Photo reportage from the exhibition ‘Fragile Balance’ at Atletika gallery

November 21, 2023
Author Echo Gone Wrong

A group exhibition titled ‘Fragile Balance’ runs at Atletika gallery (Vitebsko 21, Vilnius) from November 10 until December 16, 2023, featuring artists Hedi Jaansoo, Nokukhanya Langa, Anna Mari Liivrand, Emma Luukkala, Mari Männa, Laurynas Skeisgiela and Mark Soosaar. The show is curated by Kaisa Maasik.

The exhibition Fragile Balance focuses on the relation between I can and I cannot – the collision of the frail and the sturdy. Something that artists deal with daily, but voice ever so less. Each of the participating artists has created a practice out of their relationship to the material. The chosen matter becomes an extension of the creator themselves and their capabilities. The struggle is kept in motion even after the work has been put out on display.

Seemingly effortless, practicing fragility demands the same conviction. Balancing between two states – gentleness on the one side, being tough on the other – is key as it affects the final form and outcome. The fragility of the material and the process connects to the person and their vulnerability and invincibility as a human.

Artists: Hedi Jaansoo, Nokukhanya Langa, Anna Mari Liivrand, Emma Luukkala, Mari Männa, Laurynas Skeisgiela, Mark Soosaar.
Curator: Kaisa Maasik
Design: Laura Grigaliūnaitė

Exhibition dates and times: 10 November – 16 December 2023, Wednesdays to Fridays 4pm-7pm, Saturdays 1pm-5pm.
Address: Atletika gallery, Vitebsko str. 21, Vilnius.

The exhibition is organised by the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association (LIAA). Activities of LIAA are supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Embassy of Finland in Vilnius, the Estonian Embassy in Vilnius, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture and Põhjala Brewery.

Exhibition: Fragile Balance
Artists: Hedi Jaansoo, Nokukhanya Langa, Anna Mari Liivrand, Emma Luukkala, Mari Männa, Laurynas Skeisgiela, Mark Soosaar
Curator: Kaisa Maasik
Location: Atletika gallery (Vitebsko 21, Vilnius, Lithuania)
Dates: 10/11/2023–16/12/2023
Designer: Laura Grigaliūnaitė

Photography: Laurynas Skeisgiela

Mari Männa, All Eggs In One Basket, 2023, jesmonite, fiberglass, polyurethane foam, seashells, shells of oysters, 95 × 84 × 35 cm; Rock, 2019, papier mache, aluminium net, latex, 78 × 44 × 50 cm

Mari Männa, All Eggs In One Basket, 2023, jesmonite, fiberglass, polyurethane foam, seashells, shells of oysters, 95 × 84 × 35 cm; Rock, 2019, papier mache, aluminium net, latex, 78 × 44 × 50 cm

Mari Männa, All Eggs In One Basket, 2023, jesmonite, fiberglass, polyurethane foam, seashells, shells of oysters, 95 × 84 × 35 cm, detail

Mari Männa, Rock, 2019, papier mache, aluminium net, latex, 78 × 44 × 50 cm

Mari Männa, Rock, 2019, papier mache, aluminium net, latex, 78 × 44 × 50 cm, detail

Nokukhanya Langa, Closer to God, 2023, mixed media and oil on canvas, 120 × 110 cm

Nokukhanya Langa, Closer to God, 2023, mixed media and oil on canvas, 120 × 110 cm

Nokukhanya Langa, Closer to God, 2023, mixed media and oil on canvas, 120 × 110 cm, detail

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Laurynas Skeisgiela, Small Town Murder Songs, excerpt, 2020, video projection, 2 C-stand light stands, 6 min 40 s

Laurynas Skeisgiela, Small Town Murder Songs, excerpt, 2020, video projection, 2 C-stand light stands, 6 min 40 s

Laurynas Skeisgiela, Small Town Murder Songs, excerpt, 2020, video projection, 2 C-stand light stands, 6 min 40 s, detail

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Anna Mari Liivrand, Carcass for Setting Adornments I, 2023, veneer, steel, black and golden paint, varnish, glass, graphite, colored pencil on paper; Clotting Moments, 2021, pronze, steel, coffee, milk, candies

Anna Mari Liivrand, Carcass for Setting Adornments I, 2023, veneer, steel, black and golden paint, varnish, glass, graphite, colored pencil on paper, detail

Anna Mari Liivrand, Carcass for Setting Adornments I, 2023, veneer, steel, black and golden paint, varnish, glass, graphite, colored pencil on paper, detail

Emma Luukkala, Picnic 3, 2023, oil on linen, wooden frame, 93 × 83 cm

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Emma Luukkala, Picnic 1–2, 2023, oil on linen, wooden frame, 93 × 83 cm

Emma Luukkala, Picnic 1–2, 2023, oil on linen, wooden frame, 93 × 83 cm, detail

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Hedi Jaansoo, Nails and Punctures and a Bit of Support, 2023, two pigment prints on aluminium composite, metal frames, a vase, wire, pearls

Hedi Jaansoo, Nails and Punctures and a Bit of Support, 2023, two pigment prints on aluminium composite, metal frames, a vase, wire, pearls, detail

Hedi Jaansoo, Nails and Punctures and a Bit of Support, 2023, two pigment prints on aluminium composite, metal frames, a vase, wire, pearls, detail

Hedi Jaansoo, Nails and Punctures and a Bit of Support, 2023, two pigment prints on aluminium composite, metal frames, a vase, wire, pearls, detail

Hedi Jaansoo, Nails and Punctures and a Bit of Support, 2023, two pigment prints on aluminium composite, metal frames, a vase, wire, pearls, detail

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Anna Mari Liivrand, Clotting Moments, 2021, pronze, steel, coffee, milk, candies, detail

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Anna Mari Liivrand, Carcass for Setting Adornments II, 2023, veneer, steel, black and golden paint,
varnish, glass, graphite, colored pencil on paper;

Anna Mari Liivrand, Carcass for Setting Adornments II, 2023, veneer, steel, black and golden paint, varnish, glass, graphite, colored pencil on paper, detail

Nokukhanya Langa, Nerve Center, 2023, mixed media and oil on canvas, 120 × 110 cm

Nokukhanya Langa, Nerve Center, 2023, mixed media and oil on canvas, 120 × 110 cm

Emma Luukkala, Backpack Treasures, 2023, oil and plaster on canvas, 31 × 26 cm

Emma Luukkala, Backpack Treasures, 2023, oil and plaster on canvas, 31 × 26 cm

Fragile Balance, exhibition view

Fragile Balance, Emma Luukkala, A Short Break, 2023, oak, steel, household items, epoxy, alkyd, 120 × 43 × 32 cm; Mark Soosaar, The Dugout Canoe, 1986, video, sound, 15 min 23

Mark Soosaar, The Dugout Canoe, 1986, video, sound, 15 min 23