An exhibition to revive the spirit of a lost village
Text Mark Taylor
Photos Roman-Sten Tõnissoo, Tütar gallery
Textile and installation artist Maryliis Teinfeldt-Grins’ new solo exhibition, “Who remembers last, who remembers better?” will open at Tütar gallery in Tallinn on January 19. The centerpiece is a five-meter-long rag rug, collaboratively crafted with the Kadrina community.
The exhibition narrates the poignant tale of Koplimetsa, a vanished village in Lääne-Virumaa. Established in 1877, Koplimetsa succumbed to radical changes in 1977, when the thriving village was transformed into collective farms, something that happened to many villages across the region.
Teinfeldt-Grins, a native of Koplimetsa, knew little of the village’s past before making the pieces. Embarking on a quest to discover her own roots and to revive the village’s lost history and traditions from elderly locals. This culminated in many pieces, the centerpiece of which is the community-woven 5m wide rag rug, which was made by hundreds of volunteers.
The exhibition, which is a tribute to Estonia’s forgotten villages, will run at Tütar gallery in the Noblessner Port area until February 25.
