sand castles / liivalossid
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solo show combining glass art, meditation, yoga
23.03.-16.04.2023 ARS Project Space Tallinn, Estonia installation of moldblown glass, ceramics, plywood, yoga blocks, incenses, cut flowers, kenzans and other yoga elements approx. twenty unique glass domes in the series When time slips out of my hands. And I get lost in that time gap. Then where do I go? I once heard a symbol of building sand castles on the beach. How we as humans are all knee-deep in the sand, so invested in our activities - building ditches and roads, planning the intricate interior layout, building higher and grander towers - that we don't notice the great wave approaching that will eventually take the last one with it. The castle becomes sand again and everything starts from the beginning. This is the paradox of being human - to build and create something, knowing in advance the inevitable collapse of it. A decay that is dictated by time. If you expand this symbol and bring the knowledge into your everyday life, your vision of things that are and are not important becomes especially sharp. Everyday movements, which tend to be always half a step in the future and often in the past, want to fulfil the goal of getting there. Yet the present is the only area of the merciless timeline that is truly ours, truly here. Until the next wave comes, carries or drops.¨ Project "sand castles" is an attempt to stop time for a brief moment. To bring the viewer into the physical and bodily space through an unusual exhibition format that connects different body-mind practices. An installation, that combines the artist's work in glass with yoga and meditation. The motif of a sand castle is reflected in the philosophy and form. In addition to her work as an artist and teacher, Maarja Mäemets has devoted the last few years to learning about yoga and various holistic practices, since the spring of 2022 she is a qualified yoga teacher. Her trips to the island of Bali (2022 and 2023) have inspired a paradigm shift and brought deeper spiritual layers to her personal perception of the world. What started with physical practise on the mat, has now expanded into the yoga of everyday activities, thoughts, relationships, inner speech – and through this there is a constant effort to keep the focus in the present. The author would like to thank: Britta Benno, Aleksandra Ehrensvärd (Stockholms Glasbruk), Piret Laasik (City Yoga Studio), Rait Lõhmus, Elle Lepik Kannike, Tiina Sarapu, MTÜ Loomekoda. A segment of this installation is part of Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design's permanent collection (since 2024). Photos by Maarja Mäemets MEDIA COVERAGE: |
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