The exhibition “Escape the Kitchen!“ presenting and celebrating the
history of Estonian women’s movements over the past 150 years. The exhibition
is curated by the museum’s head of exhibitions Piret Karro, artist Flo Kasearu,
decorator Kaisa Sööt and graphic designer Sandra Kosorotova. The exhibition
will remain open for a year and will be accompanied by a diverse public
programme.
Throughout Estonian history there are powerful women who have helped
build democracy, but whose names have been unjustly omitted from the history
books. Lilli Suburg was in the same rooms as Carl Robert Jakobson and Jakob
Hurt. Mari Raamot and Minni Kurs-Olesk also sat in the same meeting chambers
where Konstantin Päts and Lui Olesk were present. In an independent and free
country, women must also be independent and free – this understanding has been
valid in the democracy-building process since the time of Estonia’s national
awakening for the last 150 years. However, this is not taught in history
lessons. With this exhibition, that opens in March, Vabamu wants to give women
who have been forgotten by history a dignified and equal place alongside the
men we all know and consider to be the great figures of our country’s history.
The exhibition is based on Piret Karro’s study titled
“150 years of Estonian feminism”, which was published as an article in the Vikerkaar magazine in spring
2022 and which looks at the history of Estonian feminism in symbiosis with the
history of women’s movements.
Piret Karro: “In this study I try to arrange our women’s movements on a
timeline from 1872, when weavers and spinners rose up against inhumane working
conditions in Narva until the present day, 2022. That adds up to a round 150
years. Rather than attempting to present the whole truth of history, I offer
kaleidoscopic surface currents from the lives, toils and creations of important
women whose further exploration this article will hopefully inspire, not to
mention all the feminists that I could not fit into this format.”
The exhibition is divided into seven sections:
1. The legacy of Lilli Suburg – the first school for girls and the first newspaper for women.
2. The Kreenholm strike of 1872 and the intersection of the women’s movement with the workers’ movement.
3. Women’s societies in the first period of the Republic of Estonia and the economically independent woman.
4. What happened in 1941? The beginning of the occupation and the dissolution of the Women’s Union.
5. Leida Laius, Malle Meelak and other women in the Estonian cultural canon
6. The return of feminism in newly independent Estonia – lesbian movement, contemporary art.
7. Current situation and the kaleidoscope of feminist practices in democratic Estonia.
Visually speaking, the exhibition will be contemporary, engaging the
audience through unexpected artistic solutions and feminine colours and
emotions. Equestrian monuments to historical women are the central elements of
the exhibition.
“Throughout history, equestrian monuments have been created to honour only men,
and now is the time to right this wrong. Under the guidance of Flo Kasearu, we
are creating interesting and humorous miniature equestrian monuments that will
help visitors remember the main characters of the exhibition,” Karro added.
The reason why Vabamu is putting on an exhibition like this is because the museum’s mission is to preserve freedom and equality in society. Estonia has a high gender pay gap to the detriment of women and an education gap to the detriment of men, a high level of violence against women, a high number of male suicides, etc. With this exhibition, the museum hopes to contribute to a more equal society, empowering women to make bolder choices and men to deal with their more sensitive side. The exhibition is meant for a wide range of target groups, as everyone stands to gain from a more equal society.
The exhibition is presented in Estonian, English and Russian, and welcomes cultural enthusiasts fascinated by different conceptions of history, young women who want to be the protagonists of their own lives, and young men who want to smash gender stereotypes.
Supporters and partners of the exhibition are: National Heritage Board,
Vikerkaar culture magazine, National Archives, Film Archives, Estonian Public Broadcasting Archives,
Viljandi Museum, Narva Museum, Harjumaa Museum, Under and Tuglas Literature
Centre, C. R. Jakobson Farm Museum, Estonian Literary Museum, History Museum,
Estonian National Museum, Estonian Theatre and Music Museum, Estonian Centre
for Contemporary Art.