The exhibition ‘On the other side / Teisel pool’ by Natalia Kondratenko runs at Keskpuur (Lihahall 2. korrus, Keskturg, Tallinn, Estonia) until 9 March.
On this stage, there are no actors. My imagination comes forward into the light. Everything that I cannot express in the real world.
Why?
Because freedom is needed, but it remains only in my imagination. “On the Other Side” is a project about finding ways to express thoughts beyond words in the modern world because today, speaking freely is often impossible under current conditions.
Natalia Kondratenko turns to the practice of surrealism, engaging with her subconscious and still lifes. The same methods used a hundred years ago come to her aid, our imagination, which, despite everything, still holds some freedom. This project is an attempt to reclaim the freedom to speak in times of unfreedom.
She created small-scale installations and captured them through photography. This forms the photographic part of the project. The core idea revolves around the nature of perception and how we interact with information through a personal lens.
Kondratenko sees the exhibition space itself (especially its resemblance to jail bars) as a metaphor for restriction, an environment that limits, yet still allows observation, albeit with effort and missing details. It explores the tension between privacy and publicity, and the blurred boundaries between them.
With this installation, She aims to create an inner space that is filled with emotions and everything that cannot be openly expressed. But what is this space? A prison, or a closet where uncomfortable truths are hidden?
Supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia
Photography: Natalia Kondratenko / all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Keskpuur, Tallinn
