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Sculpture, copper plates on wooden frame

curated by EKKM
produced by Hans-Otto Ojaste

Flo Kasearu is a Tallinn-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice combines performance, video, painting, drawing, sculpture, and installation. Her work explores themes such as the relationship between private and public space, economic precarity, patriotism and nationalism, domestic violence, fear, power dynamics, and endangered species, among many others. Addressing social and political tensions through a lens of playful humor, Kasearu creates works that are both critical and engaging. Since 2013, she has served as the director of the Flo Kasearu House Museum.
Kasearu’s new work deals with the uncomfortable aspects of public space. The artist’s initial inspiration was a shaded corner, often used as an urinal for passers-by, located on the outskirts of the museum. Created with those in need to use a restroom in mind, this artwork invites viewers to become active participants by urinating on its surface. The urine reacts with the copper, leaving behind vivid bluish-green marks that transform the work over time.
Changes to public spaces are not always convenient for all citizens – spatial adjustments disrupt residents’ usual routes, are noisy, dusty, or otherwise unpleasant, and strikingly highlight the diversity of perspectives. Art in public spaces can also polarize residents – a single work can be both beautiful and ugly, important and pointless, of high artistic quality and amateurish, and representative of both contemporary and outdated values. How should an artist working with public space involve local residents, and how can a balance be found among the disparate expectations of various groups? We encourage everyone to leave their mark.