Stencibility comes to Aberdeen

The exhibition “Hello Mister Police Officer” tells a story about small-town Robin Hoods breaking the law to bring art to the streets and make the environment more meaningful, fun and personal. The exhibition focuses on the work of four artists from Tartu, European Capital of Culture 2024, who share a common interest in working in public space: KAIRO, Stina Leek, GUTFACE and Edward von Lõngus. In June, the artists will be working both in the gallery and on the streets of Aberdeen.

Kairo is a self-taught artist that has been making work since 2009. She prefers the term naive artist as it describes the abundance of colour and detail in her works and a certain disinterest towards a realistic depiction of anatomy, space, and the like. Not to mention to signal the lack of a formal art education. Kairo is known for covering the utility boxes on her home street in the Supilinn district with paintings, even when working without permission while having a child and stroller.

Stina Leek is a young and furious freelance artist, founding member of the art collective Ajuokse (which translates to Brain Vomit) and the organiser of underground art gatherings. Her work is recognisable by the thick and wonky graphic line and bountiful eyeballs. For her, street art is communication without direct contact and showing yourself, every introvert’s dream.

Gutface is a low-brow artist whose roots are deep in the soil of East Estonia. You may find him rolling away under a bridge in Tartu, working on plywood cut-outs in his studio in Tartu or behind the wheel of a car that’s always packed with paint on his way to another wall. His natural curiosity is mixed with personal reflections that manifest in luscious forms and colours with a strong kick.

Edward von Lõngus is arguably the most famous of Estonian street artists. Adding to the mystery, Lõngus never reveals his face; according to the artist, he doesn’t even exist in physical form. Lõngus likes to play around with cultural codes, and every piece deals with relevant issues. He stunned the public by receiving state support as an illegal street artist to tour Europe for two years between 2017-2018 as part of the 100th Anniversary of the Estonian Republic.
“Though street art is often thought of in connection with big cities – such as London, New York or Berlin – a rich and versatile street art culture can also be found in small towns. The exhibition is about the street art of Tartu, a small wooden town with only 100 000 inhabitants that is often called the street art capital of Estonia. We support the attitude of bringing the desired change in public space yourself instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you,” says curator Kadri Lind.

The opening is June 7 at 19:00 at The Print Room gallery on 252A Union Street. The exhibition is organised by the international street art festival Stencibility and is both part of Nuart Aberdeen and the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 programme in Europe. The touring exhibition was shown in Berlin last summer, and will be travelling to Tallinn next year.

The event is supported by Tartu 2024, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and the Estonian Embassy in London.