Schools and preschools

before your visit

Many of the titles of Anna Estarriola’s works are like miniature stories, while others are much more simplified. Especially in contemporary art, the title of an artwork does not always directly reveal what is depicted, rather, it gives us a clue to what angle the work can be viewed from (think, for example, of the titles of films or pieces of music). In this assignment, students pick the title of a work in Estarriola’s exhibition from the list below and make a new interpretation of it. The teacher can decide the medium, or students can choose one freely (e.g. painting, text, soundtrack or performance – the work’s original medium does not matter).

• Piles of things
• Fortune tells that we will move to the Moon, we will turn the Moon into a narcissistic and self-centered entity, and this will have side effects
• Muffled
• An Instrument to see things that are too small for the naked eye
• Ongoing
• Our weight in ashes is 3,5% of our body mass, I have ordered my ashes in blue, I want to become blue stardust reaching the moon
• The System
• Moment

When you come visit the exhibition, you can investigate the works and see how they differ from your own versions. And what do they have in common? Why do you think Estarriola has given the work this particular title?

The museum’s discussion guides can help you locate artworks on the spot!

on the spot

Captured motion, rhythm, and a sound rising from deep within. Anna Estarriola also works with performance art. In performance art, the human body serves as the primary material for creating art. In many of the pieces in the exhibition the body becomes the object of study – sometimes even Estarriola’s own body, as in My Last Choreography and Muffled.

What happens in our bodies when we enter a museum and come face to face with art? During the exhibition tour, pause at some of the works (for example, My Last Choreography, Moment, or Ongoing). Spend some time with each work and shift your attention to your own body. Try to identify the part of your body where you feel the work most. What sort of sensation is it? Does it change or move around, perhaps it spreads out or fades? You can trace the sensation within your body with your finger, or you can each investigate the sensation in your own pace.

on the spot

Communication isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes the message simply doesn’t get through, or it gets lost in translation. Sometimes speech flows freely but understanding zigzags. Many of Anna Estarriola’s works deal with communication difficulties, uncertainties – and things that bring joy. You can see from the labels that she collaborates extensively with various professionals, so that doing things together and building up connections are also powerfully present in the actual working process.

And how does the communication work between you? The aim of this pair assignment is to construct a shared story about a selected work. Each pair selects an artwork and examines it closely (any will do). Their task is to answer the question together: What is happening in it? The pair complete each other’s sentences as follows:

A starts the sentence,
B finishes it and starts a new sentence,

A finishes the sentence and starts a new one

And so on. Does this create a shared story? How did it feel? The assignment is not a failure even if no shared understanding arises – the most interesting insights may be hidden in disagreements and moments of uncertainty. You can also write the story down and illustrate it in school after your visit.

after the visit

Anna Estarriola’s exhibition interweaves the mundane and the sacred. Where does the sacred hide, and in what forms does it appear? The biggest work in the exhibition, Piles of Things, forms wobbly stacks that take our thoughts to the human need to reach out for something higher. But can a pile of things be sacred? The smallest work in the exhibition, Transportable Altar for a Divinity, can be seen as a tribute to valuable, but often invisible, labour.

These assignments explore perspective, scale, and the way values are expressed in art. The assignments can be done either as group or individual tasks.

1. Choose a work of art to investigate from the viewpoint of value. Figurative works are particularly good here (for example, still-life paintings or portraits from different periods; Here are a few examples that can be used). First, study everything you can find in the work – objects, people, or other figures, buildings, animals, landscapes, symbols etc… What elements or things seem important? Do certain things get more attention or weight than others? If so, how has the artist expressed this? For example, consider the size of the objects, their place in the composition, and the use of colours or light.

2. It is time to show some respect! Is there something or someone in your everyday life that deserves special attention and gratitude? Plan and make your own tributes to something that is important to you. You can draw, paint, work with recycled objects, or use other suitable techniques. Consider how you will express appreciation through, for example, scale, composition, choices of materials, and colours.

on the spot / after your visit

You can try out Amos Rex’s Ou card game in the Staged Circumstances and Piles of Things exhibition. The game is suitable for anyone who wants to talk about art and about what it feels like – but might need a little inspiration. Our staff are happy to help if you can’t find the cards! The card game goes with any exhibition. Teachers get a 15% discount on the game if they buy it from the Amos Rex Shop.

• No drinks, backpacks or large bags are allowed in the exhibition space.
  Even just a single spilled drop of fluid can ruin an artwork. Large bags and backpacks, on the other hand, can scratch the works if in contact with them by accident.
• Please take photos, but without flash.
  The works are sensitive to light, and for example drawings and paintings fade in the light.
• Works should not be touched unless otherwise mentioned. 
  They may be damaged or become dirty, or move away from their original position.
• Please consider other groups during your visit. 
  If you are visiting without a guide, please make space for guided groups in the exhibition space.
• The teacher is responsible for the group during the visit. 

Remember also

• Unfortunately, the museum does not have a separate space for eating snacks. If the weather permits, we recommend a snack break on the domes of the museum courtyard! There are also cafés next to the museum.