Mara Ljutjuk

The Unforgettable Ones

March 13 – April 10, 2022

The paintings on this exhibition capture reflections of a woman’s emotions, fragments of her daily life, and her inner musings.

Mara Ljutjuk always held a deep respect for women, especially the ones who’ve played a role in her own life. They have been, for her, a source of inspiration, fascination, and surprises. She is continually amazed by their contradictory nature – a mesmerizing mixture of vitality and sensitivity. She says women are endowed with an incredible capability of being both enchantingly mysterious and determinedly resilient. They make an exciting subject for the artist by virtue of their complex and powerful inner world.

Mara Ljutjuk finds the unique beauty hidden in EVERY woman, and says this beauty blossoms fully when a woman can realize her skills, fulfil her needs, and achieve her goals. Women have also been given the greatest gift of all – the capacity to LOVE.

Some women live like a candle burning bright, some with reserved tenacity. Both have their ways of imprinting their unforgettable mark on those they share their journey with, of bringing something singularly original into the world.

CV

Mara Ljutjuk was born in 1978 in Tallinn. She graduated from the EAA painting department in 2001, and studied there for her M.A in education sciences. She further studied at the Valencia Universidad Politechnica in 2007. She’s a member of the Estonian Artists’ Association and the Estonian Painter Association since 2006.  She’s participated in numerous group exhibitions since 2000, and had her first solo exhibition in 2004.  Besides painting, she has been curating and designing exhibitions and events, including her grandfather Evald Okas’ Museum programme, and the festival “I Don’t Understand” at the Telliskivi Creative City in Tallinn. She was awarded the Gallery G Art Prize in 2019, and was nominated for the Konrad Mägi Art Prize in 2020.

Mara is a mother of three children (2009, 2012, 2015). She lives and works in Tallinn. Her paintings are simple in their form and narrative in their content, while offering something for each viewer to identify with. Her motives might appear familiar because of their connection to aspects of our surroundings, relationships and nuances of life. With a sensitive touch, she captures fleeting moments, fragments of life, scenes that speak either directly or metaphorically about our daily, cyclical wanderings.