A “set” signifies a collection of connected items, a complete ensemble, a grouping, or a decoration. In a dreamlike journey unfolding at the Rüki Gallery, displaced and condensed object ensembles are showcased side by side. The works have been inspired by the life and works by Estonian playwright August Kitzberg, as well as by education, national awakening time, flax cultivation, and synthetic fibers.
The montage intertwines photos of people, landscapes, and objects taken in Karksi, Abja, Polli and Pöögle parishes in Mulgimaa and in Viljandi during the summer of 2024. These photos are installed alongside objects made from various materials, forming eight emblematic groups or scenes, such as Broken Flax or Rather Talk to a Pile of Wood. These scenes do not build a coherent narrative, but instead, different arrangements of objects form visual elements that encourage the viewer to imagine their own stories. What are the signs or objects that connect people and permeate their lives? How do social changes affect their everyday life? Can objects be personified, what character traits are remembered about a person?
Liina Siib (b. 1963) lives and works in Tallinn. She has studied printmaking and photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts (MA 2003) and at the University of Westminster in London in exchange (2002). She continued her studies at The Lower East Side Printshop in New York and the Ansel Adams Photography Museum in San Francisco. In her work, Liina Siib uses installation, photography, and film media. She is interested in people’s everyday practices and social space. She has held solo exhibitions in Estonia, Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden, Finland, and Latvia.
Thanks: Charlotte Biszewski, Paul R. Firnhaber, Mare Hunt, Triinu Jürmann, Kalju Kangur, Laur Kivistik, Priit Kõiv, Volli Kõosaar, Mariliis Lintnermann, Eevi Makko, Tanja Muravskaja, Caroline Pajusaar, Kaire Rannik, Elo-Hanna Seljamaa, Lauri Sommer, Villem Säre, Mirjam Varik, Aaro Veiderpass, Toomas Värva, the Room-Museum of the Writer A.Kitzberg, Viljandi Town Government, Mivar-Viva AS, TYPA Centre, EKA, The Department of Graphic Art at EKA
Supporters: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Viljandi City Government
