Pärnu Museum of New Art, Estonia
12.6.-1.9.13
The annual exhibition on the topics of sex, the sexes, and the difference of the sexes
This is an exhibition you should never miss in Estonia. Every year the Pärnu Museum of New Art is dealing with the endless topics and connotations related to the sexes, sex and the differences between the sexes, and at the same time showing the wide variety of contemporary artists from the Baltic region. This year the exhibition contain a puppet/sculpture department, a few videos, various work by Enn Põldroos, and new works by established Estonian artists, in addition to the wide variety of works by artists from the Baltic countries, Poland and Finland. As always there are some really impressive works, some pleasingly surprising ones, and some slightly provoking art. Here are my subjective selection of highlights:
Exhibition view
Tatjana Martinova (LV): Awakeing
Olga Gudis (LV): Still Boy
A nice sculpture as it is, but hilarious if you know about this childrens' cartoon about the big bear and the little girl.
Elina Brotherus (FI): Serial of photos - Artist at work
A wonderful series of selfportraits with artists as accessories. At first it seems like a series showing a model entering the studio, modelling for painters, and the final paintings. But the thin wire from her hand reveals that she is actually the artist composing the picture. The artists become puppets in her game, she is the one photographing and the painters are her models
Jan Smagu & Aneta Grzeszykowska (PL): Headache
The most fantastic depiction of a terrible headache. Have you ever felt like the head is tossed around by its own body, having no possibility to end the pain? In this video the body parts actually separates and collaborate in harassing the head, kicking it like a ball or tossing it around.
Viggo Wallensköld (FI): Ruler
Jüri Arrak: Temptations of Saint Anthony
Kalev Mark Kostabi: Wistful Thinking
Artwork by Enn Põldroos
