“The joy derived from observing birds (which may be gradually disappearing from the world around us)” by Aksel Haagensen

On Friday, 30 June at 5:00 p.m. Aksel Haagensen will open his solo exhibition “The joy derived from observing birds (which may be gradually disappearing from the world around us)” in the small gallery at the Tartu Art House. The curator of the exhibition is Saskia Lillepuu.

Aksel Haagensen was born in Sydney, Australia. His family moved to Estonia when he was eight years old. One of his clearest memories from his early childhood was his obsession with birds: he would draw them, look at them through binoculars, watch them at the zoo, re-enact bird shows he witnessed at the zoo, repeatedly watch documentaries his grandmother recorded for him on VHS cassettes, and for many years a Christmas or birthday would not pass without little Aksel receiving a bird book.

While researching the refugee history of his family, their väliseestlus (overseas-Estonian-ness) and his Estonian-Australian childhood, Haagensen reignited an interest in birds and ecology in general. In his recent projects he has combined the childlike joy that birds awaken in him with a more pragmatic, theoretical interest in the history of wildlife conservation in the context of the current extinction crisis.

In addition to present day artworks produced by Haagensen, the exhibition also includes 25-year-old drawings from his childhood, a tablecloth embroidered by the artist Ulvi Haagensen and ornithological drawings by Elizabeth Gould from the 1840s-50s.

Aksel Haagensen (b. 1993) is an artist working in Tallinn. He studied installation and sculpture (BA, 2017) and contemporary art (MA, 2020) at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Haagensen mainly works with installation and video and is interested in the documentary aspects of contemporary art. He has investigated the subject of refugees based on the stories of his grandmother, using this as a filter to approach contemporary situations.

Thanks: Ardo Hiiuväin, Päär-Joonap Keedus, Triin Kerge, Kadri Villand, ArtSmart, Lipuvabrik and the Valge Kuup Stuudio

The exhibition will be open until 30 July.

Additional information:
Urmo Teekivi
Tartu Art House producer
Tel: +372 5562 1192
E-post: produtsent@kunstimaja.ee

Tartu Art House
Vanemuise 26, 51014 Tartu
Wed–Mon 12.00–18.00
www.kunstimaja.ee
www.facebook.com/kunstimaja