Anu Põder's Feminist Sculptural Language at Kumu Art Museum
The exhibition 'Anu Põder: Be Fragile! Be Brave!' at Kumu Art Museum in Tallinn places the Estonian sculptor (1947–2013) in dialogue with Ana Mendieta, Alina Szapocznikow, Ursula Mayer, Iza Tarasewicz, and Katrin Koskaru. Curated by Rebeka Põldsam with Põder's family, the show avoids chronological ordering, instead presenting works as a bodily organism where each artist occupies a 'limb'. Põder's sculptures, made from perishable materials like burlap, epoxy, soap, and leather, express female experience under Soviet and post-Soviet Estonia. Key works include 'Composition with Strings' (1983), 'Long Bag' (1994), and 'Figure which was Made to Walk' (1984). Põder eschewed feminist labels despite her focus on female labor and intimacy. The exhibition runs at Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, in 2017.
Key facts
- Anu Põder (1947–2013) was an Estonian sculptor.
- Exhibition 'Be Fragile! Be Brave!' at Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn.
- Curated by Rebeka Põldsam with Põder's family.
- Includes works by Ana Mendieta, Alina Szapocznikow, Ursula Mayer, Iza Tarasewicz, Katrin Koskaru.
- Põder's materials include burlap, epoxy, soap, leather, and plastic.
- Põder studied at Tartu Art College (1970) and Estonian National Art Institute (1976).
- She raised three children alone in a state-subsidized apartment in Tallinn.
- Põder was included in the first feminist exhibition in Estonia, 'Kood-eks' (1994), but did not identify as feminist.
Entities
Artists
- Anu Põder
- Ana Mendieta
- Alina Szapocznikow
- Ursula Mayer
- Iza Tarasewicz
- Katrin Koskaru
- Louise Bourgeois
- Méret Oppenheim
- Eva Hesse
- Clarice Lispector
- Hélène Cixous
- Wisława Szymborska
- Katrin Kivimaa
- Eha Komissarov
- Isabel Aaso-Zahradnikova
- Juta Kivimäe
- Jan Verwoert
Institutions
- Kumu Art Museum
- Tartu Art College
- Estonian National Art Institute
- Art Museum of Estonia
- Afterall
Locations
- Tallinn
- Estonia
- Soviet Union
- Mexico
Sources
- Afterall —