Finnish Museum of Contemporary Art wants to acquire golden replica of controversial "Bronze Soldier" statue

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The Finnish Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma has announced that the museum plans to acquire a work entitled After-War made by Estonian artist Kristina Norman.
      The central part of the monument is a golden replica of the controversial Estonian bronze statue depicting a Soviet soldier. The "Bronze Soldier" is a Soviet war memorial which was relocated in Tallinn in 2007, followed by violent protests from the Russian minority in Estonia.
      Chief Curator Pirkko Siitari from Kiasma began negotiations with Kristina Norman at the Venice Biennale, where After-War is being displayed at the Estonian pavilion in Palazzo Malipiero.
      ”The negotiations are incomplete, as we have not been able to come into contact with all producers of the complicated work”, Siitari reports.
      ”Nevertheless, I believe that we will eventually be able to bring the monument to Kiasma”, she adds.
     
In addition to the gold painted dummy statue, After-War comprises a kinetic sculpture and four video projections.
      They tell about the history of the Bronze Soldier and about the signifiance of the statue to Estonians and Estonian Russians, about the riots caused by the removal of the statue, as well as about Norman’s performance, during which she placed her gilded dummy statue at the former location of the relocated Bronze Soldier.
      Norman set up her performance on May 9th, the anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
      The event caused confusion among both Estonians and Estonian Russians, while the artist was blamed for adding insult to injury as the statue dispute is still fresh in people’s memory.
     
In Venice, Norman’s work is on display with the golden soldier hanging in the air in the midmost room of the Estonian pavilion, with the video projections being shown in the surrounding rooms.
      Kristina Norman (born in 1979) has reported that the purpose of her monument is to bring closer the two Estonian groups of people.
      The artist analyses the significance of the Bronze Soldier in a many-sided way both in her video projections and in the exhibition catalogue.
      The Venice Biennale, the 53th International Art Exhibition, is open from June 7th to November 22nd 2009.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  In statue dispute, Russia tests limits with Finland as well (8.5.2007)
  Estonian Parliament endorses removal of statue of Soviet soldier (16.2.2007)

Links:
  Venice Biennale 2009
  Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma
  Estonian Pavilion at Venice Biennale

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