The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris presents, for the first time in a French museum, an exhibition dedicated to three Estonian artists whose work spans from the mid-20th century to the present day: Olga Terri (1916–2011), Anu Põder (1947–2013), and Kris Lemsalu (born 1985).
The exhibition highlights the richness and vitality of the Estonian art scene through the perspectives of these three artists from different generations. Each in her own way reflects a moment in the creative history of a country with a fascinating yet turbulent past. Marked by the tension between European and Russian spheres of influence, Estonia has managed to preserve an original, flourishing, and dynamic culture, from which the exhibited works emerge. The treatment of the human body serves as a connecting thread across the oeuvres of the three female artists: a body that is at times abandoned, fragmented, augmented, transformed, exuberant, or combative.
Anu Põder, central artist of the exhibition (1947–2013) Anu Põder is among the major rediscoveries in recent art history. Through around fifteen works, the exhibition unfolds the singular universe of this artist, whose practice developed away from the academic constraints of her time. The materials used by Anu Põder reflect the precariousness of her condition during the Soviet era, while also revealing the upheavals in Estonian society following the country's independence (burlap, plastic, soap, aluminum foil...). The artist's body is often present implicitly in her vulnerable, fragile sculptures, which refuse to be confined to traditional modes of figuration.
Olga Terri, post-war painting (1916–2011) One room brings together a series of portraits created between 1945 and 1950 by Olga Terri. They bear witness to the personal and collective torments endured during this immediate post-war period, as Nazi occupation gave way to Soviet occupation. A melancholic sentiment emanates from her mute characters painted in muted colors, their slack postures expressing an imminent faltering.
Kris Lemsalu, a contemporary vision (born 1985) The exhibition concludes with the presentation of a monumental installation and new productions by contemporary visual artist and performer Kris Lemsalu, created specifically for the exhibition. The artist imagines an extravagant and burlesque universe populated by hybrid beings between human and non-human, embodying both a contemporary reading of Estonian pantheism and a satirical vision of current society.
Source: paris.fr — photo: Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris