Hold Me Dearly: A Monument to Survival
A social art project giving a voice to young people who often go unnoticed
Children who need love the most do not often know how to ask for it in a lovable manner,
a child protection specialist
Hold Me Dearly is an expressive and heartfelt exhibition, which was born in cooperation with young people living in closed child care institutions (the Estonian acronym is KLAT). The exhibition presents to viewers stories about children and teens whose behaviour is often rooted in trauma, fear, rejection and a lack of belonging. It is an exhibition about noticing, about what happens when a child is left alone and what a single warm look, trust and genuine presence of another human being can accomplish.
Hold Me Dearly is part of the Kumu inner courtyard programme dedicated to the museum’s 20th birthday. Entrance is free of charge.
The project was initiated by the artist Marta Vaarik, whose solo exhibition under the same title was held in the Vabaduse Gallery in 2022. The exhibition later served as the basis for a feature documentary and a broader concept for a travelling exhibition. This display is the culminating chapter of that journey.
The exhibition gives a voice to the youth 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 do we notice the person behind one’s behaviour?
The young voices 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.
Juri and Marta held workshops where each young individual searched for a suitable way of telling their story. All in all, 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 their 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 have been made visible.
KLAT is a 24h rehabilitation programme for young people whose behaviour poses a threat to their own or other people’s lives, health or development, yet it follows a painful pattern: once the programme ends, the majority of these teens return to the environment where their trauma originated, reinforcing the self-destructive cycle over and over again.
“A person who feels threatened, not accepted or unheard by their environment starts to look for recognition elsewhere,” says Juri. In a society eager to judge quickly and unwilling to listen, Hold Me Dearly offers something different: a judgement-free space that facilitates development, creativity and acceptance, because what seems like an act of defiance is often just a cry for help and a wish to be noticed.
“There are no bad children,” says Marta Vaarik. “When children experience touching, being held close, being listened to and being treated as equals, they develop a sense of safety that will sustain them for the rest of their lives. Unconditional love is one of the greatest gifts to give a child.”
The goal of the exhibition is to give young voices a chance to be heard, to experience trust, and to create something that belongs to them. The project is rooted in the belief that a person’s development is decisively influenced by what is expected of them and how they are seen. Our belief in a young person’s ability can become the foundation for a positive self-image.
All children need at least one person who listens to them and whom they can trust. Hold Me Dearly is devoted to this simple yet life-altering truth.
If you notice a child in need of help, please react. We need to notice, respect and look after one another.
If you are going through an acute crisis, seek help at:
Child aid 116 111 (24h)
Victim aid 116 006 (24h)
Mental health support line 660 4500
Eluliin (Lifeline) 6558 088 (every day from 7 pm to 7 am)
Hingehoid (Soul care) 116 123 (24h)
On-call room of the psychiatric clinic in Tallinn 6172 650 (24h)
Please be aware that there will be filming at the opening of the exhibition on 27 August. The guests are not expected to behave any differently than they normally do. Be yourself!
Artists: Kadri, Easy, Liis, Intz, Adam, Ali, Karl, Kevv, Roosa, Tom and Trevor
Project initiators: Marta Vaarik and Juri Krutii
The exhibition is being held in cooperation with the production company F-Seitse
Curator: Anders Härm (Kumu Art Museum)
Exhibition design: Mariann Drell
Graphic design: Georg Ander Sild
Coordinator: Tiiu Saadoja (Kumu Art Museum)
Public and educational programmes: Frederik Klanberg (Kumu Art Museum), Maria Lota Lumiste (Kumu Art Museum) and Eva-Erle Lilleaed (Kumu Art Museum)
Exhibition team: Alis Mäesalu, Aleksandra Koel-Tsupsman, Nikolai Lomashko, Peter Kollanyi, Jette-Krõõt Keedus, Elen Lotman, Susanna-Reti Räim, Alika Milova, Mihail Richter, Pavel Botšarov, Eike Eplik, Leonid Bragin, Mikk Rand, Liis Karlson, Chris Patrick Tilk, Viktoria Martjanova and Kaie-Ene Rääk
Supporters: Skaala Impact MTÜ, Mari-Liis and Martin Villig, City of Tallinn, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Film Institute, Excellent Business Solutions Eesti AS, Pensive Pictures OÜ, A. Le Coq, JCDecaux Eesti, Swedbank AS, Richter Studio OÜ, VLND Burger, and Police and Border Guard Board, LHV Bank
We thank: Gerli Brifk, Rauno Klaos, Enelis Linnas, Irja Ivarinen, Anna Frank, Anne Daniel-Karlsen, Anneli Kolk, Hisko Vares, Mairi Kaha, Rita Holm, Taavi Kuuse, Iti Niinemets, Laura Linna, Pille Taba, Karis Mugamäe, AS Hoolekandeteenused, MTÜ Sa Suudad, Levila, MTÜ Maria ja lapsed, and Tallinn Konstantin Päts Open Air School, Tallinn Zoo