The group exhibition ‘Amphibian State (of Mind)’ at EKA Gallery runs until 13th October.
The international exhibition ‘Amphibian State (of Mind)’ explores the ambiguous relationships between artworks and the discourses they generate. This concept draws from Per Nilsson’s philosophical essay ‘The Amphibian Stand’*, investigating themes like the interconnectedness of bodies, nature, and animism. The exhibition showcases artistic practices where material knowledge is applied to objects – such as a lashing belt, copper plate, fabric, or clay – to transform their discourse and reveal new forms of understanding. Techniques like printmaking, drawing, textile work, and ceramics emphasise the sensitivity of touch and its power to engage with surface textures. Through deliberate gestures and care, the artists activate the latent ‘thing-power’ of their materials.
Informed by a posthumanist, multidisciplinary approach, the artists seamlessly apply the logic of one medium to another. This process can be understood through Karen Barad’s concept of ‘intra-action’**, which emphasises entanglement rather than simple interaction. The exhibition looks at the sets of relationships between the bodies of the maker and the body of the art object that are inherently intertwined through the discourse they create through intra-acting. The exhibition further navigates the intersection of digital and analogue processes, materiality, and human experience. By incorporating AI-generated imagery, sound waves, and the translation between digital and physical forms, the artists explore the “glitch” that exists between these realms. Additionally, the exhibition addresses intimate themes such as identity, generational trauma, and guilt, or shame. Through the blending of narrative and material-based knowledge, the artworks become metaphors for existential reflections, uncertainty, and personal challenges. They engage with human relationships, nature, and self-image, expressing both individual and collective emotions in response to everyday struggles while contemplating broader aspects of the human condition.
The exhibition is a collaboration between the Department of Graphic Art at the Estonian Academy of Arts and Print and Drawing study area at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts.
* Nilsson, P. (2009). The Amphibian Stand: A Philosophical Essay Concerning Research
Processes in Fine Art. Umeå: H:ström-Text & Kultur.
** Barad, K. (2012). Interview with Karen Barad. R. Dolphijn, I. van der Tuin,
New Materialism: Interviews and Cartographies (pp 48–70). Ann Arbor: Open
Humanities Press, MPublishing – University of Michigan.
Participating artists: Ida Montgomery Emblemsvåg (NO), Othelie Farstad (NO), Birk André Fredhjem (NO), Dan Grönlund (SE/NO), Sara Marie Hødnebø (NO), Oskar Jensen (NO), Maria Izabella Lehtsaar (EE), Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard (NO), Vilma Lundholm (SE/NO), Rajat Mondal (IN/NO), Triin Mänd (EE), Marten Prei (EE), Sandra Puusepp (EE), Paul Rannik (EE/DE), Elise Marie Skaug (NO), Mathilda Skoglund (SE/NO), Kristian Trana (NO), Nora Hultén Törnerud (SE/NO)
Curator: Maria Erikson
Exhibition design: Maria Erikson, Paul Rannik
Graphic design: Mirjam Varik
Translation, editing: Maria Erikson, Liina Siib
The exhibition was supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, KUNO and Sadolin Estonia.
Photos by Ya-Chuan Chen and Kaisa Maasik
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Rajat Mondal “Plumbago” (2023–2024), sound wave vibration drawing with graphite dust on paper, à 18 × 21 cm. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Rajat Mondal “Plumbago” (2023–2024), sound wave vibration drawing with graphite dust on paper, à 18 × 21 cm. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Maria Izabella Lehtsaar “Unknown Pleasures” (2023), linocut, fabric, chains, à 29.7 × 42 cm. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Marten Prei “√48.400” (2024), letterpress, 198 × 198 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Marten Prei “√48.400” (2024), letterpress, 198 × 198 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Triin Mänd “Kuma (Gleam)” (2023), aquatint, waterbite, 47 × 44 cm. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Paul Rannik “Imprints Where There Shouldn’t Be Imprints” (2024), screen print on Stonehenge paper, à 76 × 56.5 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Paul Rannik “Imprints Where There Shouldn’t Be Imprints” (2024), screen print on Stonehenge paper, à 76 × 56.5 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Vilma Lundholm “The Routine” (2024), porcelain, ceramic pen, tiles, various measurements. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Vilma Lundholm “The Routine” (2024), porcelain, ceramic pen, tiles, various measurements. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Vilma Lundholm “The Routine” (2024), porcelain, ceramic pen, tiles, various measurements. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Vilma Lundholm “The Routine” (2024), porcelain, ceramic pen, tiles, various measurements. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Sara Marie Hødnebø “Dropp Skygge (Drop Shadow)” (2024), spray paint, cork notice boards, 55 × 72 cm, 42 × 63 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Ida Montgomery Emblemsvåg, Othelie Farstad, Birk André Fredhjem, Dan Grönlund, Oskar Jensen, Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard, Elise Marie Skaug, Kristian Trana, Nora Hultén Törnerud “NI(O)” (2023), etching, zinc plate, colour viscosity, 99 × 79 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Ida Montgomery Emblemsvåg, Othelie Farstad, Birk André Fredhjem, Dan Grönlund, Oskar Jensen, Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard, Elise Marie Skaug, Kristian Trana, Nora Hultén Törnerud “NI(O)” (2023), detail. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Ida Montgomery Emblemsvåg, Othelie Farstad, Birk André Fredhjem, Dan Grönlund, Oskar Jensen, Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard, Elise Marie Skaug, Kristian Trana, Nora Hultén Törnerud “NI(O)” (2023), etching, zinc plate, colour viscosity, 99 × 79 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Ida Montgomery Emblemsvåg, Othelie Farstad, Birk André Fredhjem, Dan Grönlund, Oskar Jensen, Signe Fuglesteg Luksengard, Elise Marie Skaug, Kristian Trana, Nora Hultén Törnerud “NI(O)” (2023), detail. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Vilma Lundholm “Inner World Tour” (2023), drypoint, ink and acrylic pen, cardboard, tape, thread, various measurements. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Vilma Lundholm “Inner World Tour” (2023), detail. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Sara Marie Hødnebø “Den lyse veven (The light loom)” (2023), steel drying rack, various textiles, household twine, 73 × 188 × 110 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Sara Marie Hødnebø “Den lyse veven (The light loom)” (2023), detail. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Mathilda Skoglund “Spännet (Tension)” (2023), detail. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
Mathilda Skoglund “Spännet (Tension)” (2023), letterpress, lashing belt, 400 × 4 cm. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Mathilda Skoglund “Spännet (Tension)” (2023), detail. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
Sandra Puusepp “Matrix I–III” (2023), lithography, à 70 × 53 cm. Photo by Ya Chuan Chen
View from the exhibition “Amphibian State (of Mind)”, EKA Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia, 2024. Photo by Kaisa Maasik
