Julia Pociūtė shows the contradiction of dust: it is a microcosmos, a very small remnant of the past that records the history of vanished nature or culture. She creates enchanting capsules where she stores stories and objects. Or are they time travellers? In her installations the artist unites different materials to emphasize the relation between most important existential questions: being and nothingness; platonic research of truth and illusion.
Tiina Sarapu constructs mirrors that cover structures which are reminiscent of the historical forms of archaic wooden haystack holders: a feature which has rapidly disappeared from the Estonian traditional landscapes in recent decades. Now they are more reminiscent of the solar panels that have replaced them in the fields. Her “Workstations” with cut glass resemble screens covered in traces and fingerprints which we always leave, whether we want it or not.
Hence the artists are creating something memorable from the oblivion. A new war in Europe with it ruins and destruction gives this topic a sensitive meaning.
Julija Pociūtė is a contemporary Lithuanian artist known for her mixed media installations based on interaction between video art, sculpture, design elements and photography. By combining different materials, she changes the viewer’s perception through experience and encourages them to rethink the principles of reality and illusion. In her artistic practice, the artist pays great attention to the dualistic and temporary nature of man, questioning the influence of memory on the present. The artist is interested in historical memory as a system of capturing reality, in which its opposite becomes an illusion. When combined with each other, different realities create a unique multi-layeredness – the main principle of Pociūtė’s work.
Julija Pociūtė studied at Vilnius Academy of Arts where she received her MFA. Since then, she has been actively involved in art practice. Her latest solo shows include Quick Response, gallery AV-17, Vilnius (2021); Limits of Growth, gallery Meno parkas, Diuseldorf (2021); Among others she participated in a group exhibitions such as: Torun Contemporary Art Center, Poland; SIM residency, Iceland; OSTRALE Biennale O21, Dresden; EGC2021, Bornholm Art Museum, Denmark; LEVANT gallery, Shanghai; Kai Art Center, Tallinn; The Latvian National Museum, Riga; Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark;
www.julijapociute.com
Tiina Sarapu (b. 1971) is an Estonian conceptual artist whose main medium is glass. Her works are refined in execution, carrying ambivalent meanings in their abstraction – creating unexpected connections with memory images (wooden haystack holders in the meadow, music consoles at a concert hall) the material culture of today’s society (solar panels etc) and our lifestyles new normalities like for example sending postal packages, using screens. Masterfully executed works are laconic, offering the viewer a lot of space for personal interpretation.
Tiina Sarapu has graduated from the department of glass art at the Estonian Academy of Arts (MA, 1996). In 1996–2017, she was teaching in the same department and in 2003-2017 worked there as an associate professor. She has received acknowledgement in international competitions of glass art. Sarapu’s artwork belongs to the collections of several museums and private collectors. She received the honorary title of Acknowledged Glass Artist 2005–2005 and Acknowledged Glass Artist 2018–2019; in 2007, Sarapu received Kristjan Raud Art Award, in 2019 she deserved the Annual Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and was awarded the Artist Laureate Salary in 2021–2023.
tiinasarapu.ee
Karin Paulus (b 1975) is Estonian curator, columnist, and lecturer. She is devoted to writing about architecture and design, curating exhibitions, and teaching. She is author of numerous books about product design and architecture. Paulus has also curated exhibitions, for example “Face of Narva 2020” (2020) with Madis Tuuder, Art Gallery Narva; “Idealists” (2016), Tallinn Art Hall. In 2012 Paulus was announced “Best Design Critic” (The Estonian Design Awards) and in 2007 “Best Critic 2006” (The Estonian Association of Architects). 2019 she got annual Kristjan Raud Art Award, as the oldest art prize in Estonia, for dedicated research and the presentation of the history of Estonian design and architecture. She was nominated “Museum Friend 2019” for her articles analyzing museum exhibitions and for the popularization digitized museum collections, 2020 she also won Award of the Cultural Weekly Sirp.
