Leena Kuutma "How We All Go in a Line Like This"

On Friday, 15 May at 5:00 PM, the artist Leena Kuutma will open the exhibition How We All Go in a Line Like This at the Vabaduse Gallery.

The title of the exhibition has been borrowed from Urmas Vadi’s book of the same name, which followed Leena Kuutma around for some time and resulted in these lines: 

“Moving forward is the only thing there is. He pushes on, and on, falls from time to time, then lifts his face from the mud, wipes his hands and continues the journey. All sorts of things happen along the way: lightness and bright sunshine, but also moments when he is only able to lie very quietly in the grass on the rutted path.

He slowly raises his head, moves one of his fingers, then his right foot and there he is, on the move again. Some others climb convulsively, almost mechanically, remaining in one position for weeks. And then suddenly, you see them already somewhere else. Perhaps they jumped in between?

We can go on, we can go on, just a little more. How we all go in a line like this... Sometimes the pace is good and everything runs smoothly for a while, then something happens and he finds himself covered in mud again. He raises his head and slowly, slowly drags himself to a place where there is slightly less water. There he can catch his breath and try to see what comes next. Oh, and look, it's completely dry over there!”

The exhibition is about the effort and tension, support and sensitivity involved in being human. Kuutma’s figurative works focus on the human experience, where the body acts as a barrier between the inner world and the outer reality.

The figures in various poses have emerged from fire and heat, their material changed forever. The artist has used natural firings, including Raku firing, where the result is achieved through the heat of the embers and the smoke generated by burning. The smoke seeps into the pores of the material and turns the clay black. This process is born anew every time, as every firing is unique, every moment fragile. Traces of the flame and the oxygen-reduced environment are like a text that remains of that moment and that can later be quietly deciphered. The connecting lines, on the other hand, are temporary, traces of charcoal directly on the wall and on paper. They are made with one of the most transitory drawing tools one can find – charcoal, which is basically dust.

The artist uses the process itself as a metaphor in her practice, while also emphasising materiality, interruption and slowness. It is about catching, and maybe also preserving, the moment.

With the installation at the Vabaduse Gallery, the artist further develops the work begun at the International Ceramic Art Symposium in the Rothko Museum, combining sculpture and drawing into a spatial whole. Throughout the exhibition period, the artist continues the drawings on site, keeping the exhibition process evolving and unpredictable.

Leena Kuutma (b. 1974) is a sculptor and ceramist who graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in sculpture. In her practice, she combines the spatial experience of sculpture with the material knowledge of ceramics, as her work ranges from traditional sculpture to hybrid installations. The artist has previously used drawing techniques in ceramics, but has also been engaged in public space art and monumental art. Kuutma has been participating in exhibitions since 1993, and her works can be found in private collections, public spaces and museums both in Estonia and abroad.

Contact:
Leena Kuutma: +372 529 6820, Leena.Kuutma@gmail.com,  
IG https://www.instagram.com/leena_kuutma/

Exhibition design: Valge Kuup Studio

Thank you: Ingrid and Andres Allik, Aivars Baranovskis, Urmas Vadi, friends and family.

The exhibition How We All Go in a Line Like This will remain open at the Vabaduse Gallery until 17 June 2026.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

The gallery is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Liviko Ltd.

Vabaduse Gallery is managed by the Estonian Artists’ Association.