The Archaeology of the Screen. The Estonian Example
The Archaeology of the Screen. The Estonian Example is an exhibition project that analyses the relationships between art and new media, and is connected to three concurrent events: the transfer of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to Estonia in July 2017, Estonia’s celebration of its centennial in 2018, and the opening of a new wing of the Bozar, the venue for the exhibition focused on media art – the “Bozar Lab” – in September 2017.
Since the early 1990s, a part of Estonian art has dealt consistently and intensively with new technologies. This approach has progressed simultaneously with the development of the Estonian state, which, in the early 1990s, chose information technology as one of its developmental priorities, and launched a unique e-state project, which has attracted attention around the world. Another important factor in Estonian art during the 1990s was the change in artistic paradigm: from the officially regulated and financed art scene of the Soviet Union to a free and open artistic environment, which was especially receptive to developments in new technologies. The works of all of the artists in the exhibition are associated, in one way or another, with the wealth of possibilities created by new technology, as well as by an environment that could be manipulated and was open to constant cultural and technological change. The exhibition starts in 1980, presenting one of the first references to the screen by an artist in the Soviet cultural space.
Artists: Yuri Sobolev, Tõnis Vint, Sigrid Viir, Marge Monko, Katja Novitskova, Paul Kuimet, Taavi Suisalu, Ivar Veermäe
Curator: Eha Komissarov
Assistant: Triin Tulgiste
Exhibition design: Neeme Külm
Graphic design: Sandra Kossorotova and Aadam Kaarma (AKSK)
Exhibition installation: Valge Kuup
With the support of: The Republic of Estonia and the Government Office
The event is dedicated to the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and to the 100th birthday of the Republic of Estonia.
