“Juurte juurest” exhibition of the Estonian Fashion Artists’ Association

I invite you to see the annual exhibition of the Estonian Fashion Artists’ Association at the Hobusepea Gallery, which values heritage and continuity. Open 1.07.-3.08.2020 in Tallinn Hobusepea 2.

In the exhibition “From the Roots”, the ancient clothing culture meets modern fashion design. Through innovative techniques and modern solutions, fashion artists show respect for their origins, the beauty ideals of previous generations and the continuity that unites us.

Portraits in photographs (from left): daughter Triinu in 2020, me in 1988, grandmother Marie in 1954, mother Eve in 1966.

The basis of the creative process is the clothing or commodity of a close relative who has influenced the artists the most, which has inspired a modern work. The starting point is the activities, rituals and clothing of the people who influenced the artists in childhood – what unites us or distinguishes them from the bearer of memories? The participants of the exhibition also offer old photos, letters and consumer items that have become lovely, which have made the authors’ hearts beat. In this way, viewers also have the opportunity to test the strength of their gene code and ponder the inevitability of straightening from the roots. Under the clothing models, you can see an explanatory description and a portrait of the author and a close relative who inspired him.

MY 1st CLOTHING STORY:

Deep in the Soviet era, with the great shortage of goods, the principle of making something new from the old took root in the lives of many women. Already my grandmother made only clothes herself, passed them on to her daughter, and my mother, in turn, continued these traditions. The fabric has always been sacred in our family, nothing has been thrown away. As a little girl, I remember most vividly when my mother made a patchwork from the remaining pieces of clothing, the size of the squares was 15×15 cm. I was wondering at the time how he could handle it. Inspired by this same quilt, the bottom of this coat dress was finished. Even some of the pop silk fabrics of that time have found a place in this dress, and they were also sewn into the quilt at that time. In my author’s technique, I added a red rose and a few red crosses and dots to the coat, which, inspired by folk art, have a protective meaning. The dress belongs to the collection BLACK-STORK, you can read more about it in my previous blog post.

MY 2. CLOTHING STORY:
The inspiration for exhibiting a black tulle dress comes from three generations: my mother Eve, daughter Triinu and me.

The dress is the finale of the BLACK-STORK collection and symbolizes “transparent fashion” to ask how our clothes, food and other consumer goods are produced. This dress includes a red leotard. It is a colour that has a protective meaning in folk art. The theme of the collection is also small red details, symbolizing the protection of minorities, endangered species and forgotten traditions. The aim of the collection is to inspire and educate viewers to participate in a sustainable lifestyle and to notice everyone as a whole and together, you can read and watch more from my previous blog post. The dress is inspired by the activities of my daughter, who, while studying abroad, experiencing life and looking for her own thing, has also made my worldview much more tolerant.

However, a black tulle dress is also a pretty good invention, because other underwear can give it a whole new meaning. The exhibition “At the Roots” features a very popular Soviet-era women’s underdress – a combination – under a tulle dress. It belongs to my mother, whose wardrobe had a lot of clothes she sewed herself, and the overalls could not escape from sewing either – to wear a dress with a wider back, the overalls also had to be sewn lower. I also added shoes from Bulgaria to the set. My mother got a fox in Bulgaria in the ’80s. As it was not allowed to take too much money, he hid the money in the soap and was able to bring modern mesh shoes for it. They have been worn a lot, but you can still read under the sole: MERCEDES.

Participants in the exhibition: Ainikki Eiskop, Anu Hint, Anu Ling, Anne Metsis, Astri Mül, Diana Denissova, Eve Tiidolepp, Ilona Tamm, Joan Hint, Kai Saar, Katre Arula, Kärt Karjatse, Küllike Tuvikene, Külli Kerttu Siplane, Liivika Põvat-Straus , Merle Lõhmus, Piret Kuresaar, Thea Pilvet Martinson, Tiia Orgna.

Exhibition organizer: Estonian Association of Fashion Artists
Exhibition design: Anu Hint
Supporters of the exhibition: Estonian Artists’ Union, Eesti KultuurkapitalPublications: MyPrint

The exhibitions in Hobusepea Gallery are supported by the Eesti Kultuurkapital, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko AS.