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Mari-Leen Kiipli

installation, photography, video

Mari-Leen Kiipli (born in 1988) creates photos, videos and installations that focus mainly on the unspoken, cognitive features of spaces and situations. As an attentive viewer, wanderer, and researcher, she has created her vision of genres such as nature documentaries, sports coverage, or nature photography, as opposed to the narrative-based notion prevalent in the media. She is interested in old myths and stories in the modern context, such as the myth of the end of the world or the tales and use of various plants. Through these stories, she explores humanity’s relationship with nature. With her inventive and fascinating installations, she sharpens the viewer’s attention to light, transparency, reflections, shadows, colour, sharpness, texture, movement, sound and other perceptible qualities. To do this, she uses various materials, found objects, plants, slow-motion videos. In videos and photographs, she depicts her own focused and sensitive presence or even improvisational movement in found places, such as an abandoned house or industrial landscape, forest, field or greenhouse. Mari-Leen’s works are both enchanting and confusing.

Mari-Leen Kiipli has studied photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts and Pallas University of Applied Sciences, attended exchange studies in Vienna and currently lives and works in Tallinn. Kiipli’s recent solo or duo exhibitions are “Nanshe Gone Fishing” in Draakon Gallery, Tallinn (2021), “Husa” in Haapsalu City Gallery (2020), Mari-Leen Kiipli “Husa” & Paul Kuimet “Crystal Grid” in Kogo Gallery, Tartu (2020), “no path goes through Asparaag” in Tartu Art House (2019), “Secret Whistle in the Forest” with Kristi Kong in Kogo Gallery, Tartu (2018), “Passiflora” in Hobuspea Gallery, Tallinn ( 2017), “One-on-One” at the Estonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Tallinn (2017). Her works have been shown at group exhibitions, screenings and art fairs such as  Liste Art Fair Basel (with Kogo Gallery, 2021),  photo fairs Unseen Amsterdam and Foto Tallinn (with Kogo Gallery, 2019), The Others, independent art fair, Turin (with the Estonian Union of Photography Artists FOKU, 2018), Estonia Now: Artists’ Moving Image Program, Tramway, Glasgow (2018) and Metamorphoses for Home, Tartu Art Museum, curator Johanna Hoffman (2018).

At the art fair Foto Tallinn in 2019, the private funding platform Outset Estonia awarded Mari-Leen Kiipli (with Kogo gallery) with the purchase of her video work “Fish That Swallows the Earth. Particles That Dance in the Sunrays”. In 2018, Mari-Leen received the annual award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, and her installation “Passiflora” presented by FOKU won the prize in the Expanded Screen section of The Others art fair in Turin. 

 

Press and Publications

Publications

Metaphors for Home. Young artists’ interpretations
Exhibition catalogue, Tanel Rander, Joanna Hoffmann, Wolfgang Hildesheimer. Tartu Art Museum, 2018.

What to do Together?
Authors and editors: Mari-Leen Kiipli, Kulla Laas, Aap Tepper, Mari Volens, Kristina Õllek. Rundum, 2017.

Lend 2013
Tartu Art College diploma works catalogue, 2013.

Shots Young Photographer
Shots Directory, London, 2012.

Bibliography

In English

Photo reportage from Mari-Leen Kiipli’s solo exhibition ‘Nanshe Gone Fishing’ at Draakon gallery

Echo Gone Wrong, 29.11.2021.

Nature constantly shows you that nothing is forever
Q&A with the artists Mari-Leen Kiipli and Eike Eplik, and curator Šelda Puķīte. Arterritory, 08.07.2021.

Dancing on the ruins of the future
Annika Toots focuses on the dystopian landscapes in the works of Mari-Leen Kiipli and Britta Benno. KUNST.EE 3/2021.

Photo reportage from the exhibition by Mari-Leen Kiipli and Paul Kuimet at the Kogo Gallery

Echo Gone Wrong, 13.08.2020.

Spatial Experiments
Diane Smyth, Aesthetica Magazine, Issue 90, August/September 2019.

Photo reportage from the exhibition by Kristi Kongi and Mari-Leen Kiipli at the Kogo gallery
Echo Gone Wrong, 22.11.2018.

Post-everything?
Agnese Pundiņa, Magazine of Art and Visual Culture in Estonia KUNST.EE, 4/2017.

Queeziness is Needless
Piret Karro, Magazine of Art and Visual Culture in Estonia KUNST.EE, 3/2014.

In Estonian

Liblikaefekt
Kaisa Eiche, Sirp,

Arvustus: inimesed on taimede uni
Art Leete, Müürileht, 16.11.2018.

Kongi ja Kiipli kihilises metsas
Anti Saar, Sirp, 23.11.2018.

Ainulaadne ja asendamatu Rundum
Siim Preiman, Sirp, 26.09.2014.

Kunstõuduste toimimine
Marten Esko, Sirp, 24.04.2014.

Kohalolek Raja galeriis
Annika Toots, Sirp, 24.01.2014.

Taas üks toimekas kunstipaik
Reet Varblane, Sirp, 08.11.2013.

Rundum alustab!
Müürileht 29, sügis 2013.

Jalutuskäik galeriides: Enesepeegeldused ja tulevik Mario Laul, Sirp, 25.04.2013.

Aknast ei näinud muud kui taanduvat halli
Maarin Ektermann, Artishok, 16.04.2013.

CV

Mari-Leen Kiipli, born in 1988, lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia.

Education

2017 Estonian Academy of Arts, Fine Arts, Photography (MA)
2014 Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Fine Arts, exchange studies
2013 Tartu Art College, Photography (BA)
2011 University of Tartu, Semiotics and Culture Theory

Solo Exhibitions

2021 Nanshe Gone Fishing. Draakon Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia.
2020 Husa & Crystal Grid. Together with Paul Kuimet. Kogo Gallery, Tartu, Estonia.
2020 Husa. Haapsalu City Gallery, Haapsalu, Estonia.
2019 No Path Goes Through Asparaag. Tartu Art House, Tartu, Estonia.
2018 Secret Whistle in the Forest, with Kristi Kongi. Kogo Gallery, Tartu, Estonia.
2017 Passiflora. Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia.
2017 One-on-One. Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia.
2016 The School of Dreams. ARS Project Space, Tallinn, Estonia.
2015 Stopover. Estonian Academy of Arts Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia.
2015 The Moment After. Chambre D’Amis, Vienna, Austria.
2014 Shared Territories, with Madis Luik, Raum Bonygasse. Eyes-On Month of Photography, Vienna, Austria.
2014 Rundum Showcase Manifesta. Manifesta 10 parallel program, Taiga Space, St. Petersburg, Russia.
2014 Micro, with Rundum collective. Draakon Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia.

Group Exhibitions

2020 ART Biesenthal. Biesenthal, Germany.
2020 Measures of Proximity. Artist film program curated by Kaisa Maasik, Kulla Laas. EKKM, Tallinn, Estonia.
2018 Trial and Error. Exhibition screening curated by Kulla Laas ja Kaisa Maasik. Tramway Art Space, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
2018 Viewing and reading room. Curated by Liina Raus. Kogo Gallery, Tartu.
2018 Metaphors for Home. Curated by Joanna Hoffman, Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia.
2017 TASE Graduation Show. Noblessner, Tallinn, Estonia.
2016 Estonian Photographic Art Fair. Telliskivi Loomelinnak, Tallinn, Estonia.
2016 ISSP 2016. Kuldiga Art Hall, Kuldiga, Latvia.
2015 From Explosion to Expand. Estonian Contemporary Photography 1991-2015. Curated by Anneli Porri. Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia.
2015 Prosu(u)mer. Curated by David Raymond Conroy. Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia.
2015 Sensitive Nature of Becoming, with Tarvo Hanno Varres, Kristin Reiman and Art Nõukas. Rundum, Tallinn, Estonia.
2015 Pussy Envy. Curated by Stacey Koosel and Anna-Stina Treumund. Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia.
2015 Rundgang 2015. Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
2015 Youth Mode. Curated by Marika Agu, Nele Ambos, Hanna-Liis Kont, Julia Polujanenkova. Tartu Art Museum, Tartu, Estonia.
2014 Solipsism No More, with Sten Saartis and Pille-Riin Jaik. ISFAG, Tallinn, Estonia.
2014 Scary Stories. Curated by Anneli Porri, Haapsalu City Gallery, Haapsalu, Estonia.
2014 Man can turn in circle and in doing so turn towards any point at will. Raja Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia.
2013 ISSP 2013. Kuldiga Art Hall, Kuldiga, Latvia.
2013 Lend 2013. Noorus Gallery, Tartu, Estonia.
2013 Approaches. Curated by Anu Vahtra and Reimo Võsa-Tangsoo. Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia.
2013 From the Window, All That Could Be Seen Was a Receding Gray. Curated by Laura Toots. Katarsis Project Space, Tallinn, Estonia.
2011 ID. Curated by Toomas Kalve, Noorus Gallery, Tartu, Estonia.
2010 ID from Tartu. Curated by Toomas Kalve, Narva Museum, Narva, Estonia.
2009 LÄKS! Curated by Terje Ojaveer, Edelaraudtee train on route Tartu-Tallinn-Tartu, Estonia.
2008 Tartu.mov. Curated by Minna Hint, Maksim Surin, Joanot Cortes, Pilar Monsell. Ateena Cinema, Tartu, Estonia.

Art Fairs

2021 Liste Art Fair Basel, Basel, Swizerland;
2019 Tallinn Foto, Tallinn, Estonia;
2019 Unseen Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
2018 The Others, independent art fair, former Hospital Regina Maria Adelaide, Turin, Italy;
2016 Estonian Photographic Art Fair, Telliskivi Loomelinnak, Tallinn, Estonia.

Projects

2013-… Rundum Artist-Run Space, co-founder and active member;
2016 LadyFest Tallinn, organizer.

Membership

Estonian Artist’s Association;
Estonian Union of Photography Artists.

Awards

2019 Foto Tallinn, Estonian photographic art fair acquisition fund (Outset Estonia);
2019 Artist grant, Cultural Endowment of Estonia;
2018 Annual Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia;
2018 Award for the Expanded Screen section at The Others Art Fair in Turin;
2015 Adamson-Eric Young Artist Prize, with Rundum collective.

Residencies

2020 Mazzano Romano residence. Väinö Tanner Foundation´s writer and artist residence scholarship, Italy.
2019 Nida Art Colony, Lithuania.

Workshops

2017 Nordic/Baltic Studio for Continued Engagement, Rejmyre Art LAB, Sweden.
2016 There is Treasure Everywhere, supervised by Tayo Onorato, ISSP, Latvia.
2013 The Vicinity of Narrative: People and Spaces, supervised by Todd Hido, International Summer School of Photography, Latvia.
2013 Helikoosolek, supervised by Patrick McGinley, MoKS, Tartu, Estonia.
2012 Thinking in Sound, supervised by Daina Pupkevičiūtė, Ptarmigan project space, Tallinn, Estonia.

Artist assistant

2017 Michel Blazy, Paris, France

 

Works
788, , 1,
HD video in two chapters, sound. 9'35''. Dimensions variable. Edition of 2/3+2 artist proof, 2018
4500 €
1877, , 1,
Colour print on aluminium composite, 90 × 60 cm, 2019
1200 €
4393, , ,
4424, , ,
4462, , ,
4472, , ,
4476, , ,
5119, , 1,
Concrete, bent armature, raspberries, 41 × 40 × 12 cm, 2020
1300 €
5121, , 1,
Concrete, bent armature, raspberries, 30 × 51 × 13 cm, 2020
950 €
5122, , 1,
Bent armature, raspberries, 28 × 40 × 20 cm, 2020
950 €
5123, , 1,
Concrete, bent armature, raspberries, 38 × 44 × 26 cm, 2020
1300 €
5124, , 1,
Concrete, bent armature, raspberries, 18 × 33 × 15 cm, 2020
900 €
5145, , 1,
Concrete, bent armature, raspberries, 22 × 31 × 14 cm, 2020
800 €
5097, , 1,
HD video, sound. 8'17'' Dimensions variable Edition of 5 + 1 artist proof, 2019
3000 €
1878, , 1,
Colour print on aluminium composite, 90 × 60 cm, 2019
1200 €

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