Annual exhibition of the Estonian Glass Artists’ Union
The Secret Soul of Shiny Things
Artium Cultural Centre, Viimsi – lobby and Viimsi Art School Gallery
April 5-30, 2025
Opening April 4 at 17.00
We live in interesting times. A sense of danger can force one to withdraw into one’s shell, or seek meaning and omens in the surroundings, to look for analogues in history, to notice a repetition of patterns.
Today’s uncontested truths may be revoked tomorrow, someone’s confident glamour can turn out to be a one-day wonder. Art, while attempting to reflect the prevalent atmosphere, or posing difficult questions, does not claim to possess a monopoly of truth anymore; rather, it finds itself in the same boat as the audience.
Artists who survived the hardships of World War II frequently sought comfort in the poetry of the mundane; for them, soulllessness and brutality had lost their charm. Jackson Pollock and others were inspired by C.G.Jung to seek universal archetypes in native cultures. Carlo Carra wrote: “In the most ordinary things, we find a simplicity, through which we can sense a higher, meaningful content, and this is what art is all about.”
Through its peculiar properties, glass is a perfect means to create illusions. Under the shiny, flawless surface, dramas of light and darkness take center stage. Other media, including painting, can but dream of such expressiveness!
Seemingly lifeless, frozen glass can pulse with life, a strive to break out of its confines, giving cause to speak of the artwork’s soul – floating high and far on the wings of light, coming alive not just as an object, but also the surrounding space.
The “harsh reality” staged in the exhibition hall, where the “souls of artifacts” are literally piled upon Cramo scaffolding, illustrates the state of affairs in Estonian glass art.
Participants: Eve Koha, Tiina Sarapu, Agnes Torm, Kati Kerstna, Rait Prääts, Riho Hütt, Kairi Orgusaar, Kai Kiudsoo-Värv, Erki Kannus, Maarja Mäemets, Birgit Pählapuu, Piret, Ellamaa, Eeva Käsper, Anne-Liis Leht, Eili Soon, Kersti Vaks, Malle Karik-Hallimäe, Tiia Põldmets, Heli Press, Sigrid Luitsalu,Kaie Vakepea, Kateriin Rikken, Sofi Aršas
Curator: Sofi Aršas sofiarchas@gmail.com
Exhibition & lLghting Design: Kati Kerstna, Jaan Elken
Graphic Design: Merle Kannus
Thank you: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Viimsi Artium, Viimsi Art School, Cramo Estonia AS, Estonian Glass Artists’ Union.
