On Friday, May 9 at 17:00, the vernissage of Diana Yanson’s exhibition “Women in Lines” and the presentation of Kairi Ilison’s poetry collection “49+1 Poems” takes place in the Estonian House in Stockholm, at 34 Wallingatan. “Women in Lines” is a delicately drawn narrative about being a woman, about emotions and their elusive shades.
In the world of digital reality, it is easy to lose the depth of emotions, but art continually reminds us of genuine experiences. Diana Yanson’s graphics, presented at the exhibition “Women in Lines”, are a subtle conversation about feelings and their fleeting nuances. The line in her works is not just a contour but living emotion. In Matisse and Picasso, the line is form and rhythm, but for Yanson, it is anticipation, an intuition, the breath of a moment. These works expose vulnerability, doubt, and love, but also a premonition of something. Because “Time goes by, but feelings remain.”
The poetry collection „49+1 poems“ is Kairi Ilison’s debut in English in the world of poetry. It is a selection of poems that spans over 30 years. Kairi is fascinated by the contradictory human nature. She calls herself an eternal optimist hidden in the shadow of a pessimist. Together with Diana Yanson, who has illustrated and designed the book, the two friends explore the essence of femininity in words and in pictures. Diana’s illustrations are minimalistic one-line drawings – simple but complex, sensual and emotional. They manifest lightness and ease and yet go soul-deep and show how vulnerable and fragile we are.
Diana Yanson is a graphic designer with long and diverse experience, living and working in Tallinn. She has been Creative Director and Designer at the Russian Theatre for over 12 years. Diana started drawing at the age of three. She holds two bachelor’s degrees in graphic arts – one from the Ivanovo Higher Art School in Russia and the other from the Estonian Academy of Arts. Diana is a member of the Estonian Watercolourists’ Association, has collaborated with the Kadriorg Museum, designed exhibitions and books, and has worked for several years on the visual identity of the Old Town Days. Diana is also the curator of the Russian Theatre’s art gallery. Her works have been exhibited since 1990; she has held several solo exhibitions and participated in various exhibitions in Tallinn. Just before the exhibition in Stockholm, posters designed by Diana for the Russian Theatre were displayed at the Design and Architecture Gallery in Tallinn.
Kairi Ilison has a long experience in writing in various languages. She majored in English in 1997 and has an MSc in Public Administration from the Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia. During her studies, she worked as a journalist and then joined the international PR firm Hill & Knowlton. She continued her career in the financial sector where she has held various specialist and leader roles with the primary focus on risk management for over 25 years. She writes for fun and contributes to a magazine published by the Association of Estonians in Sweden. She has translated poems from Swedish to Estonian and from Estonian and Swedish to English, written historic overviews, interviews and articles which have been published in various channels – books, newspapers, electronic channels.
Nothing is perfect and yet it is
The greyish sky which lent its
Summer turquoise to equatorial lagoons
And conjured misshaped white tuffs over the longing earth
Together with drowsy sunrises and hungover sunsets
It forms a harmonious orchestra
Playing a beautiful improvisation of transformation
Beyond the mastery of man-made artNothing is perfect and yet it is
A new day is born from yesterday’s ashes
With unsurpassed glamour in its connections, transitions and flow
In being functional, alive and receptive to change.Imperfection is the most perfect thing ever.
Extract from the poem “Nothing is perfect”.
The event on May 9 and the exhibition are organised in collaboration with the Estonian Cultural Foundation (Eesti Kultuuri Koondis) in Sweden.