"Tunded ja tundmatus" / "Feelings and the Unknown" 2025
Anna Kõuhkna ja Grisli Soppe-Kahar
Viimsi Kaasaegse Kunsti Galerii, Veebruar-Märts 2025
Anna Kõuhkna and Grisli Soppe-Kahar’s Feelings and the Unknown brings together two visual artists in an exploration of relationships and identities. At the heart of the exhibition lies an investigation into life’s rhythms, unfolding as both an internal dialogue and a visual conversation between humans, nature, and the unseen. The intangible finds expression through physical forms— a growing tree, fetal existence, rooting, and blossoming—bridging the material and immaterial. Featuring recent works by the artists, the exhibition delves into themes of dualism and wholeness through immersive and experiential interpretations.
Anna Kõuhkna: Movement within one's inner space may feel unfamiliar, yet it serves as a key to discovery- one that can lead all the way to the vastness of the universe. External environments and people act as helpful mirrors, guiding us layer by layer toward a more holistic understanding. While the human mind often associates the unknown with fear, feelings serve as a trustworthy navigation tool, surpassing the cautious voice of reason with their raw truth.
Feeling is not the same as emotion. Whereas emotion arises from memory patterns or fleeting experiences, feeling functions as a compass- pointing toward the unfamiliar. To trust the mind fully would be foolish, as it takes pleasure in fabricating false tales. To accept both feelings and the unknown is the skill of trust. Balance seems to lie in allowing oneself to be touched by the apparent chaos, until it transforms, reshapes, and reveals order. In feeling and sensing, I find dissolution, the benevolent universe, the support of a higher force. Maybe the only feeling that is truly real may be Love.
Grisli Soppe-Kahar: In child development, it is often said that parents encounter different versions of their children at various stages of growth- versions that exist only in memory. The same holds true for all relationships, including the one we have with ourselves. We continuously transform, leaving behind past versions that linger only as echoes in our minds.
This is the nature of life’s uncertainty- we can never be certain of what lies ahead, who we will become, or how our relationships with the world, our perceptions, and our former selves will evolve. Yet, even in the midst of change, it is possible to remain rooted in feeling, standing steady against the unknown.
