Text: Šelda Puķīte And Gary Markle Photographer Albert Kerstna

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Kogo is a contemporary art gallery representing outstanding emerging and mid-career Estonian and international artists of all media.

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part of the installation, ways of being by artist laura pold , kogo gallery, vienna contemporary art fair 2023

Põld's Masterful Blend Of Ceramics And Bioplastic Unveils A Familiar Yet Futuristic Realm, Delving Into Profound More-Than-Human Concerns.

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With 'Ways Of Being', The Artist Prompts Contemplation On Intricate Challenges, Eschewing Easy Resolutions.

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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.

contemporary art fair vienna presents kogo gallery with artist laura pold
Detail of " Ways of Being" by Artist Laura Põld and Gallery Kogo Estonia | Image by Albert Kerstna

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.

drawing and scetch about the work of laura pold, according to gary markle for kodo gallery
Illustration and Text by Gary Markle for Kogo Gallery and Laura Põld Installation "Ways of Being" | Vienna Contemporary Art Fair Zone1 curated by Francesca Gavin

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.

Kogo Gallery, opened in 2018 in Tartu's Widget Factory, showcases solo and collaborative exhibitions to boost artists' global visibility and unite the art community.

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

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.

black and white portrait from artist laura pold for kogo gallery by marek mäemets
Artist Laura Põld I Kogo Gallery Tartu, Estonia Photo: Marek Mäemets, 2021

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

Laura pold and Kogo Gallery detail of the green and with metal arranged wall installation for vienna contemporary art fair 2023
Laura Põld and Kogo Gallery: Ways of being (Detail of the Installation) by Artist Laura Põld for Kogo Gallery Estonia (Tartu) Image by Albert Kerstna

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.

laura pold stunning wall installation for kursalon vienna, kogo gallery
Kogo Gallery Estonia (Tartu) presents a new body of work by artist Laura Põld at Vienna Contemporary art fair 2023 Image by Albert Kerstna

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.

kogo gallery estonia tartu
Laura Põld: Ways of Being by Laura Põld | Kogo Gallery Estonia | Image by Albert Kerstna

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.

Kogo Gallery
Kogo is a contemporary art gallery representing outstanding emerging and mid-career Estonian and international artists of all media.
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