Exhibition > Past > ArtDepoo

ArtDepoo 19.02.2008-08.03.2008

Porridge celebration

At her first more thorough personal exhibition “Pudrupüha” (“Porridge celebration”) in the ArtDepoo gallery the artist Stina Murakas-Kasemägi presents her latest paintings that have been carried by primeval female energy and impulsive enjoyment of creation. With the cheerful title of the exhibition Stina is referring to the ancient celebration of women that was comemorated in the context of other holidays (solstice, equinox, the Shrove Tuesday, etc.), when all women together made porridge, made sacrifices to the Mother Earth, sang and danced. Having herself participated in such a ceremonial and liberating event, Stina is deeply exploring the aim of such holy rites and their influence in the context of the contemporary culture.

At her first more thorough personal exhibition “Pudrupüha” (“Porridge celebration”) in the ArtDepoo gallery the artist Stina Murakas-Kasemägi presents her latest paintings that have been carried by primeval female energy and impulsive enjoyment of creation. With the cheerful title of the exhibition Stina is referring to the ancient celebration of women that was comemorated in the context of other holidays (solstice, equinox, the Shrove Tuesday, etc.), when all women together made porridge, made sacrifices to the Mother Earth, sang and danced. Having herself participated in such a ceremonial and liberating event, Stina is deeply exploring the aim of such holy rites and their influence in the context of the contemporary culture.


Stina Murakas-Kasemägi has created a detailed philosophy that is being based on her personal experiences and through which she is talking and painting. She is an artist, who works in a pondering, meditative manner. No element on her paintings is random or disembogues the context. As a representative of philosophical romanticism she does not produce art just for the trendy principle of making art for art’s sake, neither is she in favour of aggressive and evincing social criticism. The artist’s natural address towards feminine themes is existential, clean and mature.
Paintings by Stina are meditative, large-dimensional and colourful, filling the gallery hall with a strong positive charge that is also transferred to the viewer and is helping him/her to experience and undergo the tradition of women that is centuries old. On the bright-coloured and textural, well-elaborated painting surfaces dance and meditate graceful female bodies in their natural lightness. In the paintings can be found figures dancing ritual roundelays, there are women kneeling for meditation or praying and also a hen. A sacrificial hen or just a domestic one – as anybody wants to interpret it. Both bring a sacrifice in the name of something, but one is doing it consciously, another not.
The artist herself has described her experiences and immediate perceiving of life through dance and meditation as follows:
“Things that were experienced touched and opened something very essential and extremely necessary for the feeding of the soul. This was like tuning and according oneself with the rhythms of the nature, with everything living (both birth and death). While approaching nature and disposition, you meet your actual character and its needs. There emerges the integral feeling of either understanding or happiness, the kind of feeling under the influence of which you understand a lot of things you do not approve at all. A ritual act is as if teaching you, how to live your everyday life – and the feeling and presence to do it.”



Stina Murakas-Kasemägi (1967) graduated in 2005 the painting department of the Estonian Academy of Arts and has been participating in exhibitions since 2002. A selection of group exhibitions: ArtDepoo highlights (2007), ArtDepoo gallery, Wildlife (2004) in the Kastellaanimaja gallery, Alasti Akadeemia (The Naked Academy) (2004) in the EAA gallery, Ma olen käinud New Yorgis (I have been to New York) (2004) in Pärnu Concert House, Nulla dies sine linea (2004) in Narva Art Gallery. Personal exhibitions: Pudrupüha (Porridge celebration) (2008) in ArtDepoo gallery, in Jõhvi Concert House (2005), in the gallery of Tallinn Pedagogical Seminar (2004). Internet exhibition: 186 kilomeetrit (186 kilometres) in the 24h art centre gallery.

K.Essenson's video screening intro

K.Essenson's video screening

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