Text: Šelda Puķīte And Gary Markle Photographer Albert Kerstna
Discover Kogo Gallery
Põld's Masterful Blend Of Ceramics And Bioplastic Unveils A Familiar Yet Futuristic Realm, Delving Into Profound More-Than-Human Concerns.
With 'Ways Of Being', The Artist Prompts Contemplation On Intricate Challenges, Eschewing Easy Resolutions.
Step Into A Thought-Provoking Realm That Beckons Us To Ponder The Path Ahead, Elegantly Navigating The Complexities Of Our World.
Discover Vienna Contemporary Art Fair
Discover an artistic journey within the curated ZONE1 section by Francesca Gavin at Viennacontemporary Art Fair, as Kogo Gallery proudly unveils Laura Põld's transformative installation, 'Ways of Being'.
Esteemed curator Šelda Puķīte guides us through Põld's bold exploration of humanity's struggles amidst global crises.
ABOUT THE ART INSTALLATION "WAYS OF BEING" BY LAURA PÕLD
In her installation Ways of Being, Laura Põld bravely addresses the challenges humans are facing in an era of unprecedented global crises.
The artist’s cinematic umwelt is earth-hued and built from an arrangement of artefacts and sculptural objects that are futuristic, fantastical and yet strangely familiar – ceramics and painting-like sheets of bioplastic.
Põld’s practice focuses on issues of more-than-human concern, she addresses “wicked” problems that are so profound that they are often not possible to resolve.
Instead of easy answers, she offers a space to contemplate ways forward without giving simple solutions.
Laura Põld Installation view and Details | Kogo Gallery for Vienna Contemporary | Image by Albert Kerstna
"UNVEILING LAURA PÕLD: EXPLORING 'WAYS OF BEING' AT VIENNA CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR 2023 – KOGO GALLERY ESTONIA MAKES DEBUT"
WAYS OF BEING: SPECULATIVE SCENES REGARDING LAURA PÕLD’S INSTALLATION FOR VIENNACONTEMPORARY 2023
Scene One ( From Three) - Belonging:
July 2023. Climate-crisis summer. She is at a lake in the mountains of Upper Austria, about to take a swim. She enters the deep cold water.
After some time, her body begins to relax visibly. In water, She can move and glide in a way not possible on dry land. She lifts her gaze from the lake's depth to the peaks of the mountains and the verdant meadows connecting them.
From the water, She sees the mountains, the trees, the raspberry brambles and their thorns, and light, light, light. And claims a state of belonging in this (foreign) land. In this place, She recognizes the origins of her recent imaginings. Here, in this lake encircled by mountains, She finds her work’s meaning.
Earlier, in her studio in Tallinn, she created layer-by-layer, more-than-human canvases made of green-hued bioplastic. She sees these skins as sheets of algae composed of wool and broken eggshells, among other things—a floating island to support her ideas.
Algae is a perfect metaphor for the worlding involved here, for it belongs to a material classification that is not fixed; The kingdom Protist to which algae is assigned is a catchall category for a range of organisms best defined by what they are not.
Exzerpt by Text by Gary Markle that will accompany the works as text and Audioguide
Laura PÕLD Detail of her Installation work for Vienna Contemporary | Image by Albert Kerstna
ABOUT THE ARTIST LAURA PÕLD
Who is Laura Põld?
A visionary Estonian artist merging traditional craftsmanship and sculpture to explore posthuman existence, community dynamics, and innovative sheltering.
Põld's large-scale creations ingeniously challenge conventional art settings. With a background spanning ceramics, painting, and sculptural concepts, she's an esteemed Visiting Associate Professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Immerse in Põld's world as she reshapes artistic norms
ABOUT KOGO GALLERY:
Kogo Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Tartu, Estonia.
The gallery focuses on the younger generation of artists, currently representing eight artists from the Baltic countries.
Kogo is committed to encouraging dialogue on important issues of today by running an extensive public program alongside the exhibitions.
The gallery's recent and upcoming presence in international art fairs includes vienna contemporary (2023), Liste Art Fair Basel (2021, 2022, 2023), Art Brussels (2023), Around Video Art Fair (2022) and other.
FIND KOGO GALLERY AT VIENNA CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR:
The art fair takes place 7 – 10 September 2023 in Vienna, Austria at Kursalon Vienna (Johannesgasse 33).
The fair is open to the public 8 – 9 September at 13.00–19.00, on 10 September at 13.00–18.00. Kogo Gallery’s stand is situated at the curated section ZONE1, stand 7.
Kogo Gallery’s participation is funded by the Ministry of Culture of Estonia from the fund Estonian Culture Abroad.
Production of works by Laura Põld is supported by the Academy of Ceramics Gmunden residency, Gmundner Keramik and the Department of Ceramics at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
ADDITIONAL INFOS:
Artist: Laura Põld
Text and illustrations: Gary Markle Audio recordings of the text: Gary Markle and Lukas Eggerth Curator: Šelda Puķīte Project coordinator: Liina Raus Communication: Karin Kahre and Kristlyn Liier Installation: Siim Asmer and Albert Løje Editing and translating: Refiner Translations, Jan Peacock, Lukas Eggerth and Paula Oberndorfer Special thanks to Gmundner Keramik, Academy of Ceramics Gmunden residentuur, Department of Ceramics at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tiina Sepp, Lukas Eggerth, Gary Markle, Albert Kerstna, Triin Lehismets, Stefanie Hinterwirth.
For more Informations about the Gallery Kogo, the Artist Laura Põld and Vienna Contemporary Follow the Instagram Accounts.
More about the Gallery Programm at Gallery Kogo Website.
