Breadcrumb
Hidden people by Liina Siib in Hobusepea gallery
16.01.2020
Liina Siib will open her personal exhibition Huldufólk / Hidden People in Hobusepea gallery at 6pm on Wednesday, January 15th, 2019.
The highlight of Liina Siib's installation “Huldufólk”, located on both floors of the gallery, lies in the silent tragicomical piece composed by photographs, a tragicomedy with derived words, a silent film and a comic strip.
The tragicomic strip is set in winter, in the surroundings of the back door of a 24-hour food store in Reykjavik. The geographical location does not really matter here much more than perhaps recognizing larger fish crates, longer lasting nights, rapid change of weather and temperatures; depicted activities and related attributes can be found anywhere in the world. One can see single or several store workers smoking in front of the open back door either during the day or in the evenings while now and then re-organizing the towering heaps of crates in their limited territory.
At the end of the month, the scene will be changed by the crowd consisting people from Eastern European countries and other non-local individuals entering the “stage”, performing various cleaning work. Just like the store is open 24 hours a day, so the backyard of the store is never empty while those interested in the contents of the garbage bins keep coming and going. Everyone in this crowd seems to have his or her own role in the exchange and movement of the goods.
„Huldufolk“ means “hidden people” in Icelandic - these are supernatural beings who look and behave like normal people but have their own activities in their own parallel world. They can make themselves visible for humans who can see them through a colourful glass.
The photographic and film material has been collected in 2018 when the artist worked in the residency at The Steina and Woody Vasulka Archive at the National Gallery of Iceland.
Liina Siib has studied printmaking and photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Since 2015, she works as the head and professor in the department of printmaking at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In her artistic practice, Liina Siib uses the means of installation, photography and film. She is intrigued by various practices in people's everyday life and social space. Siib has held personal exhibitions in Estonia, Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden, Finland and Latvia. In 2011 her art project „Woman Takes Little Space“ represented Estonia at the 54th International Art Exhibition in Venice. Recently she has participated in the First Riga Biennial and held personal exhibition „Urban Symphony in E Minor I-II“ in Võru and Helsinki as well as „Politics of Paradise“ in Tallinn Art Hall
(February-April, 2019).
The artist's gratitude goes to: Vasulka Chamber at the National Gallery of Iceland, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts, Kristin Schewing, Ragnheidur Vignisdottir, Sandra Fritz, Terry Gunnell, Mark Fisher, Mánudjass, 10-11 food store in Reykjavik, Reimo Võsa-Tangsoo, Corina Apostol, Rait Miltorp, Fred Reeds, Kaire Rannik, Maria Izabella Lehtsaar and Liis-Marleen Verilaskja.
Exhibition will be open until February 3rd, 2020.
Exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
Exhibitions in Hobusepea gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko Ltd.
Additional information:
Hobusepea Gallery
Gsm: +372 55 679 009
+372 52 85 324
Tel: +372 6 276 777
E-mail: galerii@eaa.ee
Hobusepea 2, Tallinn 10133
Hobusepea Gallery
Gsm: +372 55 679 009
+372 52 85 324
Tel: +372 6 276 777
E-mail: galerii@eaa.ee
Hobusepea 2, Tallinn 10133
Wed-Mon 12.00‒19.00
