Exhibition QUINTESSENCE by the Phoenix group

On Friday, 10 April at 6:00 PM, the joint exhibition QUINTESSENCE by the Phoenix group of women artists will open at the Vabaduse Gallery. The exhibition unites female creators from the Estonian contemporary art field to explore the deep layers of being and the sources of creative power.

Artists participating in the exhibition: Marina Aleksejeva, Eve Ermann, Iris Jurma, Katrin Kaev, Kalli Kalde, Lylian Meister, Kaire Nurk, Tiiu Rebane, Anne Rudanovski, Lembe Ruben, Ülle Saatmäe, Maris Siimer, Tiina Tammetalu, Maria-Kristiina Ulas, Katrin Saag, Eveli Varik, Alide Zvorovski.  

Curator and designer of the exhibition: Eveli Varik.

The title and central concept of the exhibition derive from the Latin expression quinta essentia (“fifth essence”), which, according to the Aristotelian world-view, represented ether, the fifth element alongside the earthly elements (water, earth, air and fire), which supposedly formed the celestial spheres. For the Phoenix group, “quintessence” symbolises the core, the purest and most essential element, which emerges as a result of the creative immersion and settlement of experiences.

“We pay close attention and await clarity, focusing on the essential and amalgamating it into a whole to create our works,” Eveli Varik, the curator and designer of the exhibition explains. “After our group was formed in 2025 and after their first successful appearances in Pärnu and Rapla, the Vabaduse Gallery exhibition is a conscious move inward; it is an attempt to capture the elusive and ethereal component that provides the artist with creative force and the ability to be reborn.”

The artists participating in the exhibition have had to reflect on questions of how to divide their energy between creative self-realisation and social roles throughout their 20–30-year creative journeys. Quintessence responds to the question of what remains after the external noise has been removed. It is a visual study of the sources of inspiration in which the singularity of each artist and the diversity of techniques come together in a unified and harmonised mystery.

Phoenix group of women artists was born in 2025 from the desire to create a platform for women artists with a focus on dialogue and joint exhibition-making. With the exhibition at the Vabaduse Gallery, the group of artists continues its “chain of exhibitions”, celebrating the indestructible nature of the creative spirit and its constant renewal. The group’s previous exhibitions have been PHOENIX at the Pärnu City Gallery (09.04.–03.05.2025) and PHOENIX 2 at the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art (21.11.–14.12.2025).

On Saturday, May 9, starting at 2:00 p.m., visitors are invited to join curator and artist Eveli Varik for a guided tour of the exhibition.

The exhibition QUINTESSENCE will remain open at the Vabaduse Gallery until 13 May 2026.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

The gallery is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Liviko Ltd.

Vabaduse Gallery is managed by the Estonian Artists’ Association.

Additional information: evelivarik@gmail.com, +372 5645 2328.