On Saturday, 28th of June when most of the Estonian art world was packed into one bus and heading to St Petersburg to attend opening of Manifesta, something else took place - opening of the out-door exhibition Kilometre of Sculpture in Rakvere. It is a brainchild of Michael Haagensen and this year curatorial team consisted Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk + Rebeka Põldsam, Marie Vellevoog, and Merilin Talumaa. Short travel guide brought to you by Maarin Mürk.
So, lets jump right in:
(because all the official stuff like quite ambitious project description, history of the idea, curatorial statement, practicalities, process etc you can read here: http://sculpture.ee/)
(and proper art world type of interview you could read here: http://arterritory.com/en/news/3720-the_kilometre_of_sculpture_in_rakvere)
What is good about it:
- Public art / land-art / out-door installation (however you name it) could always flourish more in Estonia, so it is very welcomed initiative to support this kind of practices here and bring together artists from whatever field interested in creating works in public space. Not only from Estonia, but also regional and why not, from anywhere in the world.
- Connections with Baltoscandal - it gave it most fruitful "site-specificity", expressed as a quite logical theme or guideline in curatorial statement: KoS works can be read as "staged" - staging a situation, view, motion etc. Connecting this new initiative with established on means more to see and do for this mixture of visual art / theatre / performing arts etc audiences who visit Rakvere during this week / weekend.
- Which brings to another good thing about it - time to get yourself together and leave Tallinn and Tartu white cubes behind! Estonian art world always have had events during the summer somewhere outside usual trajectories, which pushes art world little bit out of its comfort zone and hopefully KoS will be one of the new "drawing-centres".
- It is all in all playful and accessible experience. Works are easy to grasp, but at the same time nifty, so it is certainly good communicator with wider audience. They could induce good conversations, but can also be viewed only on a pure entertainment mode.
One could always ask for more works, tighter selection, longer opening period etc, but hey! it was great excuse for a day trip and completely satisfying as that - art works in specific environment to explore and to discover. Recommended.
Before you find KoS - there is an exhibition worth visiting in Rakvere gallery: "Witnessing / Mirroring the Nameless" by Henri Hütt and Evelyn Raudsepp.
When does something becomes valuable enough to name it (and to tame it with that), ask the artists? Collection of lieu`s and non-lieu`s, within surprising environment. Together with super sweet guardian of that particular lieu.
But walk further and there are signs of KoS becoming more visible ...
Tomi and Vesa Humalisto (Findland). The Thin Red Line.
It will probably be one of the most popular works in KoS - attractive, simple gesture, playful and eye-catching from a distance and from a close-up a like. Who wouldn’t like big red balloons, nicely following the curvature of old castle hills?
For those who enjoy moving images:
Gundega Evelona (LV). Cloud.
Recommended setting for the following video is 1080p HD, otherwise too many pixels!
Anastasia Parmson (EE). Straight Line.
Reminds of all the great land art works that mark the territory around them in a delicate way, not intruding rapidly into it. Great work to show that in order to embrace the space one doesn’t need to build something huge and resource-consuming - well-targeted take can do all the work and provide fresh look at the surrounding.
Kristin Reiman (EE). Shower Stage.
The singing stage, obligatory element in all Estonian towns hosts during the KoS another stage - everything is set ready for trying out the cliché of "singing under the shower". Narrow bathroom has expanded under the summer sun, breeze gently moving the curtains, while public and private experiences mix.
Minna Pöllänen (FI). Platform.
Desire to see something not graspable for bare eye allures walkers to try out those spyglasses...only to found world as we know it.
Pire Sova (EE). Transision Site.
One of the favourite works, randomness as a statement, bluntly installed, makes one smirk.
Patrik Aarnivaara (SE). Pan-Retention (after Edwin S Porter)
Arthur Arula (EE). Mute Swan (detail)
Streets of Rakvere (detail)
Rakvere (cobble stones and extravagant architecture; detail)
A tree - could be listed as great land art piece, monumental and engrossing and so on.
Flo Kasearu (EE). Landscape Painting.
One of the most strongest works in KoS - painting that was first installed to Flo Kasearu House Museum courtyard in order to cover the ugly view of new buildings in her milieu-valuable neighbourhood, works even more apocalyptic level in this small church. It looks like a miracle has happened, the Flood exposes itself to the sinned ones during hot summer days when nothing seems to predict the divine catastrophe already bound to happen. This divine vaticination takes suitably place exactly in this simple and rather humble house of God, out of religious capitals, like proving that God is really everywhere. Like art.
Some additionally peculiar installative foundlings from a same location:
Take it easy!
Water park tubes, stretching out of the building - could be also listed as architectural installation, if you now look at them suspiciously through KoS glasses! Reminds to local out-door art lovers for example Tetsuo Kondo "A Path in the Forest"?
And while in Rakvere - don`t forget to remind yourself how wild and weird does city central square looks like, created by architectual company "Kosmos"!.
Some street art from Rakvere as well - creative scratching of political advertisement-boards. Layers, layers, layers and at the end of the it is all still there, buried.
And - greetings from Rakvere food store to Sigrid Viir and to her series of Routinecrusher, Wanderlust, Tablebear, and so on (2009–11)! New members adding, perhaps - Sausage Modeller?
Finally our walk through Rakvere got crowned by box Estonian strawberries - there are very good salesman in Rakvere, so instead of buying a kilo, you might end up with three!
