Exhibition project “We are about to come up with a title, please bear with us”

​Client / venue: Tallinn Art Hall
Date: 08.02–11.02.2017
Initiator of the project: artist Kirill Tulin
Participating artists: Dénes Farkas, Jaana Jüris, Neeme Külm, Hanno Soans, Villem Säre, Kirill Tulin, Kadri Villand, Marina Vishmidt, Jevgeni Zolotko.

Tallinn Art Hall explained that the exhibition, which lasted for four days, enabled visitors to have the opportunity to peek behind the scenes and see how exhibitions are put together. The exhibition project ‘We are about to come up with a title, please bear with us’ brought together the best artists and exhibition installers – often the one and the same person – and allowed them to freely install the exhibition of their dreams without the requirement of it having ever to be finished. Visitors could see the removal of temporary walls, the somewhat monotonous work of calibrating projectors, packing paintings and everything else that usually happens at the Tallinn Art Hall behind closed doors. Visitors were able to witness the constantly-changing space using the same exhibition ticket throughout the duration of the project.

The initiator of the project, artist Kirill Tulin, said the time between exhibitions is as meaningful for an exhibition space as the exhibitions: “The changing of exhibitions is like a binary code that separates two modes of work – the work that is shown in the exhibition and the work that is hidden in order to present the exhibition, one and zero, signal and noise. This is the code according to which an exhibition is born at the instant of its opening – born adult, yet forever-young, nicely dressed and looking good with a glass of sparkling wine. An instant beforehand: all the dust was being swept under the carpet, all ambiguities – noise – polished out.”

The difference is that while the first is displayed at exhibitions for all to see, the second remains hidden from the public. At Tallinn Art Hall, exhibitions are installed by the art production company Valge Kuup, whose team includes both freelance artists and professional installers.

Tallinn Art Hall curator, Siim Preiman, compared a high functioning exhibition institution to a well-oiled machine, where each function is the responsibility of a specific person. “Here we would like to create a positive shift in the machinery of Tallinn Art Hall. I think all public institutions that strive to reflect on current themes in society should allow themselves a moment of introspection. “We are about to come up with a title…” is like an open doors day that frees the installers and enjoyers of art – two sides that otherwise never meet – of their conventional roles and allows them to meet in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.”

Exhibition design, installation and deinstallation by VALGE KUUP