Cut out of Life
20 January – 28 March 2021
Curated by Cathrin Mayer
The work of Flo Kasearu cannot be described through a preference for a certain style or medium, but rather a playful, provocative and conceptual approach to art making. She not only examines the societal conditions of our times, but also reflects upon the mechanisms that create meaning and value inside and outside the field of art.
Born in the mid-1980s, Kasearu belongs to the young generation of Estonian artists that witnessed the shift of powers in the aftermath of a bipolar world order. In confronting those upheavals in Estonia, the artist has particularity been interested in the effects and changes in the private and public sphere of her home country. In recent years, she has drawn our attention to the role of women in society in particular. In the work Illustrating the Request for Privacy (2016) Kasearu staged a performance in one of the theatres in Tallinn, collaborating with women who have suffered severe domestic violence. This two hour performance involved the women reading their court cases out loud to the audience. Fall Out, the first major solo show by the artist represents a deeper engagement in the topic of domestic violence and investigates its various aspects, as well as the journey women undertake when freeing themselves from oppression and claiming their independence.
The exhibition is part of Tallinn Art Hall’s 2020 thematic focus on feminism in the 21st century, highlighting critical issues confronting women today. Maria Kapajeva, Flo Kasearu, Laura Kuusk, Ede Raadik and Maria Valdma will stage solo exhibitions dealing with complicated narratives that go beyond what is regarded as “women’s issues” such as the politics of care and the body, the impact of technology on everyday life, violence and trauma, labour and poverty, as well as fertility and decay. These topics nonetheless have a very powerful impact on women’s lives. These artists will use the language of contemporary art to infuse a sense of urgency to engage with visual politics that moves between the female body and the spheres of public discourse.
Flo Kasearu (1985) is an artist whose work combines performance art, video, photography, painting and installation. The nature of her works is topical and exploratory, confronting issues at a grassroots level and concerning matters like freedom, patriotism and nationalism, domestic violence and the opposition between private and public spheres. Kasearu has studied painting and photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts. She lives and works at the Flo Kasearu House Museum in Tallinn. Her latest exhibitions include “Basic Pride” (Galerie Kubnova, Prague, 2018), “Shelter’s Festival” (Pärnu Women’s Shelter, 2018) and “Holes” (Temnikova & Kasela Gallery, 2018).
Cathrin Mayer (1988) is a curator at KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin and teaches at the University of the Arts in Berlin and the University of Art and Design in Linz (AT). She has recently co-curated the first major institutional shows of artists Anna Daucikova and Evelyn Taocheng Wang. In collaboration with Maurin Dietrich, Mayer has established a new performance programme within the frame of “Pogo Bar” especially for KW. She has curated numerous exhibitions outside of her institutional practice and is currently preparing the first major solo show of Kosovan artist Dardan Zhegrova at Fragile Berlin. She regularly writes for art and cultural magazines. (Brand New Life, Girls Like Us, etc.).
Opening at Tallinn Art Hall 20 January, 11am (EET)
Launching on the gallery’s virtual platform 27th January, 3pm (CET)
The exhibition will open to the public on the morning of 20 January at 11 am EET. The official opening will be held virtually on 27 January at 3 pm CET on Tallinn Art Hall’s virtual exhibition platform [1]. The opening event can be viewed via Zoom here [2] as well as on Tallinn Art Hall’s YouTube channel [3].