Sirje Runge. Great Love
Location: 5th floor, Gallery of Contemporary Art
The monumental artwork Great Love from the painter Sirje Runge in the corner hall of the 5th floor of the Kumu Art Museum. The exhibited painting dates from 2003 and is being displayed in Kumu for the first time. The art audience has had a chance to see it before in winter 2004 in the Museum of Estonian Architecture in the Rotermann Salt Storage.
Sirje Runge has said: “This painting is my declaration of love to the world”, and nothing less than the word “great” can be used to describe the love that unfolds to the audience in the form of a ten-meter-long silvered painting, a minimalist work of art that encompasses the whole canvas. As is characteristic of minimalist art, this work is also born on the moment it meets its spectator, being completely different and unique at each moment of time, depending on the light and the standpoint of the viewer. Viewing this painting is above all a process, a very personal meeting with the “Great Love”.
The technology of exhibiting this gigantic painting is also unique. The construction, which creates the impression of the painting hanging weightlessly in the air, was designed by the architect Jaan Ollik, who played an important role in realizing the idea of the work.
