The Politics of Slowness
We live in an era where everyone is always in a hurry. The pace of work, the flood of information, technological development and social pressures push us to act faster and more efficiently. Is it possible to step out of this hyper-speed machinery and see time not only as a means but as a value in itself, to enjoy the process, to be present? How can we make time “our own” again?
The exhibition explores what it means to be human in today’s late-capitalist, productivity-driven world, with a focus on slowness and slowing down. Since the late 1980s, a global Slow Movement has been gaining momentum. It emerged as a reaction to the ever-accelerating pace of life in growth-oriented societies, where productivity and efficiency had become more important than human and ecological needs. The “politics of slowness” is a conscious choice: not to rush headlong into overwhelming obligations, but to pause, to do less, yet in ways that are more meaningful.
In recent years, “slow” technologies, craft techniques, and traditional materials have been increasingly incorporated into contemporary art. Artists are increasingly prioritising care and responsibility in their practices and consciously making sustainable choices.
The conceptual framework of the exhibition rests on three axes:
- Time as a phenomenon and our changing sense of it: How do we conceptualise, perceive, record and systematise time? Why are we plagued by a chronic lack of time? Does time really “run out”, or are our expectations unrealistic? Is waiting a pointless waste of time or the only enforced moment of rest in an otherwise hurried day?
- People’s health and well-being: Where do we draw the line between self-care and self-control? Is not working always resting? Could sleep itself be understood as a form of social resistance?
- Slow technologies and natural materials: Artists’ socially conscious choices provide ways to save resources and show respect for themselves, the environment and craft traditions.
Slowing down is undoubtedly a challenge and, for many, an unattainable privilege. Being constantly busy has become the norm today, almost a way of signalling one’s value to others. Yet the societal pause caused by COVID-19 restrictions showed that reordering values and slowing down are possible when circumstances demand it. Perhaps we can choose this path ourselves, before the next crisis forces us to.
Curators: Brigita Reinert, Karin Vicente
Exhibition design: Arvi Anderson
Graphic design: Kersti Heile
Installation manager: Siim Hiis
Educational programmes: Maris Paal
Exhibition team: Richard Adang, Kersti Koll, Laura Tahk, Annika Teras, Kaja Kährik, Kaisa-Piia Pedajas, Helen Volber
Kunstnikud: Julia Gryboś (PL) & Barbora Zentková (SK), Tõnis Jürgens (EE), Sandra Kosorotova (EE), Nele Kurvits (EE), Sten Saarits (EE), Killu Sukmit (EE), Gintautas Trimakas (LT), Johanna Ulfsak (EE), Sigrid Viir (EE), Krista Vindberga (LV), Elīna Vītola (LV) & Ieva Kraule-Kūna (LV)