Jaanus Samma presents NSFW. A Chairman's Tale for Estonia at 2015 Venice Biennale collateral event
At the 2015 Venice Biennale, Jaanus Samma showcases Estonia through a collateral exhibition entitled NSFW. A Chairman's Tale, located at Palazzo Malipiero. This installation tells a fictional story of a chairman from a Soviet-era collective farm who faced prosecution for homosexual activities in 1966. Following his imprisonment, he became infamously known as a cruiser in Tartu and was killed in 1990, reportedly by a Russian male escort. Samma seeks to encapsulate a whole period and its mindset. He considers it a duty to represent Estonia, emphasizing that the Estonian pavilions function as professional art displays. He reminisces about hitchhiking to Venice for Mark Raidpere's exhibition and eagerly anticipates Dainius Liškevičius's Lithuanian pavilion. His work was chosen by an international jury.
Key facts
- Jaanus Samma represents Estonia at the 2015 Venice Biennale with collateral exhibition NSFW. A Chairman's Tale
- Exhibition installed at Palazzo Malipiero, campo San Samuele, San Marco 3199 in Venice
- Installation presents fragments from a fictive opera about a Soviet collective farm chairman prosecuted for homosexuality in 1966
- The chairman was murdered in 1990, allegedly by a Russian male prostitute
- Samma focuses on clarity of ideas for Venice due to overwhelming art consumption by visitors
- Project selected by an international professional jury
- Samma's earliest biennale memory involves hitchhiking from Estonia and camping near Giardini during Mark Raidpere's exhibition
- Exhibition explores an entire era and mentality beyond just one individual's story
Entities
Artists
- Jaanus Samma
- Mark Raidpere
- Dainius Liškevičius
- Okwui Enwezor
- Eugenio Viola
Institutions
- ArtReview
- Venice Biennale
- Estonian pavilion
- Lithuanian pavilion
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Palazzo Malipiero
- San Marco 3199
- campo San Samuele
- Giardini
- Estonia
- Tartu
- Soviet Union