ILLUSIOON on Kairin Kooviti ja Ihan Toomiku ühisprojekt, mis avab valdavalt romantilis-sentimentaalseid Eesti ehteid ootamatu nurga alt. See on interaktiivne eksperiment külastajaga, kes saab osa kõrvuti nii materjali viidud kui ka arvutis programmeeritud ehetest.
AN OCTOPUS’S GARDEN OF SILLY DELIGHTS
Ulvi Haagensen
In a world on the brink of ecological disaster;
a world coming to terms with a deadly virus;
a world where belligerent and inflammatory politics endeavours to entice and control us;
a world where big tech sees and knows more than we’d like;
a world where narcissism and lying seem to be accepted ways to behave;
I present to you you
AN OCTOPUS’S GARDEN OF SILLY DELIGHTS
At least one thing we can be certain of in these uncertain times is that octopuses have beautiful gardens.
Ulvi Haagensen, born and trained in Sydney, Australia, has been living in Tallinn for many years. She has a background in drawing and sculpture and is currently doing a PhD at the Estonian Academy of Arts researching the boundaries and connections between art and everyday life. She has exhibited in Australia, Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Russia and South Korea, and has works in public collections in Australia and Estonia.
MORFOSIS
Ihan Toomik, Andreas Kivisild
MORFOSIS consists of several objects that can be worn in several ways. Morfosis as transfiguration stems from the metamorphoses of daily living. For example, when dressing for work a person embodies their occupation and starts behaving like part of the organisation. Later, at home, the same person may act and look utterly different. In a similar manner we change ourselves in other everyday situations.
We have been discussing the kind of attributes that apply to wearable jewellery. What would we want to wear on a daily basis? Which values, functions and practical implications would this jewellery carry? Our conversation took us to the shapeshifting belt buckle that embodies our daily metamorphoses.
Ihan Toomik is a freelance artist and a designer. He graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2013. He also teaches 3D modelling. Andreas Kivisild is a freelance artist and a designer. He graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2012.
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
The annual EXHIBITION-SALE 2020 invites visitors to interact with a cross-section of local jewellery art from the past year.
The exhibition converges pieces from over 30 jewellery artists, made in and hence influenced by the meandering ways of the (un)believable and freakish year 2020. The artworks of the annual exhibition are on sale for the whole duration of the exhibition.
The drive of the exhibition is to explore how the force majeure of 2020 has influenced the everyday life and creative processes of the participating artists. The past year has been full of anxiety and worry about the unknown but has given the opportunity to find solace in being in the present. Resting on the imposed need for solitude, stillness holds space for the emergence of inspiration and clears time for facing yourself and to give the introspection a palpable form.
Jewellery artist Liisbeth Kirss: “This year’s restrictions made me take a break during which I could peacefully think or not think about my art. I feel it was very necessary and it couldn’t have happened in any other way.”
At the same time there are artists who were forced to prioritize the pressing financial matters of everyday life before their creative endeavours due to the coronavirus. “I lost my studio recently, because it was in the building of a restaurant in the Old Town and the restaurant went bankrupt. Hence, the pandemic has a quite direct influence on my creative work”, says artist Anni Kagovere. However, in the words of artist Claudia Lepik, the pandemic hasn’t changed the rhythm of her work so far, and the quotidian journeys she makes are as modest as before.
A-Gallery is the representative gallery of local art jewellery as well as a place for meeting artworks from over a hundred different authors. Encompassing different generations, schools, forms and ideas, A-Gallery tells the story of Estonian art jewellery. Each piece is handmade, unique and represents the aesthetics and concept of the artist.
Participating artists:
Krista Laos, Ive-Maria Köögard, Tarvo Porroson, Ülle Mesikäpp, Anne Roolaht, Tea Vellerind, Ihan Toomik, Anni Kagovere, Kertu Vellerind, Mari Relo-Šaulys, Adolfas Šaulys, Urve Küttner, Liisbeth Kirss, Ulvi Haagensen, Ülle Voosalu, Tamara Sergijenko, Claudia Lepik, Ivar Kaasik, Ane Raunam, Kadi Kübarsepp, Ülle Kõuts, Keesi Kapsta, Katrin Veegen, Raili Vinn, Merike Balod, Margit Paulin, Aino Kapsta, Kristi Paap, Kätrin Beljaev, Erle Nemvalts, Melitina Balabin, Nikolai Balabin, Marita Lumi, Ene Valter, Viktorija Lillemets, Rita-Livia Erikson, Sille Luiga, Kristiina Laurits.
IHKA is the co-project of Ihan Toomik and Kairin Koovit that includes a jewellery exhibition.
“How to use technical aspects while preserving one’s personal touch? How to exploit the beauty of industrial regularity without losing the artist’s individual style? How to ask a machine questions so that it can answer? Creating a piece of jewellery in a completely different language between a man and a machine.
All the exhibited pieces have been created by the help of 3D modeling software and 3D printing, forms have been created virtually. The jewellery pieces can be both enlarged and reduced according to one’s needs.”