Karl Joonas Alamaa’s solo exhibition “Daily Play and Bread”
7.–30.03.2025
Open Tue–Sat 12–6pm Sun 12–4pm, free entry
Opening: 6.03.2025 at 6pm
Artist and designer Karl Joonas Alamaa is interested in personal and collective power — how the strength of individuals can oppose authority and politics. The exhibition is based on interviews with people from different parts of the world who have been forced to leave their home countries for various reasons. Working with archival materials and collecting personal stories, their works highlight the power of seemingly small actions to unite people and create social change.
“The basis of the research is the story of my great-aunt Leili, who was deported to Siberia during the Stalinist purges,” explains Alamaa. “In Siberia, Leili was sent to work in a birch forests. On another day of work, she carved her name and family details into the bark of a birch tree. Unexpectedly, that log reached the workshop where her father worked, and he happened to see it after a long time of separation.” This notion of hope amidst extreme repression raises critical questions about the nature of hope, resilience, and resistance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. How can individuals find hope in the most desperate situations? How do small, personal acts of resistance challenge the carefully designed power structures and contribute to broader social change?
The title of the exhibition is derived from the aphorism of the ancient Roman poet Juvenal “Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.” This refers to bread as a cross-cultural symbol, representing everyday well-being and basic needs as well as their use as a tool of oppression. The exhibition brings together textile sculptures and other interactive and playful works that explore memory and society, delving into the themes of finding hope and purpose in a world that often feels suffocating and restrictive.
Karl Joonas Alamaa (2000) has studied fashion at the Estonian Academy of Arts and costume design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. In their practice, they often engage with the notion of the mundane, exploring the potential of everyday phenomena and small actions to create change, working with historical archival materials, personal memories, and experiences. The exhibition has grown out of their master’s project, for which they have received the Mathilde Horlait-Dapsens Prize, the JAT Prize and the Future Proef Award.
Cheerful trio: Karl Joonas Alamaa, Linda Mai Kari, Mikk Lahesalu
Language editor: Olivia Soans
Lighting designer: Mikk-Mait Kivi
Graphic designer: Fatima-Ezzahra Khammas
Special thanks: Myriam Van Gucth, Esther Severi, Vaast Colson, Helena Kask, Martin Lahesalu, Visa Nurmi, Andres Alamaa, Siiri Alamaa, Peeter Kari, Asmus Soodla, Jim Wockenfuß, Lisette Sivard, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Eesti Vabaõhumuuseum.
The exhibition is supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Mathilde Horlait-Dapsens Foundation and Tallinn City.
Opening drinks from Põhjala Brewery.
