© Diana Tamane
Opening of the project’s “Artists in collections” first exhibition in Narva-Jõesuu Ethnography Museum, 19.05!
Vacation is work:
Aet Ader and Laur Kaunissaare are creating an exposition in the Narva-Jõesuu Ethnography Museum of the present of a resort town. Of the moment when the dream of a vacation meets the reality of work. In collaboration with the photographer Diana Tamane, a photo series of the current spas of Narva-Jõesuu – Noorus, Meresuu and Narva-Jõesuu Sanatorium – was born. On the two terraces of the ethnography museum, which are not usually open to visitors, objects from the current vacation culture are displayed in addition to the photo series. The exhibition opens the world of both visitors and employees and focuses on the time-transcending solidarity that connects us all in the hard work and the desire to take a vacation.
Artists in collections:
The project, brought into being especially in time for the jubilee year, brings together artists and (small) museums across Estonia to draw attention to cultural heritage and provide new ways to interpret it and bridge it to the contemporary time.
Under the project, artists spent up to two weeks in residency in a chosen museum, acquainting themselves in depth with its history, collections and day-to- day routines. Museums taking part in the project let the artists peek behind the scenes, familiarized them with their joys as well as difficult challenges and gave artists free rein.
For the artists, this experimental project is an opportunity to get to know a place or a topic in depth, step aside from their usual doings, and put their ideas and work methods to the test. Choosing local museums instead of, for example, (city) galleries as the nodal point, shifts the artist’s role from showing their artwork to carrying out creative research. This gives a different set of tools and responsibility, by observing traces of the past one looks the present in the eye.
The outcome of the residencies are ten very different exhibitions, interventions in the permanent exhibitions or a novel interpretation of a collection. Artists working with collections or archives is a rather common practice in the Western contemporary art but for Estonia this is the first thorough effort to create new ties and connect different communities.
The project is lead by proloogkool, a self-organized platform that brings together contemporary art and nonformal education. Project managers are Maarin Ektermann (maarinektermann@gmail.com) and Mary-Ann Talvistu (marytalvistu@gmail.com, Kumu Art Museum), graphic designer is Viktor Gurov.
On the 19th of May, on Museum Night there will special bus Tallinn-Narva-Jõesuu-Tallinn – please register ev100@cca.ee, transportation cost will be 10.-
Exhibition in Narva-Jõesuu Etnography Museum will be open until 24th of August.
More information about the project: http://proloogkool.eu/kunstnikudkogude
