Art Brussels

At the Art Brussels 2023 Discovery section, Kogo Gallery presents new textile and ceramic works by Estonian artist Laura Põld under the title Fibres in the Cave. Taking the earliest textile-making practice of the prehistoric period as the starting point for her art project, Põld has prepared several new works that can be viewed both as symbolic landscapes as well as mimicries of materials and forms like clay, stone, stalactites, human bone, wood, archaic looms and fibres that are found in caves.

Starting her artistic career as a painter, Põld shifted early on towards work that was more site specific, also incorporating clay, which became her second major after painting. During the pandemic lockdown, she started to look for creative pastimes without studio requirements and became interested in the tufting technique, which by that time had become a popular DIY pass time popularized in social media channels. Since then she has been focusing on textile works while also incorporating her painting and sculpting skills. Just like with her clay works, it has also been important for her to study the history of textiles and fibre art in general and to use this knowledge when starting new projects.

Works for the Discovery section can be viewed as a homage to the impressively long history of weaving dating back to the year 19,000 BC. Scientists are discovering new evidence of the use of fibre that dates back even to 35,000 BC. The great influence of textile came in the Ice Age, when not only landscapes changed but also humans who adapted to much colder weather. They invented bone needles, made warmer clothes that were more fitting, and moved out of Africa towards cooler climate zones like the artist’s motherland Estonia. In Estonia, an important footprint of the once grand glacial movement is the varieties of stones. They have also become an important motif in Põld’s textile works, just like earth and its underground substances is part of her clay sculptures. In the context of the post-pandemic period, the threat of nuclear war and the energy crisis, diving into the world of fibres and threads seems a somewhat slower and timeless topic. It brings back an awareness of the basic skills of weaving as valuable knowledge that can be used to provide for ourselves, instead of feeding the gargantuan industries of fast fashion that are polluting the planet and devastating the lives of so many. 

PERFORMANCE

Are We There Yet?, a performance by Sigird Savi at Kogo Gallery stand
20 April 12.00 | 16.00 | 20.00
21 April 12.00 | 15.00 | 18.00
22 April 12.00 | 14.00

During Art Brussels 2023 opening hours, Kogo Gallery stand will several times be activated with a solo performance by Sigrid Savi. Using primitive instincts as her guide, she will explore the feelings of comfort and safety that emerge through a connection with seemingly insignificant objects. There is a certain magic that happens between people and objects that can be traced back to prehistoric times. It is an emotional, even spiritual attachment that builds into a relationship, an urge to keep and not let go as if we could lose our home or even ourselves. In her performance, Savi will be using this comfort and emotion driven relationship to build her own safe space, a room that would feel like home. The performance Are We There Yet? will focus on the topics of domesticity, decorativeness and alienation, as well on our primal instincts.

Sigrid Savi is a performing artist and choreographer based in Berlin and Tallinn. Using naive and somewhat satirical symbolism, Savi explores melancholic yet entertaining landscapes.

THE FAIR

Founded in 1968, Art Brussels is one of the most renowned contemporary art fairs in Europe and a must-see in the international art calendar. Every year in April, the fair welcomes around 25.000 visitors.

VISITING TIMES
With invitations
20.4 11.00–21.00
Preview 11.00–16.00
Vernissage 16.00–21.00

Open to the public
21–23.4 11.00–19.00

TEAM

Artist: Laura Põld
Author and performer of Are We There Yet?: Sigrid Savi
Curator: Šelda Puķīte
Project coordinator: Liina Raus
Installation: Indrek Grigor
Communication: Karin Kahre, Stella Mõttus and Kristlyn Liier
Translation and editing: Refiner Translations

FUNDERS

Kogo Gallery’s participation is funded by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Ministry of Culture of Estonia from the fund Estonian Culture Abroad and by the Estonian Embassy in Brussels.

KOGO GALLERY

Kogo is a contemporary art gallery in Tartu, Estonia, founded in 2018. The gallery focuses on the younger generation of artists, currently representing eight artists from the Baltic countries. The gallery’s recent and upcoming presence in international art fairs includes Art Brussels (2023), Liste Art Fair Basel (2021, 2022, 2023), viennacontemporary (2023), Around Video Art Fair (2022) and others. Kogo Gallery is committed to encouraging dialogue on important issues of today by running an extensive public programme alongside the exhibitions.

CONTACT
Liina Raus, gallerist
liina@kogogallery.ee
+372 5560 7971