15th Tallinn Print Triennial FOR LOVE NOT MONEY

FOR LOVE NOT MONEY is intended as a timely reflection on the state of contemporary art production, presentation and reception during a period of world financial crisis – at the moment Estonia has adopted the EURO as its currency. Curated by Eve Kask (EE), Eha Komissarov (EE) and Simon Rees (LT) the exhibition presents the work of 109 artists representing four generations and 35 countries including a focus project by 14th Triennial prize winner Óscar Muñoz (CO). Additionally the Triennial presents a special exposition of artists from Latin America curated by Elvis Fuentes (CU/US) and an exhibition celebrating 55 years of the Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts (from the Biennial's permanent collection, among them grand prix winning works). In English the aphorism “for love not money” describes any labour undertaken for passionate reasons and is interchangeable with the equally aphoristic “labour of love”. At its domestic heart is the care of children and the elderly. In society it refers to working in volunteer, community, and health-services and in sectors that are underfunded and undervalued such as working with the homeless or drug addicted. The phrase also possesses a cultural dimension when used to describe the situation of young or struggling artists. Every artist knows that just paying-the-rent represents a modicum of success. Boom times, such as the art world experienced from 2000–2008 turn this ingrained logic around and visual artists can be catapulted to levels of richness they can hardly have imagined: even if they dreamed about it. With those dreams and monetary values arrives an expansion of scale and production budgets. Therein, art moves closer to other forms of cultural production such as architecture, automotive engineering, and cinema – as artists obsess about technics and modes of production that those other industrial sectors offer them. The language associated with objects made in this way is equally transformed as the resulting artworks are no longer original inasmuch as they become one-offs, limited editions, or props within an event. Then the bust, as happened in 2009. The times invoke a return to the circuits of love from those of money. Reproducible art becomes the perfect vehicle for zeitgeist expression. Within the ecology of the art market small multiple objects begin to make sense again. Thematically the 15th Tallinn Print Triennial explores a range of ideas embodied in the project's title, including: addiction, desire, dedication, duty, family, love, lust, objectification, romance, religion, political commitment, and sex. Continuing a process started in previous triennials the exhibition will present art works made using a range of mechanical and digital reproduction and print techniques, including camera and computer based technologies. As reproducibility is now typical in the digital era the exhibition presents many artworks that reflect upon their technical status: and develop a relationship or refer to earlier modes of production such as printmaking. For Love Not Money is launching on Thursday 20 January with two days of special events including presentation of the juried prizes, performances by artists Eric Fuertes (US) and Frances Gallardo (PR) and a screening of a feature-length documentary by Kristina Inčiūraitė (LT), and a one day conference and roundtable with Calin Dan (RO/NL), Teemu Mäki (FIN), Elvis Fuentes (CU/US), Karin Laansoo (EE/US), Eva Möseneder (AT) and Lilijana Stepančič (SI). The exhibition is accompanied by a 512 page full-colour bi-lingual (English and Estonian) catalogue containing essays, artist biographies, information about the works, and reproductions and a special website at: www.triennial.ee