PROJEKTID/PROJECTS
Ranks
Seisused
RANKS
Sandra Jõgeva, Kaarel Sammet
Sculptures, room installation
2008
Hierarchical ranks were abolished in Estonian Republic by the Constitution dating back to the year 1919. Rural code had alienated the land properties of the nobility and church.
However, still in the new Estonian Republic (since gaining the independence from the Soviet Union in 1991) we constantly hear about harsh differences in ranks typical to early capitalism, about class - or caste society.
The differences of ranks have arisen and arise not only within one particular nationality, but rather cover entire countries, nations or even continents. Latin-Americans and Eastern-Europeans who go to work at positions the rich Westerners consider not prestigious enough, tough and/or financially not sufficient, are taken as service providers-servants and are attributed with characteristics that have throughout centuries been typical to representatives of lower classes, such as ignorance, secrecy or laziness.
Ranks depicts pseudo-monuments to some rather blur and hidden representatives of ranks that can be witnessed in the cities, towns and villages of today's Estonia . If one looks at the passers by on the street (s)he immediately notices signs of belonging to a certain class, both hidden and consciously demonstrated.
By charting the types I accordingly find models who are either authentic representatives of the particular rank or from among models who respond to all the necessary criteria.
Gypsum impressions are taken from the people's faces, bodies and hands that are cast into glass fiber and plastic resin moulds. The result resembles monuments similar to bronze monuments. They are wearing clothes typical to their rank; the clothes as well as the statues are entirely covered with bronze spray paint.
The exhibition Ranks is as if a monument to the phase in the development of Estonian society, to the transition period where many are trying to look better, wealthier and more successful than they in fact are, some have come to terms with the present situation and others have lost all hope to ever make their way back to the society. Models have been chosen to represent the age group and social layer they actually represent. They are the ones these pseudo-monuments are meant for.
GAUNTLET
Performance Gauntlet at the opening of Tallinn Art Hall exhibition Sex Market in February 2007.
Photos: Jaan Klõsheiko
KADALIPP
Performance "Kadalipp" Tallinna Kunstihoone näituse "Kehaturg" avamisel veebruaris 2007.
Fotod: Jaan Klõsheiko
2007
THE YEAR OF THE DOMINATRIX
2007
INSTALLATION
The installation is based on my actual experience of working as a dominatrix
from November 2005 to November 2006:
It contains of the series of 300 g chocolate bars; with the wrappers
with the photos of a typical S&M session with two most frequent types of
clients. First would be a young
neurotic guy - an aesthete not capable for real relationships with women.
He is both lusting and despising women at the same time. The second type
would be a
slightly bored and frustrated middle-aged businessman; stressed out,
wishing to take a break from his everyday routine. S&M sessions were highly
sexual, yet at the same time innocent encounters
of strangers in discrete hotel rooms, yet, in my case, they have been the
most
rewarding meetings with different individuals from various levels of the
society. They have illuminated profoundly my undrestanding of human
character.
as well the nature of a typical Estonian male:
There are also texts in Estonian and English on the wrappers of chocolate bars - extracts from my
diary
of that period of my life describing the most meaningful encounters.
This installation has been exhibited in Tallinn Art Hall in February 2007 at the exhibition called Sex Market and in Berlin at the Open Space Festival of Free Arts.
Photos: Terje Ugandi
Design: Semele Sangla
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Guestbook of a heart
Südame külalisraamat
2005
I am more and more interested in deeply personal traumas and experiences
that leave a permanent mark to your mind and body. The first performance of
that kind was “Guestbook of the Heart” in Living Art Museum in Reykjavik,
Iceland. I had an image of an notebook page permanently tattooed to my left
breast in red ink, with empty spaces for the signatures of my future
lovers. Every person you have ever loved leaves a mark to your soul. Why
shouldn`t it be visible in your body also…
HOLY BREAD
Installatsioon, autori-graafikatehnika
Sandra Jõgeva
2008
Installatsioon koosneb kahest röstrist, mis neisse asetatud saiaviiludele pilte “trükivad” – ikooniliste, kõigi poolt koheselt äratuntavate isikute portreesid – Jeesus, Lenin, Che Guevara, Charles Manson. Märtrid, pühakud, sektiliidrid, sümbolid ja ikoonid.
Idee pärineb aegajalt kollasepoolsest ajakirjandusest läbikäivatest uudistest röstsaiaviilule ilmuva Jeesuse näo kohta. Tavaliselt juhtub see mõnes katoliiklikus riigis või USA religioossemas piirkonnas, samamoodi nagu islamimades on aegajalt poolekslõigatud kurgil Koraanitsitaat. Sellised rutiinsed, igapäevased imed.
Röstreid eksponeeritakse koos suure hulga saiaviiludega. Nii saavad näitusekülastajad endale “tõmmiseid” trükkida, et need kohapeale installatsiooni osaks jätta, sealsamas ära süüa või siis graafikateose koju kaasa võtta.
HOLY BREAD
Installation
Sandra Jõgeva
2008
Installation is consisting of two silver-coloured toasters. If you insert a slices of toast into the toasters, burnt images will appear: portraits of the most recognazible iconic faces, saints and martyrs from different belief systems. The faces of Jesus, Che Guevara, Lenin, Charles Manson.
An idea came from the news in the media when somewhere, usually in some Catholic country, the face of Jesus on the bread was found. Or in some Islamic country sometimes on the slice of a cucumber the quote from Koran is formed. Kind of common miracles.
The two toasters are exhibited with slices of bread, so the audience can
"print" those temporary graffic art works, either to take those with them,
to eat the slices of bread with portraits or to leave them to be part of the
installation.
"Whip of God"
2007
Diverse Universe III, Lahti, Finland
The performance was about 15 minutes long and was dealing with marginal ecstasy of both S /M and belonging to a obscure religious organization. It included me telling my story of being a dominatrix for 1,5 years, offering the audience a possibility to receive the free S/M public session (which nobody wanted), using the sound of the religious practice called "speaking in tongues" and "smoking out the audience" at the end of a performance.
Paper shredder for ecologically destroying the secret documents
Art of Living
Tallinn Art Hall
Cage, antique furniture, a gerbil, copies of a Molotov Ribbentrop pact
SANDRA JÕGEVA
2007
INSTALLATION
The gerbil is equipped with a specific instinct, it tears different materials to
tiny pieces, which are used for destroying the paper copies of the Molotov -
Ribbentrop pact - a secret document from the World War II dividing the Eastern
Europe, including Estonia, between Germany and Russia.
