Doings or Not Estonian Edition announcement

Hobusepea gallery in Tallinn

documentation table

Triinu Lille "Associations" 2008

Karel Koplimets "Import-Export" 2008 and Iti Kasser "System Alert" 2007

exhibition view in Hobusepea cellar floor

Erkki Luuk " " 2009

erkki luuk
" " (2009)

work no. 8. on the 9th june 2008, the curator margit säde asked me to
participate in the opening of "d V n" group exhibition in ljubljana
(slovenia) with a presentation. travel and accommodation was paid.
however, upon arrival it became clear that i was asked to do a
site-specific work as well. the subject of the work turned out to be a
presentation of an arbitrary, concealed and salient place in the
gallery, while the main subject was a universal, logical and whirling
sentence that accompanied it. due to the big success of the work i was
asked to do a site-specific work for the "d V n eesti ver" exhibition
as well, to be opened in tallinn on the 21st january 2009 (travel was
paid), the work turned out to be "work no. 8". the curators margit
säde and laura kuusk disallowed the heading, as it had no
justification neither from the viewpoint of the exhibition nor of the
work. the present text is added upon the request of the curators and
the text accepted by the curators

Krõõt Juurak "Autodomestication" 2009

Johnson and Johnson's "Failing to Articulate I-III" 2008

Marge Monko's "Sheperds of Art"

Although artist and his/her work stands in the middle of the art world, the artist still tends to be the only one in this structure working without a salary. There are two legal ways of existence for an artist offered by our state – to work as a self-employed (artist-manufacturer à la Tauno Kangro or Epp-Maria Kokamägi) or as a freelance artist who has the right to apply for a support that equals the minimum wage during six months (it is not allowed to have any other income!).

Shaking hands with the guards is a follow-up to the action at the annual exhibition of Estonian Artists‘ Association (Useful work, 2008) where I swept off the dust from exhibited works. Both the cleaning-up job’s and guarding work‘s purpose is the maintenance and preservation of the art work. The activities related to maintaining and preserving are historically considered to be work done by women.
Similarly to my previous documentation of shaking hands with customer service consultants in Tallinn’s Department Store (Ladies‘ Paradise, 2008), majority of the guards participated in this project are female and retired – the fact that makes evident the segregation of gender and age in the labour market. One can assume that one of the reasons why out of 909 members of Estonian Artists‘ Association 609 are female is that money to pay for work is lacking in this domain.
Shaking hands with guards in art galleries and museums is thus visual statistics and an act of solidarity – one underpaid female meeting the other.

Indrek Sirkel "Poster" 2008

view through the gallery door

Krõõt Juurak's lecture-performance "Autodomestication" xhibition opening in Hobusepea gallery, Tallinn 21.01.09

Krõõt Juurak held a lecture-performance "Autodomestication" during the exhibition opening in Hobusepea gallery, Tallinn 21.01.09 on the cellar floor of the gallery

Doings or Not in Tallinn: feedback

Review in Fillip- online magazine of art, culture and ideas by Virginija Januskeviciute:
http://fillip.ca/previews/doings-or-not

Overview in Estonian Daily Newspaper (Eesti Päevaleht) by Ants Juske:
http://www.epl.ee/artikkel/456377

Interview in an Estonian radio station Radio of Classics (Klassikaraadio):
http://klassikaraadio.err.ee/kultuuriuudised?news=2426

Opinion in Estonian cultural weekly newspaper Sirp by Maarin Ektermann
http://www.sirp.ee/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8144:mida-teha-voi-mitte-teha&catid=6:kunst&Itemid=10&issue=3238

Opinion in Estonian cultural weekly newspaper Sirp by Martin Rünk:
http://www.sirp.ee/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8145:fundamentaalsed-kuesimused&catid=6:kunst&Itemid=10&issue=3238

An impression by Jarmo K. who is writing a blog about city space and noticed the poster of Doings or Not on a hoarding in Tallinn Old Town:
http://katkestuste-linn.blogspot.com/2009/02/033-tanavapidu.html

DOINGS OR NOT interview in Estonian Art magazine