SOUP's 1990 Reenactment of Trio for Piano Revisits Estonian Avant-Garde History

In 1990, the collective SOUP revived their 1969 performance Trio for Piano at Tallinn Art Hall as part of the retrospective exhibition SOUP '69–90. The initial event took place on March 8, 1969, at the Estonian State Art Institute, where students protested bourgeois culture by destroying a piano. Notable figures in this original act included Leonhard Lapin, Ando Keskküla, and Ülevi Eljand. The 1990 version introduced a stripper adorned with the Estonian SSR flag, symbolizing the societal changes of the time. This reinterpretation coincided with Estonia's transformation in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Critics remarked on its ironic nature, while younger artists attracted global recognition. Anu Allas examined this narrative in a special issue focused on reenactment in Eastern Europe, supported by key publications and archival materials, including a 2007 interview with Lapin.