Pattern

Monumental Gallery, Tartu Art House
3–23 May 2021

In spring 2020, I spent a month in the Tartu Art House artist residency to research the textiles collection of the Estonian National Museum. In particular, I was fascinated by the rich patterns of the 19th century coifs (tanu) traditionally worn by married women. For Pattern, my solo exhibition at the Monumental Gallery, I combined these historic patterns with the motif of men’s underwear – jockstraps and briefs – to shake up the conventional idea of folk culture as well as masculinity.

The jockstraps were embroidered by Virve Valtmann-Valdson and tailored/constructed by Liina-Mai Püüa.

Photos: Marje Eelma