In the exhibition, one can find paintings from the views of Lasnamäe, which have become important to Liivak in a way, and she hopes that it will offer the viewer a little humor, a lot of eye candy and heartfelt feelings. “I was walking along Lasnamäe on a late summer day, when my heart was warmed by nostalgia and I recalled the easiness of childhood. For some, Lasnamäe is a scary place where people ask for a cigarette and give a beating – or the good old joke “Have a beat? Want a smoke?” – but for me it is the place where my school is located, my best friends lived, I experienced my first love and my grandparents still live today. But the notoriety of Lasnamäe is partly true, so the exhibition was born from the idea of juxtaposing colorful childhood memories with surrounding reality. Lasnamäe will always be a home for me, but I have seen more than one puddle of blood and made several sprint records for unexpected surprises lurking around the corner.”
While on the surface this might look simply like an exhibition of cityscapes, gallerist Victoria Olt finds this to be conceptually strong. „Liivak reminisces about the childhood she spent with her cousin, whom she recently lost, so the memories have acquired a bittersweet undertone. It is notable how she paints Lasnamäe with such bright colors, still. You can almost transport yourself there with the artist, playing at the skatepark or waiting at the bus stop, back to when the days of childhood seemed so interminable. But at the same time the soul of the exhibition can’t escape terminability, that arrives like a wrecking ball to disrupt this innocence and nostalgia. This exhibition, while so bright, speaks on the grayscale of emotions that comes from loving a place that you hate, and missing the time you had with a person, whose memory seems to be confined there.“
Marita Liivak has studied painting both at the Pallas University of Applied Sciences in Tartu and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania, Italy (BA). Her intuitive creative process is mixed with technical proficiency. She conveys her life-experiences through art and thrives on topics that exceed the lines of comfort by using vibrant colors, large canvases and sensual figures. Subject matters vary from mental health and sexuality to daily comedy, awkwardness and candid moments. Liivak’s work is mostly inspired by events in her life and accompanying emotions which as a result make the work autobiographical, though it is supposed to be subjective and open for interpretation. After publishing, the artwork starts a life independent from the artist.
The exhibition will remain open at Victoria Olt Gallery (Viru 20, Tallinn) until June 24, Mon-Sun from 11 am to 7 pm, admission is free. As part of the Tallinn Old Town Days, June 2-4, there will also be a guided exhibition tour with the artist – for more detailed information, keep an eye on both the Victoria Olt Gallery and the Old Town Days information channels.
