EESTI   MAALIKUNSTNIKE   LIIT

Rahvusvaheline kunstinäitus „Pinna all. Uhutud maastikud.“ 
29.08.2024 – 29.09.2024, galerii "Arka", Vilnius, Leedu  

2023. aastal kutsusid Helsingi Kunstnike Liit ja Eesti Maalikunstnike Liit Arka galeriid koostööle ja liituma rahvusvahelise vahetusprojektiga FINBALT. Loomeliitudest koostööpartneritele muret tekitavate küsimuste käsitlemisel tõsteti esile maa/vesi/õhk temaatika ning toodi päevavalgele kõiki kolme riiki ühendava Läänemere tunnusjooned, sealhulgas merekeskkonna murettekitav olukord. 2023. aasta juunis toimus Helsingis Suomenlinnas HAA galeriis kolme maa kunstnike ühisnäitus Under the Surface.
Arka galeriis on tänavu plaanis projekti jätkata. Phisnäitus uurib täiendavalt looduskeskkonna ja inimese tänase olukorraga seotud küsimusi. Eelmisel näitusel oli kogu tähelepanu suunatud veekeskkonnale ning 2024. aastal täieneb kontseptuaalne motiiv mulla ja metsaga. Näituse koostavad kuraatorid Satu Kalliokuusi (HAA, Soome), Eeva Muona (HAA, Soome), Tiiu Rebane (EML, Eesti) ja Evelina Januškaitė (ARKA, Leedu).
Projekti asjakohasus põhineb looduse kui ruumivormi käsitlemisel. Näitus käsitleb liike ühendava ja liitva, ökoloogilisi väljakutseid kogeva ja elu loova eluslooduse tähendusi. Näitus räägib nähtamatutest seostest ja keskkondadest, mis mitte ainult ei ümbritse meid, vaid vastutavad ka erinevate liikide kooselu eest. Siin vaadeldakse loodust mitte ainult kui meediumi või elupaika, vaid ka omalaadset mälestuste ja kogemuste hoidjat, mis akumuleerib aegade jooksul oma pinna alla palju erinevaid sündmusi, mis paratamatult mõjutavad ökosüsteemi ja meie kõigi tulevikku. Näitus mõtestab ning muudab aktuaalseks looduse ja sotsiaalse inimtegevuse suhte ning nende vahelise lõhe.
Selles projektis osalevate kunstnike peamine koostööülesanne on leida vastutustundlikud viisid töötamaks rahvusvahelises kujutava kunsti keskkonnas ja positiivse suhtumise kujundamine ökoloogilise jätkusuutlikkuse suunas.                                                                                        
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International art exhibition Under the Surface. Eroded Spacescapes 

29.08.2024 – 29.09.2024, gallery “Arka”, Vilnius, Lithuania 

In 2023, the Helsinki Artists’ Association and the Estonian Painters’ Association invited Arka Gallery to cooperate and join the international exchange project FINBALT. When considering the issues of concern to the partners, the theme of land/water/air was emphasized, and aspects of the Baltic Sea – which unites all three countries – including its worrisome current state were brought to light. In June 2023, a joint exhibition Under the Surface was held at the HAA gallery in Suomenlinna, Helsinki. 

There are plans to continue the project in Arka Gallery. The project will further examine issues related to the natural environment and the current state of the individual. In the previous exhibition, all the attention was focused on the water medium, and in 2024, the conceptual motif will be supplemented with soil and forest. The exhibition is curated by Satu Kalliokuusi, Eeva Muona, Tiiu Rebane and Evelina Januškaitė. 

The relevance of the project is based on the consideration of nature as a spatial image. The exhibition is about making the natural surface that connects and brings species together, experiences ecological challenges, and generates life, relevant. The exhibition talks about invisible connections and environments that not only surround us but are also responsible for the coexistence of different species. Here, nature is reconsidered not only as a medium or a habitat but also as a kind of keeper of memory and different experiences of people living next to it, which accumulates many different events and changes under its smooth surface over a long period of time, inevitably affecting the ecosystem and the future of all of us. The exhibition rethinks the issues of experienced and assumed connection with nature and oneself and makes the relationship between nature and social human activity and their divide relevant. 

The main collaborative task of the artists participating in this project is to find responsible ways to act in the international visual arts environment and to create a positive attitude towards ecological sustainability.                                                                                                                                                                                                    FinBalt: A Cross-Baltic Artistic Dialogue
The Finnish-Estonian initiative FinEst, launched in 2021, has evolved into the dynamic collaboration
known as FinBalt in 2023, following a merger with the Lithuanian Artists' Association and ARKA Gallery.
FinBalt aims to introduce contemporary artists and their work across borders, fostering collaboration
on shared cultural and thematic interests. This initiative seeks to build enduring connections,
facilitating ongoing artistic exchanges through residencies in Estonia, Finland, and Lithuania.
The shared maritime, natural, and socio-political landscapes of Estonia, Finland, and Lithuania form
the backbone of this artistic endeavor. FinBalt delves into the poetic and analytical exploration of
these environments, presenting their narratives to the public.
Estonian Exposition
In the Estonian context, the exhibition somewhat reflects on the heightened environmental
consciousness started during the Soviet era, when ecological preservation became a basis for national
identity and individual autonomy. Today, the exhibition probes the current landscape of ecosemiotics
and ecocriticism, investigating how these critical thoughts manifest in contemporary art.
Ecology, as a symbiosis between the environment and organisms, functions as an all-encompassing
communication system. Within this communicative field, humans are but one part of the whole,
inseparable from the environment. (Jane Remm` installations and painting) Ecocriticism, a discipline
centered on ethics, traces its roots to the Romantic period in Western Europe. In Estonia, this concept
intertwines with the national identity and a deep-seated transcendental connection to nature.
The mid-20th century saw a pivotal shift in art analysis towards societal contexts, with Arnold Hauser
identifying artists as agents of social change. Hauser, drawing on Engels' analysis of Balzac, emphasized
the transformative power of sincere artistic representation. (Katrin Valgemäe paintings and objects)
Cheryll Glotfelty defines ecocriticism as the study of the relationship between the arts and the physical
environment, highlighting its interdisciplinary nature. Ecocriticism's societal impact lies in its ability to
enrich discourse, embedding ecological concerns within public consciousness. The modern
ecosystem's complexity, shaped by scientific, economic, and political forces, challenges the distinction
between observer and observed, necessitating expert assessments for value judgments. (Kai Kaljo
paintings)
Contemporary ecocritical artists, akin to detectives, navigate this intricate landscape through
deductive reasoning and semiotic practices. Art, with its capacity for perceptual and analytical
freedom, remains a progenitor of ecodiscourse, transcending conventional boundaries to explore new
discourses. (Erki Kasemets installation, Veiko Klemmer paintings)
Joseph Beuys exemplified this integration of art and ecological thought, conceptualizing humans as
integral components of large interacting natural systems. Beuys critiqued Western society's
exploitative attitudes and advocated for a separation of economy, politics, and culture, drawing from
Rudolf Steiner's theories. (Vilen Künnapu painting)
Empathic ecocriticism employs synthesis and deconstruction to analyze complex systems creatively.
This approach, inherent in art and philosophy, seeks holistic and deductively consistent solutions to
contemporary challenges.
In summary, ecocritical art is a multifunctional discipline capable of absorbing the entire conceivable
environment and its systems, akin to semiotics. The eco-critical artist emerges as a new type of socially
engaged author, responding to the intricate and life-damaging cultural-historical environment.
Join us in Vilnius at ARKA Gallery for the second iteration of the FinBalt exhibition, where we explore
these compelling themes through the lens of artistry.
Tiiu Rebane
curator
Estonian Painters Association