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Interiors

Interiors

Digital collage, inkjet print, 3 + 2 AP
35 × 50 cm
2012
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Introduction

The series is composed of a selection of vernacular photographs Maria Kapajeva found on the Internet and digitally manipulated afterwards. The familiarity of the interiors, reminiscent of the flats she grew up in or visited in post-Soviet territories, captured Kapajeva’s attention. Yet, at the same time, the poses in which women were photographed were influenced by another culture – Western mass media’s portrayal of female sexuality, which hugely influenced the stereotypes of how women should be represented by the male gaze in post-Soviet territories starting from the 1990s. This series marked one of Kapajeva’s initial explorations into the visual collision or coexistence of post-Soviet and Western cultures, with a focus on women’s representation.

About the artist

Maria Kapajeva (b. 1976) is an artist who works in the UK and Estonia. Her work often highlights micro-histories and peripheral stories, motivated by a feminist urge to make them visible. She uses different mediums in her artistic practice, which she chooses depending on their conceptual support of her ideas. Kapajeva enjoys working with found and vernacular photographic images, video installations, textiles and embroidery, as well as other materials. 

She has received numerous awards, including the Wiiralt Fellowship of the Estonian Ministry of Culture (2023), the Kraszna-Krausz Photo Book Award (2021) and the Runner-Up Award at FOKUS Video Art Festival in Denmark (2018). She was also shortlisted for the Aperture Photo Book Award (2018). She exhibits internationally, and her works are in museum collections such as those of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (Finland) and Tartu Art Museum (Estonia). Currently, Kapajeva is conducting a practice-based PhD at the Estonian Academy of Arts and runs her studio Circle in Cube in Tallinn as a space for sharing art, ideas and support.

More works by this artist

Digital collage, inkjet print, 3+2AP, 50 × 35 cm, 2012
Digital collage, inkjet print, 3 + 2 AP, 35 × 50 cm, 2012

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