Vienna
Completed

Kris Lemsalu's "Keys Open Doors": An Exhibition of Contemporary Sculptures and Installations

Experience Lemsalu's distinctive approach to art, fusing animal and human forms with natural and artificial materials.

Step into the imaginative world of Estonian artist Kris Lemsalu with her compelling exhibition, "Keys Open Doors." This display transforms the space into a stage for her unique visual language, blending natural and artificial elements in multi-layered sculptures and installations. Discover her distinctive approach to contemporary art, characterized by a fusion of animal and human forms, exploring themes of gender politics and social critique.

About Kris Lemsalu: Keys Open Doors at Secession in Vienna

Read curatorial context and practical visitor information for Kris Lemsalu: Keys Open Doors at Secession in Vienna

Exhibition summary

This exhibition features the work of Estonian artist Kris Lemsalu, known for her multi-layered sculptures and installations that blend natural and artificial elements. The display transforms the exhibition space into a stage for her unique visual language.

Curatorial context

The exhibition 'Keys Open Doors' by Estonian artist Kris Lemsalu showcases her distinctive approach to sculpture and installation, characterized by a fusion of animal and human forms, the natural and the artificial, and concepts of beauty and repulsion. Lemsalu employs traditional techniques to combine ceramic elements, animal bodies, and found natural materials like fur, leather, and shells, creating imaginative worlds for visitors. Her multimedia work integrates performance, found objects, and handcrafted pieces, demonstrating a keen eye for detail, social critique, and explorations of gender politics, art production, and the relationship between nature and craft. The aesthetic fragility of her ceramics contrasts with bold colors and forms, presenting viewers with a powerful visual experience. Lemsalu is interested in the concrete presence of objects over their representational value. In this exhibition, she positions two guardian figures resembling sumo wrestlers to frame a window, symbolizing a gateway to another realm, transforming the space into a stage and asserting her symbolic control through the 'keys' they hold.

Admission and ticket notes

Information regarding ticketing is available via a link to the Secession shop. Visitors are directed to official booking details for admission. The page indicates opening hours and days for visits to the exhibition space, which is 'artist-run since 1897'. Opening hours are Tuesday-Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM. "heute geöffnet" indicates it is open today. Tickets are available through a link to eventjet.at/secession.

Kris Lemsalu: Keys Open Doors key exhibition facts

Review exhibition status, schedule, venue context, and attribution details for Kris Lemsalu: Keys Open Doors at Secession in Vienna

Venue
Secession
Current status
Completed
Exhibition schedule
Nov 16, 2018 – Jan 20, 2019
Artist line / attribution
Featuring the work of Estonian artist Kris Lemsalu, born in 1985, who lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia, and Vienna.
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