Photo reportage from the exhibition 'Triquetra' at Kogo Gallery

At Kogo Gallery, based in Tartu, Estonia is currently on view a group exhibition Triquetra that exercises thinking of wholesomeness through magic, nature and art that have been seen as part of the dangerous chaos that exists outside the normative. Three Baltic artists participate in the exhibition – Darja Popolitova, Sabīne Vernere and Elīna Vītola, the show is curated by Šelda Puķīte. It’s the third exhibition in the gallery’s this year’s programme Queer it Up. The exhibition will remain open until 15 July.

Throughout history, magic, nature and art have been seen as part of the dangerous chaos that exists outside the normative. They are entities on broad spectra that make them seem abstract, out of control and, therefore, suspicious. What is forgotten amidst such prejudice is that each of them provides spiritual connectivity, imagination, an openness to experimentation and play, as well as healing. The spectrum encoded in each can be viewed as a playful trickster expanding meanings, blurring lines and territories, and growing all the connecting networks.
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.

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 public programme. On the last day of the exhibition, there will be a workshop by artist Elīna Vītola. More information can be found on the gallery’s Facebook page.

The exhibition was created in collaboration with a cultural organisation Wunder Kombinat.

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

Photography: Roman-Sten Tõnissoo