Rethinking Our Im/Possibilities: Feminism, Art, and Estonia

In Estonia, as in several other post-socialist countries, the emergence of feminist art practices in the mid-1990s was intimately related to curatorial initiatives that were framed around the concept of feminism. The latter was, at least initially, thought of and used as an artworld concept inspired by the examples of Anglo-American and Nordic art scenes where, by that time, feminist art had already become accepted and institutionalised. The leading role of a few influential curators intially created a situation which encouraged feminist art through aiming to find, generate and support artistic practices with feminist, proto- or semi-feminist agendas and to provide them with an institutional and discursive framework.

In recent years, different kinds of feminist projects have emerged. Often they are generated outside or on the margins of the professionalised artworld and are initiated or curated by freelance artists. These independent exhibitions, events or festivals take place in non-institutionalised cultural venues. Thus, they clearly indicate a shift in strategic thinking: recent feminist/queer curatorial practices demonstrate a significant move towards social activism and engagement and away from the self-sufficiency and self-centeredness of the local artworld.