SANDRA JÕGEVA “BIG BLUE”

SANDRA JÕGEVA “BIG BLUE”
WRITERS’ HOUSE GALLERY
14.04 – 09.08.2026

On Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00 PM, the painting exhibition “Big Blue” by Sandra Jõgeva will open at the Writers’ House Gallery (Harju St 1).

The exhibition presents Sandra Jõgeva’s early paintings from the period before her shift into installation, performance, film, and video art.

Artist Sandra Jõgeva explains that the exhibition includes works created between 1997 and 2005: “This exhibition continues the conceptual line of my 2020 exhibition ‘20 Years Later’ at Fahle Gallery, where I exhibited works created two decades earlier. The Fahle Gallery exhibition was open only briefly before it had to close due to global pandemic restrictions. Alongside the works previously shown at Fahle Gallery, we have also included pieces from the same creative period that have never been exhibited before. The unifying tone throughout the series is deep blue and its variations — hence the title of the exhibition.”

“While visiting the studio of Sandra’s mother, Malle Leis, it was always Sandra’s abstract and bold works that especially caught my attention. I have long felt that these works deserved to be shown to a wider audience. In my opinion, Sandra is a gifted abstractionist with a remarkable sense of composition and colour. During my recent studio visits, I became fascinated by a dreamlike abstract diptych — a complete whole spread across two canvases — which I had not noticed before. We had previously discussed the possibility of exhibiting these works in some form, and thanks to the Writers’ House Gallery, that opportunity has now emerged,” says curator Meelis Tammemägi, adding: “The starting point for the exhibition became this dreamlike abstract diptych, which deep blue determined the tonal atmosphere of the entire exhibition. The remaining works gather around it like different variations of the same state.”

The Writers’ House Gallery grew out of the exhibition format One Painting Gallery, initiated in the same space. The format began eight years ago in collaboration with Fahle Gallery, to bring a large-scale work by an Estonian artist into the black-ceilinged hall of the Writers’ House. At the core of the idea was the wish to connect different cultural fields — to bring writers closer to visual art and to give artists another reason to attend events at the Writers’ House. The exhibition format was inaugurated with Lauri LAURENTSIUS Sillak’s work “Girl with Confused Speech”.

Sandra Jõgeva’s exhibition opens a new and expanded curatorial direction for the gallery. The exhibition will remain open until early August.

Additional information:
meelis.tammemagi@gmail.com