Maryliis Teinfeldt-Grins’ solo show “Who Remembers Last, Who Remembers Better?” at Tütar gallery opens on Thursday, January 18. The focal point of the exhibition is a five-meter-long rag rug created as a collaborative effort by Kadrina community, telling the story of a vanished village and hill in Lääne-Virumaa in 1977.

Koplimetsa is a historical village in Kadrina parish, established in 1877. The village disappeared in 1977 when farms were replaced by collectives, and people were resettled from farm buildings to apartments. Concurrently, changes were made to the local landscape, most notably the removal of a four-kilometer-long esker wall, Niinemäe. The gravel obtained from the hill was used for nearby military objects and the construction of the Tapa-Loobu road. This episode is not unusual in Estonian history; there are many such villages that have disappeared. The lost Koplimetsa serves as an example to narrate the story of Estonia and, more broadly, our entire region.

Maryliis Teinfeldt-Grins herself hails from this vanished village and spent her childhood immersed in its landscape. Despite growing up in Koplimetsa, the artist was not aware of the rich history of the place. Upon discovering that even the older locals, as the last memory keepers, did not pass down the traditions, the artist embarked on a research journey to restore the memory of what her homeland was like before an external power reshaped it for its needs.

The central piece of the exhibition, a five-meter-wide rug woven in the rag rug technique, was completed over a month and a half in the Kadrina community center, as a collaborative effort between the artist and hundreds of volunteers. According to the artist, the rag rug technique is suitable for conveying the story of Koplimetsa and Niinemäe because, just like there is much forgotten in historical memory, the original design seems to fade away when weaving in the rag rug technique.

Maryliis Teinfeldt-Grins (1993) is a textile and installation artist who addresses memory in her work, focusing on the rural landscapes of Lääne-Virumaa, mainly practicing embroidery and tapestry, as well as dialectal poetry. She studied textile at Tartu Art College Pallas and Latvian Academy of Art, as well as contemporary art at Estonian Academy of Arts. Teinfeldt-Grins is a laureate of Eduard Wiiralt Scholarship awarded by Estonian Ministry of Culture and Adamson-Eric Scholarship awarded by Adamson-Eric Museum. In 2019, Teinfeldt-Grins received the Textile Artist of the Year award from Estonian Textile Artists’ Union.

Maryliis Teinfeldt-Grins’ exhibition will stay open until February 25 and is free to the public. The gallery is located at Vesilennuki 24 in the Noblessner Port area, opening hours are Thursday to Friday from 1 pm to 7 pm and Saturday to Sunday from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Artist expresses gratitude to: Ahto-Lembit Lehtmets, Kevin, Maarika, and Enely Teinfeldt, Francesco Rosso, Zane Shumeiko, Johanna Mauer, Ille Ambos.

The exhibition is supported by Estonian Cultural Endowment, Estonian Centre of Folk Culture, Kadrina Community Center, UAB Teksrena, and Elpec Ehitus.