Treatment of Strawberry Mania

23.07.- 28.10.2020
Treatment of Strawberry Mania by Kairo

For Kairo, the works of Paul Kondas, and especially the painting “Strawberry-eaters”, are associated with everything that in her opinion is good about naive art. In 2011, she made a simplified version of the “Strawberry-eaters” under the Vabaduse bridge in Tartu; under the name Sorro. Over nine years, Kairo’s work under the bridge has received a number of additions: the couples have yielded to the (strawberry) temptation, lived to the fullest; many new friends and enemies have joined them; there are strong words and soft drugs in the air.

Over the time, the strawberry has developed into a symbol for the artist – a symbol, which affects her senses like a siren’s cry. When creating works for this exhibition, the ‘pathogen’ that the artist had long carried in her body broke out and developed into the current strawberry mania. Hundreds of painted strawberries travel from one well-known masterpiece in art history to another, meeting supporters and enemies of naive art on their way; there is tension and expectation in the air. Onlookers can see what happens if you follow the call of the sirens.

What about treatment and cure, however? Over the period of preparing the exhibition it has become evident that the therapy is highly individual and experimental and, quite possibly, lifelong treatment is required.

Kairo (b. 1986) is a self-taught artist who started painting in 2009. She lives in the Supilinn suburb in Tartu, and her street art works can be found in various places all over Tartu. In 2019, Kairo had a solo exhibition in Tartu Art House.