Kris Lemsalu
Keys Open Doors
16 Nov 2018 - 20 Jan 2019
Kris Lemsalu, Keys Open Doors, exhibition view Secession 2018
photo: Maximilian Anelli-Monti, Courtesy of the artist and Temnikova & Kasela Gallery
photo: Maximilian Anelli-Monti, Courtesy of the artist and Temnikova & Kasela Gallery
KRIS LEMSALU
Keys Open Doors
16 November 2018 – 20 January 2019
The Estonian artist Kris Lemsalu creates sculptures, installations, and performances that fuse the animal kingdom with humankind, nature with the artificial, beauty with repulsion, lightness with gravity, life with death. She combines animal bodies and porcelain objects with found (natural) materials such as furs, leather, seashells, wool, or paper in theatrical installations that whisk us off into a world of the fantastic imagination. Endeavoring to erase any distance between herself and her objects, the artist also uses her installations as stages for performance pieces in her sculptures become an integral part of her attire.
Although Lemsalu’s work often broaches dark and raw themes, it feels fragile and delicate, incorporating references to ancient mythologies and rituals from various cultures. In addition to abstract sculptures, her art also includes self-portraits and photographs, many of which depict her as a creature with masculine as well as feminine traits. Combining fabrics, makeup, wigs, and other props, she creates short-lived exotic identities for herself.
Kris Lemsalu studied ceramics at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, and art at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Kris Lemsalu born in 1985, lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia and Vienna.
Keys Open Doors
16 November 2018 – 20 January 2019
The Estonian artist Kris Lemsalu creates sculptures, installations, and performances that fuse the animal kingdom with humankind, nature with the artificial, beauty with repulsion, lightness with gravity, life with death. She combines animal bodies and porcelain objects with found (natural) materials such as furs, leather, seashells, wool, or paper in theatrical installations that whisk us off into a world of the fantastic imagination. Endeavoring to erase any distance between herself and her objects, the artist also uses her installations as stages for performance pieces in her sculptures become an integral part of her attire.
Although Lemsalu’s work often broaches dark and raw themes, it feels fragile and delicate, incorporating references to ancient mythologies and rituals from various cultures. In addition to abstract sculptures, her art also includes self-portraits and photographs, many of which depict her as a creature with masculine as well as feminine traits. Combining fabrics, makeup, wigs, and other props, she creates short-lived exotic identities for herself.
Kris Lemsalu studied ceramics at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn, and art at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
Kris Lemsalu born in 1985, lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia and Vienna.