The exhibition “liiv-liivi” is a joint exhibition of two artists from different worlds but of the same generation on a topic with which they have a very personal relationship. Andres Koort and Urmo Raus, who studied at ERKI (current Academy of Art) at the same time in the early nineties of the last century, only recently discovered the connection and common part of Livonia, and from this, the idea of creating a reflection on Livonia – a painting exhibition was born.
Both artists reminisce about their Livonian experience and open it in their own personal way.
Andres Koort: “It’s strange to think that a nation disappeared right before my eyes, and a small part of that lost world still lives on in me. The planned exhibition is a tribute to this ancient nation, and the idea that the Livonian blood lives on in me and my children, is a bit comforting.”
Urmo Raus: “A few years ago, I bought a French book, “History of Livonia,” published in Utrecht in 1669. At the end of the book was the author’s epilogue, written in The Hague one August evening more than three hundred years ago. I was also sitting at my desk in The Hague, and it was a tender August evening. I remembered all the sandy beaches of Livonia and carpets of pine needles with blueberry tussocks, a kind of general archetype of Livonia, which is hidden in the deeper layers of my memory. Already then, I had the idea to convey this archetype by painting. This idea matured for some time, and was looking for the right outlet – a form that will now come true together with Andres Koort in the form of a joint exhibition.”
