According to a press release, Kapajeva's aim with the exhibition is to foster a more nuanced dialogue regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has led to the continual exposure of harrowing imagery.

Consequently, a process of desensitization has transpired, rendering people less able to empathize with the enduring violence faced by real individuals still fighting for their lives in Ukraine. The intricate details, nuances, and personal narratives have been reduced to easily shareable content that briefly crosses our screens before fading into obscurity.

The artworks selected and created for the exhibition stem from the necessity to provide a platform for the personal accounts of those who have fled Ukraine, as well as the artist's own imperative to express and scrutinize her suppressed anger regarding the ongoing conflict. In this exhibition, there are no images of war; instead, viewers are presented with works that demand time to engage with them – to be read, listened to, and truly heard.

According to the press release, these artworks compel us to scrutinize the language of the oppressor, where imperialist ambitions lurk behind ostensibly positive rhetoric. We encounter intimate tales of despair and devastation, yet also of hope and compassion. We are invited into a tumult of emotions, ultimately finding catharsis in releasing the anger buried deep within us.

Maria Kapajeva, who was born in the Soviet Union, raised in independent Estonia, and educated in the U.K., has found herself in an involuntary position of "the other."

This position, which she has embraced and incorporated as a cornerstone of her artistic practice, propels her to investigate a diverse spectrum of cultural identity and gender issues within historical and contemporary contexts. Utilizing various mediums – including video, photography, textiles, and installations – she brings to the forefront elements that are frequently overlooked or relegated to the periphery of our vision

"Hear My Scream, Listen To Their Dreams" is open at Tallinn's Draakoni Gallery until May 11. More information is available here.

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