.
“We are impressed by Yilin’s commitment to building connections across different contexts. Together with Yilin, we’re excited to explore how we can strengthen our organizational structure and develop funding strategies that support not only individual artistic projects, but also the relationships and structures that allow them thrive,” adds Tiff Tian Zhang, managing director.
Yilin steps in while Hanna Parry, Baltic Circle’s Artistic Director, extends their parental leave.
The next Baltic Circle International Theatre Festival will take place in November 2026. Follow along for updates and our full programme ~~ launching on our channels come autumn!