30 November 2010

Slippery Terrain

Slippery Terrain
Elin Anna Thorisdottir (IS), Juliana Espana Keller (CA), Nina Lassila (FI) and Thora Gunnarsdottir (IS)
Draakoni Galerii
Tallinn, Estonia
29.11.-11.12.10

It seems to be a lot about identity in the exhibition "Slippery Terrain" in Draakoni Galerii. The Icelandic, Canadian and Finnish artists have different approaches to this.

The Protagonist - Nina Lassila
The Protagonist - Nina Lassila

Nina Lassila goes inside herself, both by photo and video. She is looking for answers about roots, belonging and identity as she walk on her childhood path to the big lake. But her thoughts are distracted by the mosquitos, and the answer is not found. On a photo she is consentrating on a spoon, will that give her the answers she need?

Waiting for a Chinook - Thora Gunnarsdottir (part of installation)
Waiting for a Chinook - Thora Gunnarsdottir (part of installation)

The installation of Thora Gunnarsdottir consists of photo, light and sound. There is a dog in strange light. Is this someone's special dog, or is it a representation of someone?

work by Juliana Espana Keller
work by Juliana Espana Keller

Juliana Espana Keller displays both a photo series and a video (that unfortunately did not work). The photos show an insteresting series of a woman unmasking herself.

Video by Elin Anna Thorisdottir
Cremasteric reflex - video by Elin Anna Thorisdottir
click on the picture to view it)

Elin Anna Thorisdottir has a wide variety of installation, paintings, video and photo. The video and the photo is showing a female hero with giant balls, making the ground shake as she moves. Is this an Amazone, an Icelandic heroine or a woman wanting to be a man with balls? The cremasteric reflex is a superficial reflex in the cremaster muscle that pulls up the scrotum and testis observed in human males, elicited by lightly stroking the thigh.(I had to look it up in wikipedia). This must be about sex roles then.

Kaarel Kurismaa

During PÖFF - Black Nights Film Festival - in Tallinn, the film venues are adorned with kinetic sculptures by Kaarel Kurismaa. The sculptures of drums, bells or radios randomly make some strange sounds. I enjoy how these sculptures come as a surprise, whether you discover them by their look or their sound. The Solaris shopping mall has plenty of them, which is great, as the mall was originally planned as a cultural center.

Viikingraadio

Alma Raudtee 1 / Saturn


Sculpture

Kaksteist kuud - twelve months
Kaksteist kuud (twelve months) - at Kosmos cinema

Öökull - Owl
Öökull (Owl) at Sõprus cinema

Figuurid ja kassid - Kaarel Kurismaa
Figuurid ja kassid (figures and cats) at CCPlaza

Trummid Sound and Light - Kaarel Kurismaa
Trummid Sound and Light at CCPlaza

Inglite Mäss - Kaarel Kurismaa
Inglite Mäss (Angels' Mass) in VonKrahl theatre

More about the project here (in Estonian)

06 November 2010

R-open

6. og 7. november åpner kunstnere i Rogaland sine atelierer. Ikke gå glipp av denne muligheten til å bli kjent med kunstnere i regionen. Søndagen er det åpne atelierer i Stavanger, lørdagen alle andre steder. Se oversikten over kunstnere og steder på www.r-open.no. Det er flere aktiviteter knyttet til arrangementet, se programmet på nettsiden.
Jeg anbefaler å besøke 3 kunstnere du kjenner til, 3 kunstnere du bare har hørt om, og 3 kunstnere du aldri har hørt om. God tur!