Artist Merle Sild

Artist Statement

During the early 90s, my homeland Estonia, gained victory for independence through a singing revolution. This was 5 years after the Baltic States had been affected by the Chernobyl disaster. It was a terrifying time. People in Scandinavia and Baltic felt vulnerable. Hidden behind the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Union blocked itself from an open contact with other states – it was a self-destruction under the label of self-defense. Now, 30 years later, trees in empty towns have grown as high as five story buildings like Kiefer’s  grass over the city, create an illusion and freedom – a liberation which acknowledges nature and human imagination.  Streets and houses around nuclear disaster area are still covered with human belongings like children’s toys, yet there is no sign of living souls. List of crucial problems and disasters give us no hope that  human mistakes won’t reoccur. Consequences of the Fukushima nuclear disaster caused by earthquake delivered an additional warning. It shows how vulnerable we are and how dependent we are of time and space and its activity. We are a part of it and ought to take responsibility to preserve the world to future generations. As a woman and a mother, I think about these issues daily. What kind of heritage do we have to leave to our children and their children at times of political conflicts, experiments with nuclear power, and environmental disruption? Is there someone who will take responsibility and blame for human mistakes or will we continue to blame demons we are fighting for centuries? Memories we left behind are following us.