On April 5,
the International Slow Art Day, the Estonian Open Air Museum will focus on the
installation by artist Sirje Runge, Great Love / Beautiful Decay.
The ten-meter oil painting Great Love, created by the artist in 2003, was installed at the Estonian Open Air Museum in August 2021. The artwork was mounted on a specially constructed metal frame and left to the mercy of nature. Sirje Runge: “Growth and decay are the change without beginning or end. It is the essence of the universe – terrifyingly beautiful and inevitable.”
Now, more than three and a half years later, the installation, set in a boulder field among tall trees near the Aarte farmstead, continues to transform. The silver-shimmering surface of the painting remains clean and reflects the light filtering through the bare tree crowns, yet in places, the canvas has begun to yield to the forces of nature. The changing seasons frame the artwork in their own way – spring and winter bathe it in light, while summer and autumn surround it with foliage of varying hues. The shifting landscape, weather conditions, scents, and sounds – growing stronger or fading near the sea – all play their part. At the heart of Great Love / Beautiful Decay lies the experience of perceiving change through multiple senses.
The
installation can be viewed in real-time at www.sirjerunge.eu.
To find the installation in the museum, follow the main road from the entrance to the Nätsi windmill, then turn right toward the Pulga farmstead and continue in the direction indicated by the signpost leading onto the forest path to the left.
A wide path leads to the artwork, making it accessible for wheelchair users as well.
