In 2017 Outset Estonia supported newly commissioned performance by Flo Kasearu for the Estonian Pavilion Without Walls at the Performa 17 Biennial in New York.
Kasearu’s performance 'Ainult liikmetele (Members Only)' was a site-specific project in the New York Estonian House, dealing with the issues of the American Estonian diaspora and the then members of the House, taking place in all of the 10 different rooms of the three-story Beaux-Arts building in Manhattan’s Murray Hill. The project created a new narrative for the house, and by using humour and absurdity referred to the complex issues of national identity. Each room has been taken over by performers and presents a scene that has been inspired by the history of the House, or the personal story of the performer or the artist herself. Directed and staged by Flo Kasearu, these people and tiny uncanny details became a collection of surreal stories of the House. The project was an echo of the Flo Kasearu House Museum in Tallinn, in which the artist has turned her family’s home and personal living space into a public museum.
During the biennial, Flo Kasearu and Kadri Sepp, the manager of The Estonian House New York, led guided tours in the Estonian House and Kasearu discussed her work with Laurel Ptak, executive director and curator at Art in General.
Flo Kasearu (1985) lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia. In her artistic practice, she uses a variety of mediums, including drawing, photography, video, sculpture and installation, to address a wide range of complex issues, such as national identity, tradition and ideological thinking. One of her biggest art projects is the self-titled Flo Kasearu House Museum in Estonia, which is her family home turned into a public museum.
