ESTENG

4th ANNUAL EXHIBITION 'ESTONIA AS A SIGN'

26.09. – 13.10, 1996
Curator: Ants Juske

In its movement towards Europe Estonian society has started to tackle the problems of identity again. The problems concern the correlation of the national and the international in art, but actually the issue is wider - new interpretations of Estonian nationality, language and territory in the changed world. Art deals with the world of signs where the sign is searching for the equivalent of its detonate. In the post-modern world the so-called natural relationship between the signifier (sign) and the signified (object, phenomenon) has been questioned. The signs have started to live in a world of their own, where the current conventions in their use have been critically revised.

The exhibition and the seminar “Estonia as a Sign” on 27th of September at the Estonian Academy of Arts raised the problem about the possible signs signifying at present "Estonia" as the signified phenomenon. For the first time the annual exhibition of the Center was taken out of Tallinn (in part). The exhibition took place in the Tallinn Art Hall, Sammas Gallery, Vaal Gallery, the Tartu Artists' House and Rüütli Gallery in Tartu. In addition to this, site-specific works were included.

50 (!) artists participated: Martin Aunin, Jaan Elken, Tiia Johannson, Inessa Josing, Anu Juurak, Mari Kaljuste, Kadri Kangilaski, Margot Kask, Raivo Kelomees, Sven Kivisildnik, Andrus Kõresaar, Ilmar Kruusamäe, Mari Kurismaa, Raoul Kurvitz, Urve Küttner, Kalev Laidro, Marko Laimre, Leonhard Lapin, Laurentsius, Eve Linnap, Peeter Linnap, Airi Luik, Ene Luik-Mudist, Marko Mäetamm, Raul Meel, Lemming Nagel, Tõnu Noorits, Mall Nukke, Jüri Ojaver, Terje Ojaver, Anu Põder, Rait Prääts, Kaisa Pustak, Piret Räni, Anneli Remme, Rauno Remme, Evar Riitsaar, Jaak Saks, Ene-Liis Semper, Liina Siib, Tõnu Smidt, Tiina Tammetalu, Annika Tonts, Mare Tralla, Silver Vahtre, Mart Viljus. The prize jury (Raminta Jurenaite, Mart Kalm, Katrin Kivimaa, Altti Kuusamo, Urmas Muru, Tom Sandqvist) awarded prizes to Anu Juurak (“Express”), Kai Kuusing (“Exile...”) and Rauno Remme (“Peeping Tower”), and honourable mention was made of the works of Raivo Kelomees - Sven Kivisildnik (“News of the Homeland”) and Liina Siib (“Desidentification”).

Catalogue: ESTONIA AS A SIGN, 1997, ISBN 9985-60-383-4

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