Liina Siib

1963– · Estonian artist (born 1963)
Eesti Kunstimuuseum; Ruki galerii; Veneetsia biennaal, Eesti paviljon

trained at Estonian Academy of Arts

Liina Siib (1963) works mainly in photography, video and installation. The most prominent and recurring themes in Siib's work include social spaces, marginalised groups and overlooked experiences. Siib has said that she aims not to document but to deconstruct the everyday life of her contemporaries, guided by a feminine approach and experiences from her childhood. In her work Siib looks into how history gets written and the role of memory in shaping various groups in society, often using interviews, observation or archival materials as her method of working. The first half of the 1990s in Siib's practice was characterised by experiments with means of printmaking, collage and found objects, however, in the second half of the decade she mainly focused on photography. In the 1990s Siib's photography often highlighted socially sensitive themes. One of her most notable works from that period is “Desidentifikatsioon” (Disidentification, 1996), exhibited at the show “Estonia as a Sign” in 1996. The work consists of a double-sided photo board with the detail of Saint Victor's decapitated head from an altarpiece in St Nicholas church in Tallinn painted by Hermen Rode in 1481 on one side and a police photo from 1996 of a human head found near Pirita River on the other. This work drew attention to the different readings of a similar scenario and used the comparison to provoke the viewer to examine how they read visual images – why is it that in one case we look at an act of violence from a religious and art historical perspective, but in the other in horror and disgust. Siib often focuses on social groups that have fallen behind in the new neoliberal and West-oriented system. For example, in the photo installation “Külalislahkus” (Hospitality, 1997) we see a house inhabited by homeless people and objects found there and “Hooaja palitu” (Coat of the Season) brings attention to people living in poor conditions. In the five-part video series “Kompromiss välistatud” (Compromise Excluded, 2003) Siib asks what compromises are made by people who say compromises are out of question. She is also visualising the monophonic history-writing in 20th century Estonia. To exemplify that the artist asked Russian-speaking and seemingly not very well-off people to repeat in a choir in the Baltic Station: “I am dead!”, thus creating a narrative of “yesterday's heroes”. The installation “Huldufólk / Varjatud rahvas” (Huldufólk / Hidden People, 2020) focuses on the activity at the back of a 24/7 shop in Reykjavík. Her photo series, evoking capitalist realism, and video shows the activ

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Also trained at Estonian Academy of Arts: Eduard Wiiralt · Evald Okas · Andrus Johani · Johann Naha · Jüri Arrak

Contemporaries in Eesti Kunstimuuseum: Lembe Ruben · Tellervo Kalleinen · Kadri Alesmaa Visnap · Villu Jaanisoo · Loit Jõekalda

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Data from MuIS and the EKM Digital Collection. Full catalogue