The title of the exhibition, Triquetra, is borrowed from the name of an ancient Celtic symbol that has been used through different periods and cultures to indicate the power of three. It is often depicted as three arches that flow through each other without a start or end point, creating a knot. In early pagan traditions, this symbol is believed to have stood for the Triple Moon Goddess, referring to the spiritual power of the Matriarchy, which was later replaced by Christianity’s holy trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now, in contemporary cultural contexts, it serves as a playful ground for artists to explore their identities and to create visions about the spiritual and political unity of three elements – magic, nature and art.
The invited artists all have their own unique creative spectra that define their techniques and interests.
For Darja Popolitova, it is magic and witchcraft that she uses as a speculative tool to address certain complexities in linguistic expressions as well as mundane behaviour and habits in modern society.
In Sabīne Vernere’s works, nature as a spectrum reveals itself through processes of metamorphosis. There is a strong presence of beauty, sensuality and emotion in her works, but also disturbance and violence, which correlates with the complexities of the dynamics between humans and nature.
Elīna Vītola’s interest has always been the art world itself. Her artistic practice can be described as relational, incorporating the space, other participants and the situation itself in dialogue. Art as her spectrum has become an important communicator to investigate values, crafts, identities and histories.
Triquetra opens on 26 May at 18.00 at Kogo Gallery. During the opening, visitors might witness the amuletisation, a ritualistic happening presented by the summoned artists in order to create a protective charm for the exhibition and all who enter it. The event is part of Aparaaditehas’ Gallery Night programme and on the same evening, Kogo Gallery celebrates its 5th birthday. Kogo Gallery is situated at Aparaaditehas, Kastani 42 in Tartu, Estonia, the gallery is open for visits on Wed–Fri at 13–19 and on Sat at 13–18. The exhibition will remain open until 15 July.
The exhibition is accompanied by a versatile public programme. On 27 May at 16.00, there will be an artist talk Magic Is Nature Is Art at the gallery where all three artists participate, the talk is moderated by the curator Šelda Puķīte. On the last day of the exhibition, there will be a workshop by artist Elīna Vītola. More information can be found about these and other potential events on the gallery’s Facebook page.
The exhibition is funded by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Tartu – City Of Good Thoughts and the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia.
Curator: Šelda Puķīte
Production and public programme: Stella Mõttus
Administration: Liina Raus
Communication: Karin Kahre and Kristlyn Liier
Installation: Siim Asmer
Photo documentation: Roman-Sten Tõnissoo
Graphic design: Aleksandra Samulenkova
Translation and language editing: Refiner Translations
Triquetra is the third exhibition in Kogo Gallery’s this year’s programme entitled Queer It Up. This programme celebrates all that is positioned as fluid, different, unidentifiable, glitchy, marginal and uncomfortable. Topics like friendship, nature, magic, gender and failure will be tackled within the programme.
Kogo is a contemporary art gallery in Tartu, Estonia, founded in 2018. The gallery focuses on the younger generation of artists, currently representing eight artists from the Baltic countries. Kogo is committed to encouraging dialogue on important issues of today by running an extensive public programme alongside the exhibitions.
