Tallinn, ESTONIA - When Anastasia Lemberg-Lvova sent us this collection of work, we knew we HAD to share it. In the submission, Anastasia explains that the exhibition ‘Don’t Avoid What is Easy’ is the result of over one year of research, but due to social distancing, the Freedom Gallery in Tallinn has closed it’s doors. The story behind the creation of this exhibit is incredible. Give it a read below!

From the submission:

“The exhibition was meant to be the result of over a year of research. It has benefited from contributions of over 100 participants from 24 European countries and includes a variety of creative mediums.

The first step in creating the exhibition was my contribution to a long-term project by Trieste Contemporanea, Italy and transparadiso, Austria. It was launched in 2017 at the eighth CEI Venice Forum for Contemporary Art Curators and was named Harbour for Cultures.

Harbour for Cultures looked at the mostly unused old port of Trieste (Porto Vecchio) as a case study and a metaphor for inciting creative thinking in the inhabitants of the city. It started by asking Triestins to come up with 5 wishes related to Porto Vecchio and its territory. After all, it’s their city and up to them to shape it. In order to help coming up with ideas and encourage lateral thinking, the project used a tool designed to break artists’ creative block - “Oblique Strategies” created by Brian Eno. What began with the case of Porto Vecchio, then became a larger project that ran from 2017 to 2019 and has seen numerous artists and designers take part in various ways. 

In March 2019 in Yerevan, 300 young people from 40 countries came together to discuss topics that affect Europe and to imagine solutions to the challenges it faces. Using my role as creative director of the event, I explained the principle of what was done in Trieste and asked the participants to express their wishes for their home - Europe. Their answers could relate to anything big or small, so some talked about building a high-speed railway spanning across the whole continent to avoid flying and some just wanted to maintain a cinema hall in their town.

The exhibition that was meant to take place in the Freedom Gallery in Tallinn in the summer of 2020 is based on Harbour for Cultures and Yerevan 2019. The title “Don’t avoid what is easy” comes from Oblique Strategies and it invites the viewer to start with the simple step of formulating a wish. It was supposed to include 7 paintings, the outcome of Harbour for Cultures, video interviews, a series of public performances and workshops.”

We are so thrilled we get to share some of Anastasia’s gorgeous work. Take a look at some of the pieces that were intended to be in the exhibition! The first image was created specifically for the exhibition, and rest of the pieces are past works created by Anastasia!

For more information about the Anastasia, visit her official website, or follow her on Instagram!