Estonia

Project Partner:
Cork Civic Trust

Venue: Cork Vision Centre @ St. Peter’s

Date: 7 – 28 January 2005

Project Description:
‘Enlargement – Bringing the New Europe to Cork’ kicked off its inaugural exhibition in the shape of a collective of five female artists known as FFFF, representing Estonia, with the exhibition ‘Things You Need To Know’.

FFFF consists of five young Estonian female artists: Ketli Tiitsar; Kristi Paap: Maria Valdma; Berit Teeaar and Kaire Rannik, who all graduated from the metal art department of the Estonian Academy of Arts. They burst suddenly onto the Estonian Arts scene when unexpectedly chosen to represent Estonian contemporary art in Warsaw in 1996. Since then, FFFF have exhibited in Estonia, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Yugoslavia, Holland, Lithuania and Hungary.

Estonia

Initially, FFFF was intended as an abbreviation of Fun For Five Females but the artists themselves allowed and encouraged freedom of interpretation, interpretations that continue to surprise them. Specialising in jewellery art, FFFF use a large variety of materials to create their unique jewellery-focused work, including photography and installations.

Having visited the Cork Vision Centre in May 2004, FFFF worked on a concept specific to the space of the restored church, embracing the Centre’s model of Cork City as part of their exhibition ‘Things You Need To Know’.

‘Things You Need To Know’ was a multi-layered mixed media work, occupying the Vision Centre’s ground and gallery space, that focused on the identity and public image of Estonians through the presentation of jewellery-souvenirs. It incorporated an ‘advertising campaign’ for these products, with the advertisements depicting FFFF against the background of places of natural beauty in Estonia. Original pieces were exhibited on the model of Cork City, as a system of signs similar to traffic signs.

The Centre’s gallery hosted ‘F Files’ a work that explores the distance between reality and perception by way of a series of staged photo shoots in which the F’s identified themselves with brides, rock-babes, the homeless, businesswomen, soldiers, mothers, housewives, folk-dancers, prostitutes and grandmothers.

‘Things You Need To Know’ was officially opened by former President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox.

Estonia