Cristina Lucas, Vexillology, Italians (detail), 2017. 211 photographs, each 18×24 cm. Courtesy the artist and Galeria Juana de Aizpuru, Madrid
Artists: Ewa Axelrad, Marta Górnicka, Katarzyna Przezwańska, Loulou Cherinet, Lise Harlev, Femke Herregraven, Flo Kasearu, Thomas Kilpper, Szabolcs KissPál, Stéphanie Lagarde, Ella Littwitz, Thomas Locher, Cristina Lucas, Damir Muratov, Tanja Muravskaja, Marina Naprushkina, Kristina Norman, Daniela Ortiz, Jaanus Samma, Ivar Sakk, Larissa Sansour, Jonas Staal, Kristina Solomoukha & Paolo Codeluppi.
The State is not a Work of Art, an international group exhibition curated by Katerina Gregos, opens on the 16th of February 2018 as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Estonian independence.
The State is not a Work of Art aims to probe the complexities and problematics of the idea of a nation and national identity, examine the current volatile situation in light of the resurgence of nationalism and populism in Europe, and offer a more nuanced view of the issue, beyond the usual polarised rhetoric. Bringing together a diverse group of over twenty international artists, and several new commissions, it charts the changing political landscape on the continent and its borders, as well as the problem of divisive identity politics.
Through a presentation of drawing, sculpture, photography, text-based work, film and installation, The State is not a Work of Art explores notions of identity, belonging, collective memory, and the uneasy tension between nationalist sentiment and supra-national institutions such as the European Union.
‘The State is not a Work of Art deals with the recent phenomena of the rise of nationalism throughout Europe. In the aftermath of the collapse of communism many historians and theorists pronounced the end of history and the nation state as dead. In retrospect it appears that this is not true; however, the circumstances are completely different and call for a new vision regarding the nation state, one which responds to the current political, cultural and economic realities.’
Katerina Gregos, Curator
Taking place across four venues in the capital’s central square – Tallinn Art Hall, its additional spaces, Art Hall Gallery and Tallinn City Gallery, and the nearby Vabaduse Gallery – the exhibition guides us through an unexpected angle on the problematics surrounding issues such as migration, the economic crisis, memory practices and the friction between public and private space.