A Place Between Night and Day delves into the complexities of urban space, architecture and personal space, presenting a range of perspectives and focal points. Modernist, poetic and queer feminist viewpoints sometimes clash and at other times intertwine, unravelling the cultural and social values embedded in urban environments, visions that oscillate between the past and future, and personal memories of navigating the city.
Curator Brigit Arop compares the process of assembling the exhibition to the work of an archaeobotanist, who examines existing and lost artworks to find and plant seeds that will grow into new artistic expressions. “Although the reality is, of course, far more complex, one might imagine an archaeobotanist in a cartoonish generalisation as a researcher who searches for old seeds at an archaeological dig to grow ancient plants by planting and watering them. As the curator of this exhibition, I, too, have explored the existing and lost works, as well as unrealised ideas of Pajuväli, Fischer and Runge, in search of seeds that, when nurtured, may hopefully bloom into new creations.”
The exhibition centres on the ideas of space and presence. Ann Pajuväli depicts abstract personal spaces and urban environments in her works, Saskia Fischer focuses on power structures within the urban landscape, and Sirje Runge, throughout her creative journey, has painted architectural, geometric and minimalist spaces. A key theme running through the exhibition is rooted in feminist geography, which explores the embodied experiences of marginalised groups within urban spaces.
In addition to the works displayed in the gallery, Saskia Fischer’s piece Pansies is exhibited nearby at Freedom Square, connecting the flower vendors operating at the intersection of St. John’s Church, Freedom Square and Suur-Karja Street with the bus pavilion and kiosk known as the “black booth” (now GrillStop 24h).
