Foto

We just have to stop worrying and do our best

Arterritory.com

12.05.2020

Q&A in times of crisis. The director and co-owner of the Temnikova & Kasela Gallery (Tallinn), Olga Temnikova

Temnikova & Kasela Gallery has been very active despite the current crisis. Digital tools have become the main instruments for you at the moment – you’ve put online a virtual tour of the exhibition Narcotics, which opened during the lockdown, and now you are actively promoting the gallery’s booth at Frieze New York, where the physical gallery space has been replaced with a virtual one online. How would you rate the level of communication with audiences and buyers over the last months? What sort of feedback are you getting from them?

I must say that since we already are a little out of the way when it comes to common art centres, we had to start using digital tools more actively a long time ago, and so I am happy we had a chance to catch up on those. The entire industry was slightly behind with contemporary communication technologies.

So yes, digital communication is replacing face-to-face; it’s of a completely different quality, but it’s there and maybe it is good to slow down for a moment and do our research on all ends, as it was getting too hectic and shallow. The digital opening we hosted had over one thousand visitors, and our 3D guide has stunning international statistics (maybe also due to the timing – we really were one of the first to do so in the EU and US). Starting from Tuesday, May 12, we are opening to the public again and I hope to catch up with physical visitors – our new location is in an extremely busy spot, and I am sure we’ll get some good numbers here. As for Frieze online, it was really sad not to be in NY, as we did not only plan an amazing performance stand with Merike Estna, but also another project in the city. Nevertheless, with the digital Frieze we got some extra time and funds to do something that we had wanted to do for some time – we produced two short films on artists we were going to present at the fair: the emerging painter Merike Estna, and the established and legendary kinetic and sound artist Kaarel Kurismaa. It was an overwhelming production in many ways, and I am so happy we did it.

Merike Estna interview 2020


Kaarel Kurismaa - short interview 2020

As a format, Frieze online is definitely a very different experience, but I enjoy being part of it. In many ways it is very content driven, so visitors can really learn a lot. It is exhausting too, but it’s worth it. It is super transparent in terms of around 98% of prices being listed, and you can see how the sales are doing. I’m learning so much – it is saturated with priceless information.

We are in touch with most of our collectors and they have been extremely supportive. We are also in touch with colleagues throughout the world through WhatsApp chats and Instagram. I really feel blessed to be catching up with everyone... Business is slower, but in my gallery model it’s easy to cut down expenses, and this allows me to feel hopeful.

As a format, Frieze online is definitely a very different experience, but I enjoy being part of it. In many ways it is very content driven, so visitors can really learn a lot.

There is an opinion that the situation ‘after’ this is going to be almost like the postwar scene.  What will be the biggest challenge for art institutions in the post-pandemic future?

I really do not know what to say. We’ve been doing alright so far. I really cannot generalise. I can see that our state is trying to help out and they say the economy will slow down a bit, but it is nothing crucial, as the infrastructure is there and we almost did not lose any members of the working-age population. I think we just have to stop worrying and do our best. And ask for help when one feels in need, and safely stay open and creative. And be kind.

Estonian artists do not depend that much on the market, so if the market turns out to be influenced, they will be just fine.

Calling to save the art world, curator Hans Ulrich Obrist in London mentioned Roosevelt's ‘Federal Art Project’, while Manuel Borja-Villel, the Director of Museo Reina Sofia, was calling for a ‘new’ Marshall Plan, etc. What are the tools that could help artists and the art world survive?

I am so happy that with my small business, and responsibilities just in terms of several colleagues, artists and collectors, I do not need to speculate with a macro prognosis. Estonia is pretty good in taking care of its artists compared to some other countries. Estonian artists do not depend that much on the market, so if the market turns out to be influenced, they will be just fine. On the other hand, I am not sure the market for our gallery will change much, as our collectors are not into speculation but into art.

During self-isolation, the gallery initiated a sort of ‘chain letter’ with the hashtag #kunstmillegatasubelada (art worth living with), where Estonian collectors of different scales present one to three artworks they live with and why. It has been extremely inspiring and positive, a true highlight of the last two weeks, and I truly hope it will grow even bigger.

Do you have a vision of what the art scene will look like? What will be the main shifts and to which direction will they shift?

It seems like everyone who comments on art scene changes says the same things: purification, a jump in quality, humbleness, new modes. Galleries will close down, at least some of them. Fairs will close down (and some of them really should). It will get more digital, as it should have a long time ago. And it will bring us closer to each other, no matter the physical distance.

Exhibition view. “Narcotics” at the Temnikova & Kasela Gallery / curated by Ilja Karilampi / features works by Cosima von Bonin, Ilja Karilampi, Nik Kosmas, a collaboration by Kareem Lotfy & Katja Novitskova

Ilja Karilampi. In my previous life I was a DVD bootlegger. 2020. Plexiglass, led lights, tv, aluminum. 114x200x50 cm

Nik Kosmas. BodyHunter Mandala 3b. 2020. Metal, pvc, acrylic. 180x180x30 cm

Ilja Karilampi. The gifts of the Program (Sobriety Series). 2020. UV print on sauna insulation board. 120x60x4 cm

Ilja Karilampi. Moment of Ocean Clarity (Sobriety Series). 2020. UV print on sauna insulation board. 120x60x4 cm

Ilja Karilampi. A splash of serenity and bald headed hoe shit (Sobriety Series). 2020. UV print on sauna insulation board. 120x60x4 cm

Kareem Lotfy & Katja Novitskova for Haunter Records "Forever". 2020. Solvent print, sticker, pvc, metal frame. 200x400x6 cm

Related articles