The social art exhibition Hold Me Dearly: A Monument to Survival is opening in the inner courtyard of Kumu
The exhibition Hold Me Dearly: A Monument to Survival will open in the inner courtyard of the Kumu Art Museum on 28 August. The exhibition presents to viewers stories about children and youngsters whose behaviour is often rooted in trauma, fear, rejection and the lack of a sense of belonging. Hold me Dearly is an expressive and heartfelt exhibition, which was born in cooperation with youngsters living in closed child care institutions (the Estonian acronym is KLAT).
The project was initiated by the artist Marta Vaarik and the film-maker Juri Krutii, and it is an expansion of Vaarik’s solo exhibition under the same title, which was held in the Vabaduse Gallery in 2022. The Kumu inner courtyard exhibition was curated by Anders Härm.
The exhibition Hold Me Dearly gives a voice to youngsters who often get society’s attention only when something goes wrong. Instead of labelling them or simplifying their stories, the project creates a space where they can speak for themselves, choose a suitable format and decide how they want to be seen. The central question of the exhibition is how to notice the person behind a behaviour?
The young people participating in this project grew up in an environment where a sense of safety was fragile or completely lacking. Living in a constant fight-and/or-flight mode leaves a mark on a child’s development, relationships and self-esteem, and may lead to behavioural difficulties, self-harm or other forms of risky behaviour. What such a child needs is to be understood, listened to and noticed, not judged.
Marta Vaarik and Juri Krutii held workshops where each youngster searched for a suitable way of telling his or her story. A few dozen young people participated in the process, and eleven of them decided to be part of this exhibition. Each participant chose a suitable medium for his or her art: photo, collage, installation, sculpture, sound, music or short film. As a result, these are works that speak earnestly, directly and boldly.
The installation-like environment created in Kumu’s inner courtyard integrates the works into a “social sculpture park”: a bus stop, a vendor’s booth, a car, a playhouse and other mundane objects you can hide in have been turned into places where personal stories meet the public space. Viewers can move through an environment in which experiences that people usually shy away from sharing have been made visible. The project is expected to culminate in the screening of a full-length documentary next year, and the Kumu inner courtyard display is one of the last stops on the journey leading there.
Hold Me Dearly is part of the inner courtyard programme devoted to Kumu’s 20th birthday. Entrance is free of charge.
The organisers would like to invite those who are interested to attend the opening of the exhibition in the inner courtyard of Kumu on Thursday, 27 August at 6 p.m. Please be informed that the opening ceremony will be filmed. This does not require any specific behaviour from the guests. Be your true self!
Artists: Adam, Roosa, Indus, Hindrek, Kusti, Karl, Mai Tea, Lana, Kauina, Jelena and Ariana
Project initiators: Marta Vaarik and Juri Krutii
The exhibition takes place in cooperation with the production company F-Seitse
Curator: Anders Härm (Kumu Art Museum)
Exhibition design: Mariann Drell
Graphic design: Georg Ander Sild
Exhibition manager: Johannes Säre
Production of exhibits: Kristjan Pütsepp
Coordinator: Tiiu Saadoja (Kumu Art Museum)
Public and educational programmes: Frederik Klanberg (Kumu Art Museum), Maria Lota Lumiste (Kumu Art Museum), Eva-Erle Lilleaed (Kumu Art Museum) and Enelis Linnas
With the support of: Skaala Impact MTÜ, Mari-Liis and Martin Villig, the City of Tallinn, Estonian Cultural Endowmen, Estonian Film Institute, Excellent Business Solutions Eesti AS, Pensive Pictures OÜ, A. Le Coq, JCDecaux Eesti, Swedbank AS, Richter Studio OÜ, VLND Burger, Police and Border Guard Board and LHV Bank Ltd.