Sleeping is as important to me as staying awake. I have seen and written down detailed and vivid dreams for years. Sometimes I manage to realise that I’m asleep and dreaming and direct my own dreams. This gives a special power for the whole following day or even for a longer period. Often, however, I tend to be simply a spectator in my dreams.
This exhibition consists of dreamlike moments that reflect the living of personal or collective dreams. Some of them are mine, while other dreamlike moments have been experienced with someone or witnessed as they were experienced by someone else.
For me, collectivity means a shared existential space, expanding meanings and relating to each other. In a sense, we are all clearly dreaming in this world – both alone and together. I have also experienced collective dreaming, where people come together and let their souls and dreams fly as they wish. In dreams, daydreams and the process of sharing them, visions are born that inspire us to view life as a movie, where we have the ability to direct the course of events, play different roles, and decide when to hit pause, zoom out, or fast forward.
The works in the exhibition were captured between 2016 and 2024 in Pärnu, Tallinn, Narva, Nice, Naples and the island of Procida in Italy, Nea Styra in Greece, the Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye and Chengdu in China.
Riina Varol is an Estonian artist and photographer who focuses her creative approach on questions of sensory perception and the functions of the subconscious, as well as animism and oriental philosophy. Varol uses photography, video, sound, tactility, smell and site-specific multimedia installations in her works. Varol is a member of the Estonian Artists’ Union and the Tartu Artists’ Union, and has participated in exhibitions in Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Australia.
