The vernal games

Post Winter Mixtape at Temnikova&Kasela gallery in Tallinn

18/03/2019

From 28 February till 27 April one of the most beloved galleries in Tallinn, Temnikova&Kasela, is hosting a group exhibition “Post Winter Mixtape” that could also be considered as an announcement to the end of winter or a prelude to spring. The exhibition includes works of three artists represented by the gallery – Sigrid Viir, Inga Meldere and Jaanus Samma, as well as new pieces by three younger generation Estonian artists Anna Mari Liivrand, Ann Pajuväli and Helena Keskküla.

"Post Winter Mixtape", installation view. Photo: Anu Vahtra

“The exhibition has corners, corners soft and hard. Piled up compositions, scrambled everyday rhythms. Chairs, tables, shelves. Form the mixture into a manageable dough! Work area, kitchen area, shelves. Pastel-covered offices. The Universe is not turquoise – it’s beige,” entices accompanying text of the exhibition. Does it say anything about what we can expect from the show? No, not really. However, it shakes up the spirit in preparation for springtime and pointedly raises one’s imagination.

"Post Winter Mixtape", installation view. Photo: Anu Vahtra

If the definition of a mixtape is “a compilation of songs recorded from various sources”* then this exhibition – “Post Winter Mixtape” can be perceived as an assortment of visual art pieces by quite different still somehow connected contemporary artists. This time, not only connected for the benefit of the gallery, but also because of a delicate, barely discernible artistic relation among the chosen artists. Examining the exhibition, it might seem that every artwork is autonomous or self-sufficient, however, by depriving it of even one or two nuances it would no longer have such a positive effect.

"Post Winter Mixtape", installation view. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Each of the works tells its own story and encourages the viewer to play an interpretation game. What is it that the artist has intended to tell exactly to me? What are these games that artists play, as spring approaches? As from the “Post Winter Mixtape” it seems that the main message is to breathe in and enjoy the moment. In other words to sit back, relax and appreciate art – as suggested by the annotation of the show: “There are stars in heaven, the objective of which is eternity. They cover mittens, contingent fragments of history, also aiming for eternity. A silk painting is in the moment and listens: under the lucent moon sickle, the fields are afloat in the quiet murmur of the night. The day swings into the evening, the night swirls into the morning. It’s not yet time for sleeping, although everyone’s already asleep.”

"Post Winter Mixtape", installation view. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Helena Keskküla, “Etude of Dreamcatcher”, video, 2019. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Anna Mari Liivrand, “Ripple on a Field”, silk, graphite, aluminum, 2019. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Sigrid Viir, “Compromise no: RXP-1209-18” from the series “Routinecrusher, Wanderlust, Tablebear, and so on”, pigment print, wood construction, 2009. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Sigrid Viir, “Wanderlust no: REALA-J64-4051-B15” from the series “Routinecrusher, Wanderlust, Tablebear, and so on”, pigment print, wood construction, 2008. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Inga Meldere, “Recollection”, UV-print, acrylic and oil on canvas, 2018. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Inga Meldere, “Correlation”, UV-print, acrylic and oil on canvas, 2018. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Ann Pajuväli, “Play Sets”, video, porolone, plywood, fabric, buckwheat, 2019. Animation in collaboration with Karri Kaljend. Photo: Anu Vahtra

Jaanus Samma, “Museum Display (Stargazing) 1”, watercolour, pigment print, 2019. Estonian National Museum’s postcards nr 2 (1911) and 253 (1923) were used in the work. Photo: Anu Vahtra

*Definition taken from the “Merriam-Webster” dictionary.