Narva is hosting the Artist’s Days this weekend and NART artists-in-residence are also taking part!
More info here.
➜ Violeta Ortega-Navarrete works with textiles, natural fibers and traditional techniques. In Narva, in Kreenholm, she is creating an in situ installation that explores the connection between humans and nature. The installation can be seen as part of Kreenholm art tours on Saturday (28.06 at 13.30 and 15.30) and Sunday (29.06 at 12.30, 14.30, 16.30).
➜ During the Kreenholm art tours, one can also visit Claire Laude’s drawing. She traces the river between Narva-Jõesuu and the Kreenholm factory — a border, a line both real and imagined, linking two cities whose histories and geographies are tightly entwined. Her drawing explores the fragile bond between mark and map, place and memory. Through her work with maps and plans, Claire questions the boundary between representation and reality.
➜ Vera Pirogova is a director and screenwriter. On Sunday 29.06 at 17.30 everyone is welcome to the cinema hall on the second floor of NART. Performance “When Love Comes, Disease Disappears” is based interviews with women from Narva who have experienced gynecological illnesses and share personal stories of pain, fear, disappointment with doctors, and their own paths toward healing. Using the headphone verbatim technique, actresses voice the real words of these women, preserving the anonymity of the speakers and helping to bring attention to taboo topics and issues in the medical system. On stage are Svetlana Vizanskaya, Gelena Gusseva, and Jelena. Performance in Russian with English subtitles.
More about Violeta’s installation:
The installation intends to reflect on continuity, as a concept opposed to separation. With the idea of being able to perceive ourselves as part of life and what exists on the planet. In a continuity that raises on the one hand the equality in the value of the existence of life, whether plant, animal or human life and on the other hand the “natural origin” of the objects that surround us, thinking that our objects, clothes, inorganic waste, tools, houses … can be considered on the same level as the tools and objects created by other animals.
The installation will be composed of multiple chains woven with wool mainly, which form nets, hang, tighten or simply rest on the ground, extending. These allude to organic forms of non-human construction such as animal nests, root growth or organic structures in general.
With the idea of respecting the environment, reducing the impact of our lives on the planet, the installation is planned to be made with natural fibers such as wool, linen or second-hand cotton in their natural colors (not dyed).
It is planned to be ready to be placed in Kreenholm before Artist’s Day of Narva, however I would like that if visitors want, they can participate by weaving the net a little bit more.
More about Vera’s performance:
Verbatim Performance – “When love enters, the disease leaves.”
Do you believe that an illness can disappear if a person changes something in their inner state?
Between 20% and 80% of women around the age of 50 experience gynecological health issues. Yet these topics often remain unspoken — not only in society, but even within families — due to their intimate and taboo nature.
This performance is part of a larger documentary project I am currently working on. As part of the research, I conduct interviews with women of different ages from Narva, experiencing problems with women’s health. The participants open up about their experiences with illness, skepticism toward conventional medicine, and the inner strength they rely on to heal.
Some time ago, my relative was also diagnosed with uterine myomes (benign tumors) and was advised to undergo surgery. However, instead of the operation, she decided that if she changed her behavior, the myomes would dissolve. At first, I was very skeptical about this, but over time, I began to understand her better. Many interviews revealed stories of traumatic experiences with the medical system — one that, in many cases, inherited the harshness and emotional neglect of Soviet-era healthcare.
During Artist Day, a verbatim performance will be presented based on excerpts from these interviews. The actresses will voice the words of real women using the headphone verbatim technique, preserving the tone and rhythm of natural speech. This approach allows the interviewees to remain anonymous while sharing deeply personal stories and highlighting health issues that often stay hidden behind a curtain of privacy.
Time: 17:30, Sunday, 29.06.25
Duration: approx. 25 minutes
Venue: NART Amalia Cinema Hall
Language: Russian with English subtitles
Director: Vera Pirogova
Actresses: Svetlana Vizanskaja, Gelena Gusseva, Elena