“Exhaustion is inherent to the experience of life. It lacks clear boundaries; its tentacles seem to reach everywhere. Yet exhaustion could be followed by a certain freshness, a respite, and relief. But what to do when one awakens from a refreshing slumber feeling weary – more weary than before lying down? What happens when exhaustion does not subside? Perhaps one person’s fatigue is something greater; maybe we are seized by shared fatigue?
Loora Kaubi explores mental and physical exhaustion and, in her work, plays with the idea of months-long, or even eternal, uninterrupted sleep. Her pieces are sensual reflections: discarded skin, powerless bodies, and exalted hands that offer comfort and may even redeem. “Hands touch, hold, and hurt. If those big hands were to come down from the heavens, would they scare or break something? Would they be dangerous? Or would they actually fix something?” the artist asks, pointing to a sgraffito. Under the gray haze lies a fragment of hope – even if a person never sees the sun in their dreams, there may be some brighter light somewhere that will help one escape. The awareness of light is there; yet in order to reach it, one must scrape the surface.”
Loora Kaubi (1998) is an artist working in Tallinn. She is interested in themes such as eternal sleep, longing, and exhaustion. Wandering in the space between reality and imagination, she focuses on intense emotions portrayed through sculptural installations. Loora has graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts painting department and has studied in the sculpture department at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. She has done an internship at the Ceramica Suro ceramics factory in Mexico and participated in Casa Lü residency in Mexico City. Loora Kaubi has received the Weekly Prize from the Estonian Young Contemporary Art Union and has participated in exhibitions in Mexico City, Vienna, and Estonia.
Thanks: António Taínha, Eva Mahhov, Cristo Madissoo, Paul Raud, Saara Liis Jõerand.
Text: Helena Aadli.
Advisor: Laura De Jaeger.
Graphic Design: Sonja Sutt.
Exhibitions at Draakon Gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and Liviko AS.
