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pencil on paper x 27 / 50 x 65 cm

The artist has mapped and visualised a bunch of nightmare scenarios that might torment the night of a director responsible for the flawless progress of a museum. A total of 27 possible catastrophes befalling the museum have been drawn. True, some fears are less likely to come to fruition than others: for example, a UFO landing on the roof of the leaning building might undoubtedly happen any minute, but the possibility that the museum is relocated to Raadi seems more tangible and therefore scarier in comparison.

One of the main causes of fear is certainly lack of knowledge about the future and the resulting unease. Lack of knowledge gives birth to speculations and the imagining of all possible events. The question is in how far to let one’s paranoias soar – should one stop at the fear of the future shaped by politicians, parties and officials with the predicted lifespan of four years or go all the way out to force majeure that has no other antidote but evacuation…

The museum plucks works of art out of their everyday use and encloses them safely in vaults to preserve until the end of the world. Yet how does one ensure the preservation of works when anything could happen – from the flood to a new minister? How strong and secure must an institution be for its director to sleep soundly through the night?
Is This the Museum We Wanted. Exhibition catalogue. Editor Rael Artel. 23.01.14–16.03-14, Tartu Art Museum.