exhibition work, written text
apartment exhibition and performance showcase ‘That blue house on baeri street’
curators: Riin Maide and Nele Marie Tiidelepp
february 2021, Tartu
It was a one day pop-up collaborative exhibition in Tartu, Estonia. curated by Riin Maide and Nele Tiidelepp. It took place in an empty apartment during the deep corona times, emphasising the deep emptiness of spaces. February 2020.
Text/invitation/performance ‘Guide/Manual’
A text placed within the exhibition invited every visitor to become the exhibited subject themselves. “This exhibition is here to exhibit you” it stated — turning the gaze back onto the audience. The exhibited objects were framed as observers, silently watching and judging the visitor.
This subtle twist shifted the power dynamic of the space, encouraging guests to reconsider their role not as passive viewers, but as active, visible participants within the exhibition. And as I observed, it did disrupt the usual rules of presence, gently challenging how the visitors behaved in the exhibition context.
Mandatory instructions for the visitor in the exhibition area (and in the immediate vicinity) during the exhibition.
Visitor = exhibit
This exhibition is here to display YOU.
[—]
“This exhibition is here to exhibit you” — I read from a piece of paper lying on the table after I had, to the best of my ability, attentively and thoroughly engaged with just about everything happening over the course of a few hours. I felt, all at once, objectified, ridiculous, and emotionally liberated.