Roots and Ruins

18.09.2020

A new exhibition at Temnikova & Kasela Gallery

This week the exhibition Roots and Ruins opened at Temnikova & Kasela Gallery in Tallinn, featuring works by Edith Karlson, Kris Lemsalu, Jaanus Samma and Jaan Toomik.

Rael Artel, curator of the exhibition, describes this influential and vibrant group of artists in the Estonian art scene: ‘All artists presented in this show might, at first sight, look like they are very different personalities and artists, but if one observe more closely the issues that they are working with, the connections become visible and meaningful. They all work with archetypal themes, use strong symbols, and attempt to grasp a bigger story than the everyday babble. They all deal with issues like birth and death, ancestors and legacies, trans-generational matters, and lost values’. She then adds: ‘In addition to all that, Olga [Temnikova] unites them!’

The exhibition does not focus on a single message, but is rather a multi-layered set of stories. ‘First and foremost, it talks about our past and tells both family histories as well as cultural histories. Secondly, the show asks us to position ourselves in the chain between the past and the future. The title Roots and Ruins allows us to look for the connections and confrontations between these words. Last but not least, the show demonstrates a wide range of exciting materials in contemporary art – from fabric to bronze and from egg shells to marble. I hope the show is rather open and actively provokes thought and connotations, as opposed to coming across as a monological speech’, says Artel.

Roots and Ruins will be showing through November 8.

Edith Karlson. What Happens in Family, Stays in Family. 2020. Aluminium, jesmonite, acrilyc. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško

Edith Karlson. What Happens in Family, Stays in Family. 2020. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško

Roots and Ruins exhibition view

Jaanus Samma. Pieces of Antiquity. 2020.; Reconstructed Histories, Belts. 2019. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško

Jaanus Samma. Pieces of Antiquity. 2020. Marble, glass, steel. a ca 10 x 6 x 6 cm. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško

Kris Lemsalu. Rot’n’Roll. 2020. Aluminium, organic substance. 28,5 x 28 x 5 cm. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško

Jaan Toomik. Family tree. 2020. Bronze, granite. 177 x 54 x 70 cm; Family. 2014. Acrylic on canvas. 190 x 140 cm. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško

Jaan Toomik. Family tree. 2014. Acrylic, spray, canvas. 250 x 200 cm; Family tree. 2020. Bronze, granite. 177 x 54 x 70 cm. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško