Maasalu has been living in London since 2013, and an artist residency in Estonia immediately meant working around her relationship with the homeland. Thinking about various things, worries and concerns she has escaped from and why. It feels quite strange to physically be in-between places in increasingly polarising world. Estonia is multifaceted – containing happiness as well as misery that often gets brushed under the carpet; stories of national pride and xenophobia, worries about our birth rates whilst being in the top for intimate partner violence reports in Europe.
‘’Happy House’’ consists of stories about happiness as well as great fear, home and homesickness. Individual sorrows and joys get more clarity through conversations with other people. “Happy House” is an image of Estonia in a twisted mirror, but also happy reflection at the same time. It tells stories about the variety of what happiness can mean to us, fears big and small to hide in from.
Angela Maasalu (b. 1990) is an Estonian painter living and working in London. She studied painting and art history at the University of Tartu (BA 2012), painting at Estonian Academy of Arts (MA 2015) and has also completed a course at UAL Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (2013-2014). She has had solo exhibitions in Estonia, the UK and Greece.
Thanks: Lilian Hiob, Marten Esko, Gerda Sülla, Anu Raud, Viljandi Art School, Rüki Residency, Rüki Raam
Supporters: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Viljandi Town Council
