Kumu exhibition turns its courtyard into a monument to survival

Works by young people in closed institutions for children fill Kumu’s courtyard in an exhibition about care and survival, ERR arts reviewer Sveta Grigorjeva writes. The exhibition, “Hold Me Close. A Monument to Survival,” was initiated by Marta Vaarik and Juri Krutii and curated by Anders Härm. It is on view until November 8.

Good parents are one of life’s great strokes of luck, Grigorjeva writes, reflecting on children and young people who lack supportive caregivers. As public debate increasingly focuses on falling birth rates, she argues that attention should also go to children who are already here and struggling.

The exhibition was made in collaboration with young people living in closed institutions for children. Their works are spread throughout the courtyard, making the exhibition accessible to everyone and allowing visitors to spend time with the pieces at their own pace.

One of the most striking works is a metal container topped with a neon sign. Inside, a video shows a young boy who no longer wants to be a boy, while his mother does not listen to or understand him. The video is set between a do-it-yourself sofa and walls covered in slogans. Visitors are invited to write on the container, but messages of mutual care and smiley faces predominate, alongside a few crude drawings. A nearby bus stop, another place to hang out, remained empty during the reviewer’s visit.

One of the most painful works is Roosa’s autobiographical video, “Everyone Saw, No One Looked,” which follows a girl’s escalating self-destructive behaviour, including self-harm, substance misuse and overdoses. Filmed on a mobile phone, it feels intensely intimate. The video plays in a phone booth on a broken tablet, with the door swinging open and shut in the wind. The story has a hopeful ending: one person’s kind attention helped Roosa get back on track. The video also thanks Marta Vaarik.

Another work is a bed raised high above the ground. Grigorjeva wonders whether it belongs to a young person too depressed to get out of bed, someone trying to escape the reach of their parents, or someone hoping another person will make the effort to reach them and say they matter.

A video installed in a car is a staged depiction, based on a real escape, of students from Kaagvere fleeing their school at night. The reviewer notes that the escape involves driving a stolen car without a licence.