Artists - Undisciplined Creations
Aalaii & de Perrot was founded by artists Mansoureh Aalaii and Antoine de Perrot. Working at the intersection of visual art, choreography, literature, medicine and architecture, their transdisciplinary practice takes shape through site-specific artworks, performances, installations, research and publications. They deliberately challenge disciplinary boundaries, critically engaging with the spatial, bodily, urban, social and ecological conditions that shape contemporary existence. Their work has been presented internationally in museums, theatres, festivals, and public spaces. Among other distinctions, they received the artistic mention at the European Prize for Architecture Philippe Rotthier.
Mansoureh Aalaii is a choreographer, writer, physician, and lecturer at the University of Italian Switzerland USI. She links art and science in a multidisciplinary practice. Understanding the body as the site of existence, her work focuses on analysing the body in its multiple dimensions, its relationship to the environment, and the conditions of human life.
Born in Tehran and raised in Zurich, she lives and works in Zurich and Paris. She trained since childhood in contemporary dance, a.o. with Benoît Lachambre, Vera Mantero, Rihoko Sato, Vincent Dupont, Iwana Masaki, Min Tanaka. She deepened her knowledge of the body through medical studies in Fribourg and Zurich. Both universities hired her to tutor their students in Anatomy and Histology. She completed an MD in Social and Preventive Medicine, received her ophthalmology accreditation from the European Board of Ophthalmology and the Swiss FMH. She practiced as a physician at the University Hospitals of Zurich, Lausanne and Paris. She trained in Sports and Dance Medicine, as well as Somatic Practices. At the same time, she completed a bachelor’s degree in Persian Literature and Culture at INALCO in Paris. Since 2006, she has been creating dance performances, publishing lyrical texts and teaching body knowledge and performance at specialized institutions in Switzerland and across Europe.
Antoine de Perrot is a visual artist, architect, urban researcher and lecturer at the at the University of Italian Switzerland USI. His practice is grounded in transdisciplinary research on space, focusing on the analysis of urban forms and environmental contexts.
Born in Neuchâtel and raised in Zurich, he lives and works in Zurich and Paris. Drawing from an early age, he was one of the leading figures of the mushrooming graffiti movement in the 1980s in Switzerland. He studied painting and sculpture in Berlin, where he designed costumes for the Prater Festival at the Volksbühne and worked as an assistant stage designer at La Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon FR. He studied architecture at the Academy of Architecture USI in Mendrisio, where he received the Laufen Prize for the best project in the atelier of Mario Botta. He collaborated with Olivier Mosset and Juri Steiner. He worked at Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and for several years as project leader at Yves Lion Architectes Urbanistes in Paris. Since 2002, he has developed art and architectural projects in Switzerland and internationally.
CV
Artworks in Public Space (selection)
2025 | Enracinements, installation and participative performance in public space, Museum Centre Dürrenmatt CDN and Botanic Garden, Neuchâtel CH |
2024 | Interspaces, performances and installations in public space, Mendrisio CH |
2023 | Acqua Fresca, performances in public space and exhibition in AIM-buildings, Mendrisio CH |
2022 | Rime Brecch, exhibition in public space, 12 installations and 7 performances, Mendrisio CH |
2021 | Der Berg im Stausee, art in public space, Göschenen CH |
| Infinito, art in public space, Mendrisio CH |
2015-20 | Somewhere 1-10, Forest |
2013 | Fenster, permanent installation, Clinic Hirslanden, Zurich CH |
Performances (selection)
2025 | An Imperceptible Dance, performance, Museum Hermann Hesse, Montagnola CH |
2022 | Le Souffle - The Breath, performance, ZOA Festival, Paris FR |
2020 | The Stillstands, dance performance in public space, Zurich CH |
2019 | Danced Lecture: Hannah Arendt, Counter Space, Zurich CH |
| Space & light concept for dance performance by Masaki Iwana, Off-Dance, Zurich CH |
2018 | An Airplane Full of Flowers, dance performance, Helmhaus, Zurich CH |
| Expectation, dance performance, Festival Verda Utopio 12, Réveillon FR |
| Carpet Conversation, dance performance, Contemporary Art Center, Mobile Gallery, Skopje MK |
| 2017 | O.K., dance performance, Festival Verda Utopio 11, Réveillon FR |
| 2016 | When the White of Silence Yellows, performance, in collaboration with Yaping Wang, Festival les oreilles libres, Paris FR |
Blank, dance performance, Festival Verda Utopio 10, Réveillon FR | |
| 2014 | Permanent Absence, text & lecture, Exhibition Flamme éternelle by T. Hirschhorn, Palais de Tokyo, Paris FR |
Solo Exhibition (selection)
2018 | Gardening, OLM Artspace, Neuchâtel CH |
| Casse-tête, Contemporary Art Center, Mobile Gallery, Skopje MK |
2016 | Kaléidoscope, La Générale, Paris FR |
2015 | Theorem, Die Diele, Zurich CH |
2013 | Air de l’océan, La Générale, Paris FR |
Group Exhibition (selection)
2025 | Interspaces, LaFilanda, Mendrisio CH |
2024 | Interspaces, Accademia di architettura USI, Mendrisio CH |
2021 | European Prize of Architecture Philippe Rotthier, CIVA Foundation, Bruxelles BE |
2018 | Mise à nu, QG Quartier Général, La Chaux-de-Fonds CH |
| Sixteen Years Old, Archizoom, EPFL, Lausanne CH |
| Sixteen Years Old, Accademia di Architettura USI, Mendrisio CH |
2017 | Casse-tête, Counter Space, Zurich CH |
| Multivers, Papiers Témoins, Conservatoire municipal Ch. Münch, Paris FR |
2016 | Der Engel, Catch of the Year, Dienstgebäude, Zurich CH |
2015 | «A», Vitrine 05, Die Diele, Zurich CH |
| Rose Marine, Echo to COP21, La Générale, Paris FR |
| Space Shuttle, 9. Int. Dada-Festwochen, d.i.v.o Institute, Kolin CZ |
| Casse-tête, Un nouveau festival : Air de jeu, Centre Pompidou, Paris FR |
| Éléments d’espace, Galerie Friches, Paris FR |
| Air de l’océan, Post Plastic Lux, Athénée 4, Geneva CH |
2014 | Casse-tête, Exhibition Flamme éternelle by T. Hirschhorn, Palais de Tokyo, Paris FR |
2013 | Rédemption Provisoire, Maison des Auteurs - SACD, Paris FR |
| ToBe, Cutlog Filmfestival, New York US |
Awards and Competitions
2021 | European Prize of Architecture Philippe Rotthier 2021, Artistic Mention |
2013 | Competition, Permanent art installation, Clinic Hirslanden, Zurich CH, 1. Prize |
2009 | Competition, Landmark Tower, Dubaï AE |
2008 | Competition, Zoroastrian Center, Tehran IR, Prize-winning project |
2002 | Competition, Swiss National Museum, Zurich CH, 1st and 2nd round |
1997 | Laufen-Prize, best project Atelier Mario Botta, USI, Mendrisio CH, 1. Prize |
Publications
2024 | Transversal Territory, Book by Mansoureh Aalaii & Antoine de Perrot, Park Books, Mendrisio Academy Press |
2023 | Poems, by Mansoureh Aalaii, Mosaik Zeitschrift für Literatur und Kultur, Salzburg OE |
| Poem, by Mansoureh Aalaii, Revolutionslyrik, Trabanten Verlag, Berlin DE |
2021 | Somewhere, various pages, European Prize of Architecture, Philippe Rotthier, AAM Editions, Bruxelles BE |
2021 | Somewhere, various pages, L'Extravagant PR, Page 185, AAM Editions, Bruxelles BE |
2018 | Somewhere 01, various pages, From NE with Love, Edition du Griffon, Neuchâtel CH |
2015 | Noir Espace Manifesto 01, Book on Kaléidoscope, Noir Espace, La Générale, Paris FR |
2015 | Zee City, various pages, Zürich CH |
| 2014 | Permanent Absence, text excerpts, Flamme Eternelle Journal No. 49 by T. Hirschhorn, Paris FR |
| Casse-tête, game, Flamme Eternelle Journal No. 49 by T. Hirschhorn, Paris FR |
Residencies
2023 | Espace Sud, ADN, Neuchâtel CH |
2022 | La Générale, Paris FR |
2021 | Kunstdepot, Göschenen CH |
2017 | La Générale, Paris FR |
2016 | La Générale, Paris FR |
2015 | d.i.v.o. Institute, Kolin CZ |
2012 | Conserve India, New Dehli IN |
For information about earlier works, please contact us: mail@aalaiideperrot.com
Artists - Undisciplined Creations
Aalaii & de Perrot was founded by artists Mansoureh Aalaii and Antoine de Perrot. Working at the intersection of visual art, choreography, literature, medicine and architecture, their transdisciplinary practice takes shape through site-specific artworks, performances, installations, research and publications. They deliberately challenge disciplinary boundaries, critically engaging with the spatial, bodily, urban, social and ecological conditions that shape contemporary existence. Their work has been presented internationally in museums, theatres, festivals, and public spaces. Among other distinctions, they received the artistic mention at the European Prize for Architecture Philippe Rotthier.
Mansoureh Aalaii is a choreographer, writer, physician, and lecturer at the University of Italian Switzerland USI. She links art and science in a multidisciplinary practice. Understanding the body as the site of existence, her work focuses on analysing the body in its multiple dimensions, its relationship to the environment, and the conditions of human life.
Born in Tehran and raised in Zurich, she lives and works in Zurich and Paris. She trained since childhood in contemporary dance, a.o. with Benoît Lachambre, Vera Mantero, Rihoko Sato, Vincent Dupont, Iwana Masaki, Min Tanaka. She deepened her knowledge of the body through medical studies in Fribourg and Zurich. Both universities hired her to tutor their students in Anatomy and Histology. She completed an MD in Social and Preventive Medicine, received her ophthalmology accreditation from the European Board of Ophthalmology and the Swiss FMH. She practiced as a physician at the University Hospitals of Zurich, Lausanne and Paris. She trained in Sports and Dance Medicine, as well as Somatic Practices. At the same time, she completed a bachelor’s degree in Persian Literature and Culture at INALCO in Paris. Since 2006, she has been creating dance performances, publishing lyrical texts and teaching body knowledge and performance at specialized institutions in Switzerland and across Europe.
Antoine de Perrot is a visual artist, architect, urban researcher and lecturer at the at the University of Italian Switzerland USI. His practice is grounded in transdisciplinary research on space, focusing on the analysis of urban forms and environmental contexts.
Born in Neuchâtel and raised in Zurich, he lives and works in Zurich and Paris. Drawing from an early age, he was one of the leading figures of the mushrooming graffiti movement in the 1980s in Switzerland. He studied painting and sculpture in Berlin, where he designed costumes for the Prater Festival at the Volksbühne and worked as an assistant stage designer at La Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon FR. He studied architecture at the Academy of Architecture USI in Mendrisio, where he received the Laufen Prize for the best project in the atelier of Mario Botta. He collaborated with Olivier Mosset and Juri Steiner. He worked at Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and for several years as project leader at Yves Lion Architectes Urbanistes in Paris. Since 2002, he has developed art and architectural projects in Switzerland and internationally.
CV
Artworks in Public Space (selection)
2025 | Enracinements, installation and participative performance in public space, Museum Centre Dürrenmatt CDN and Botanic Garden, Neuchâtel CH |
2024 | Interspaces, performances and installations in public space, Mendrisio CH |
2023 | Acqua Fresca, performances in public space and exhibition in AIM-buildings, Mendrisio CH |
2022 | Rime Brecch, exhibition in public space, 12 installations and 7 performances, Mendrisio CH |
2021 | Der Berg im Stausee, art in public space, Göschenen CH |
| Infinito, art in public space, Mendrisio CH |
2015-20 | Somewhere 1-10, Forest |
2013 | Fenster, permanent installation, Clinic Hirslanden, Zurich CH |
Performances (selection)
2025 | An Imperceptible Dance, performance, Museum Hermann Hesse, Montagnola CH |
2022 | Le Souffle - The Breath, performance, ZOA Festival, Paris FR |
2020 | The Stillstands, dance performance in public space, Zurich CH |
2019 | Danced Lecture: Hannah Arendt, Counter Space, Zurich CH |
| Space & light concept for dance performance by Masaki Iwana, Off-Dance, Zurich CH |
2018 | An Airplane Full of Flowers, dance performance, Helmhaus, Zurich CH |
| Expectation, dance performance, Festival Verda Utopio 12, Réveillon FR |
| Carpet Conversation, dance performance, Contemporary Art Center, Mobile Gallery, Skopje MK |
| 2017 | O.K., dance performance, Festival Verda Utopio 11, Réveillon FR |
| 2016 | When the White of Silence Yellows, performance, in collaboration with Yaping Wang, Festival les oreilles libres, Paris FR |
Blank, dance performance, Festival Verda Utopio 10, Réveillon FR | |
| 2014 | Permanent Absence, text & lecture, Exhibition Flamme éternelle by T. Hirschhorn, Palais de Tokyo, Paris FR |
Solo Exhibition (selection)
2018 | Gardening, OLM Artspace, Neuchâtel CH |
| Casse-tête, Contemporary Art Center, Mobile Gallery, Skopje MK |
2016 | Kaléidoscope, La Générale, Paris FR |
2015 | Theorem, Die Diele, Zurich CH |
2013 | Air de l’océan, La Générale, Paris FR |
Group Exhibition (selection)
2025 | Interspaces, LaFilanda, Mendrisio CH |
2024 | Interspaces, Accademia di architettura USI, Mendrisio CH |
2021 | European Prize of Architecture Philippe Rotthier, CIVA Foundation, Bruxelles BE |
2018 | Mise à nu, QG Quartier Général, La Chaux-de-Fonds CH |
| Sixteen Years Old, Archizoom, EPFL, Lausanne CH |
| Sixteen Years Old, Accademia di Architettura USI, Mendrisio CH |
2017 | Casse-tête, Counter Space, Zurich CH |
| Multivers, Papiers Témoins, Conservatoire municipal Ch. Münch, Paris FR |
2016 | Der Engel, Catch of the Year, Dienstgebäude, Zurich CH |
2015 | «A», Vitrine 05, Die Diele, Zurich CH |
| Rose Marine, Echo to COP21, La Générale, Paris FR |
| Space Shuttle, 9. Int. Dada-Festwochen, d.i.v.o Institute, Kolin CZ |
| Casse-tête, Un nouveau festival : Air de jeu, Centre Pompidou, Paris FR |
| Éléments d’espace, Galerie Friches, Paris FR |
| Air de l’océan, Post Plastic Lux, Athénée 4, Geneva CH |
2014 | Casse-tête, Exhibition Flamme éternelle by T. Hirschhorn, Palais de Tokyo, Paris FR |
2013 | Rédemption Provisoire, Maison des Auteurs - SACD, Paris FR |
| ToBe, Cutlog Filmfestival, New York US |
Awards and Competitions
2021 | European Prize of Architecture Philippe Rotthier 2021, Artistic Mention |
2013 | Competition, Permanent art installation, Clinic Hirslanden, Zurich CH, 1. Prize |
2009 | Competition, Landmark Tower, Dubaï AE |
2008 | Competition, Zoroastrian Center, Tehran IR, Prize-winning project |
2002 | Competition, Swiss National Museum, Zurich CH, 1st and 2nd round |
1997 | Laufen-Prize, best project Atelier Mario Botta, USI, Mendrisio CH, 1. Prize |
Publications
2024 | Transversal Territory, Book by Mansoureh Aalaii & Antoine de Perrot, Park Books, Mendrisio Academy Press |
2023 | Poems, by Mansoureh Aalaii, Mosaik Zeitschrift für Literatur und Kultur, Salzburg OE |
| Poem, by Mansoureh Aalaii, Revolutionslyrik, Trabanten Verlag, Berlin DE |
2021 | Somewhere, various pages, European Prize of Architecture, Philippe Rotthier, AAM Editions, Bruxelles BE |
2021 | Somewhere, various pages, L'Extravagant PR, Page 185, AAM Editions, Bruxelles BE |
2018 | Somewhere 01, various pages, From NE with Love, Edition du Griffon, Neuchâtel CH |
2015 | Noir Espace Manifesto 01, Book on Kaléidoscope, Noir Espace, La Générale, Paris FR |
2015 | Zee City, various pages, Zürich CH |
| 2014 | Permanent Absence, text excerpts, Flamme Eternelle Journal No. 49 by T. Hirschhorn, Paris FR |
| Casse-tête, game, Flamme Eternelle Journal No. 49 by T. Hirschhorn, Paris FR |
Residencies
2023 | Espace Sud, ADN, Neuchâtel CH |
2022 | La Générale, Paris FR |
2021 | Kunstdepot, Göschenen CH |
2017 | La Générale, Paris FR |
2016 | La Générale, Paris FR |
2015 | d.i.v.o. Institute, Kolin CZ |
2012 | Conserve India, New Dehli IN |
For information about earlier works, please contact us: mail@aalaiideperrot.com
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