Kontvõõras, 2018
It is believed that after death the energy of beings is held in their remains – hair, skin, feathers, and bones. By wearing remains such as these, the creature’s strength, wisdom, and protection is acquired. As Laura Puusepp is young and still developing as a person as well as an artist she wishes to have a form of protection from the opinions of others, critics, and verbal attacks but at the same time she strives to be in the center of the attention. She likes to make her works big and powerful as she – herself – feels tiny and powerless. Her work is about the need to expose herself to countless eyes and quickly brand myself according to the demands of the market. The work also reflects the feeling of being a stranger in the art field – it reflects feeling like someone who comes, collects the leftover bones after dinner, and leaves. The title “Kontvõõras” can not be translated to English as there is no equivalent to the Estonian word. The direct translation of the title is “Bone-stranger” but the actual meaning is reflected by the word “gatecrasher”. The word comes from the old Estonian language, according to which it meant “bag-strangers”. Bag-strangers were people, who came to parties uninvited, carrying bags where they put leftovers and bones before leaving. The word was also used to talk about dogs, who came to the party to eat leftover bones. The work is a self-portrait, symbolically representing her with the work and with the title. It was created for exhibition “Sculpture/Obligation to Self – Design” and it was chosen for The Young Sculpture Awards exhibition.