Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design
“Garbage Kids. Shadow Objects” is an exhibition that brings together eight handcrafted objects created by the Estonian-Georgian collective Garbage Kids – Luka Abashidze, Ulla Alla and Nika Gabiskiria.
Garbage Kids create each piece like a fable. Their objects are meant to be experiences rather than furniture admired for their aesthetic perfectionism. In their work, they look for the ungraspable nature of myths. In this exhibition, shadows are a medium they decided to play with, twisting predictable paths and nature and giving the objects an extra dimension and character.
The driving force behind the work of Garbage Kids is their frustration with a society that prioritises growth over sustainability and encourages overconsumption in a world with limited resources. As a response, they use traditional craftsmanship and folk wisdom to create objects from found materials, such as broken branches, scrap metal and stones from abandoned quarries. The materials for “Shadow Objects” have been sourced and hand-picked during walks in Georgia and Estonia, utilising walnut, oak offcuts from a winery, linden wood, and more.
Garbage Kids’ practice is intuitive, explorative, and strives for freedom. Depending on the piece, they will start from a fantasy or the material itself. Their design works in connection with the vernacular, as they base their designs on local traditions, intuition, materials and ecological knowledge.
Curator: Sandra Nuut
Objects and exhibition designer: Garbage Kids
Graphic designer: Rita Davis
Curator: Sandra Nuut
Exhibition team: Katharina Kala, Kristi Paap, Toomas Übner
Language editors: Hille Saluäär (Estonian), Michael Haagensen (English)
More info on the museum’s website
Photos by Karel Koplimets / ETDM