Hold Me Tender

On 19 July at 6 pm, the group exhibition Hold Me Tender will open at Medūza gallery in Vilnius. The show deals with relationships, care, social roles and responsibility, language and ethnicity, vulnerability and violence. The exhibition will remain open until 31 August.

The participating artists are Bas Jan Ader, Agnė Jokšė, Morta Jonynaitė, Sandra Kosorotova, Keiu Maasik, Maija Mustonen, Marko Mäetamm, Sarah Nõmm, Hanna Piksarv, Mark Raidpere and Elīna Vītola. The exhibition is curated by Siim Preiman.

“In the Baltic countries, which have taken great strides towards a more equal and free society in the three decades since regaining independence, there are complex issues on the agenda that cause conflicting opinions. Migration, security and livelihoods, the destruction of the natural environment and changing traditions cause fear and resentment. Those residents who do not show a desire for integration are distancing themselves from each other, one example of which being the segregation that is increasing at a record speed in the Baltic capitals, compared to the European average,” says Siim Preiman, curator of the exhibition. “Why do we need a pandemic or a war in order for us to recognise that our neighbour is also a human being? How can we find each other sooner? How can we make such care a part of our daily life?”

Preiman adds that he burned himself out dreaming of such a caring utopia, but gradually gathered himself again and became familiar with works of art and artists who, based on their personal experience, shed light on experiences and questions that don’t always get the attention they deserve, or that are even considered taboo. The exhibition doesn’t yet provide concrete answers to the questions raised, but these artworks floating in the common value space indicate that the knowledge necessary to understand each other and move forward is within reach. “For some time now, I have been consistently working on exhibitions that, in one way or another, deal with the pain points and bottlenecks of modern society and try to unravel the tangle of eternal global crises a little bit, so that some bright ray of hope can briefly shine through,” he comments.