Pelle Hanæus
Actor and director of theatre
18.05 – 31.05.2026
“I have created works of perforing arts for 35 years. I have performed as an actor and mover at independent theatres. I have directed plays and deviced performances at institutional theatres, and in small projects. I was the artistic director of Regionteater Väst, and led the acting programme at the Malmö Theatre Academy. I co-founded a queer theatre in Stockholm in 1999. I was tour manager and board member for Clowns without borders, Sweden, for several years. I acted in popular tv-series.”
“I come to Paris to further develop my French connections in theatre, as I love international cooperation, meeting across cultural dividers and experience mutual artistic growth. I will participate in a theatre festival in Colombes, and meet colleagues at Théâtre du Soleil and Le Studio JLMB.”
Jonas Helgertz
Professor of Economic History
04.05 – 31.05.2026
“I am a Professor of Economic History at Lund University. My research explains socioeconomic and health inequalities using Scandinavian, U.S., and historical individual-level data. After eight years at the University of Minnesota, I moved back to Sweden with my wife and stepdaughter in the summer of 2024.”
“I am coming to Paris to work with a colleague at the National Institute for Demographic Studies, in addition to teaching at the Doctoral School of Demography, both at the Campus Condorcet. We will be working with Swedish historical individual level data to examine to what extent the expansion of water and sewerage services across Swedish cities affected the mortality decline.”
Elin Anna Labba
Writer
05.05 – 31.05.2026
“I am a Sámi author from Kiruna, Sweden, now living in northern Norway where my family works with reindeer herding. I wrote the non-fiction book The rocks will echo our sorrow in 2020, and since it was such an unexpectedly successful debut I have been living as an author ever since. My first novel, Home of the Drowned, was published in Swedish in 2024. Both books are about my own family history and have been translated to various languages.”
“I am coming to Paris to work on a new novel based on my grandmother’s stories. It is set in the forests far up north, but also takes place in Paris where the Sami people come to the World’s Fair to be exhibited as living savages. However, I will also be in France to discuss my current novel, Je suis la mer (Payot & Rivages, 2026). It is about three women living by a mountain lake, which is repeatedly dammed up, flooding both the people and their homes.”
Nisti Sterk
Actor, Producer, Director, writer
05.05 – 17.05.2026
“I am a Swedish actor, writer, director, producer and festival director working across theatre, film and documentary. I have worked with national and major theatres in Sweden and created stage productions and films for broadcasters such as SVT. My work focuses on identity, belonging and human stories, often highlighting underrepresented voices. I am currently developing the theatre project Dalida.”
“I am coming to Paris to research, write and perform a theatre production about Dalida. Paris is central to her life, work and legacy. During my stay I will conduct artistic research, visit key locations and archives, and deepen the script, with the aim of creating a stage production for Swedish theatres.”
Pia Wallén
Designer
04.05 – 31.05.2026
“I am a trained fashion and textile designer and my collections carry my own name, Pia WallĂ©n. For many years, I have studied felting techniques used within Swedish folklore. One example was the 1997 Slitz Jewellery Collection where I questioned our perception of jewellery as a status symbol. Since then I have produced jewellery collections based on the Swedish coin and medal tradition. My latest project, Pin Brooch, is a piece of jewellery reimagining the concept of brooch.”
“I want to use my stay in Paris to further investigate historical and ethnical jewellery traditions by visiting, studying and sketching at Galerie des bijoux at MusĂ©e des Arts DĂ©coratifs, at Palais Galliera (their collection of bijouteries designed by French couturiers, at Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF) and their extensive collection of coins and medals). This Paris work will form the basis of an exhibition and a future book.”