'Crystal Grid' ‒ Paul Kuimet
-‘Crystal Grid’ is a series of photo collages that combines fragments of plants photographed in various botanical gardens around the world on a single surface. The collage pattern of each work is a variation of a grid based on the roof structure of the central transept of the Crystal Palace, which was built for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851.
The analogue production process of the work simultaneously emphasizes and obscures the indexical relationship of the photograph to the places where the photographs were taken. The collages are presented in sets of two, three or four, all of which contain fragments of each other that have been scrambled by the grid. The titles indicate the locations of the photographs.
These works are juxtaposed with ‘What It Is to Be What You Are Not’ – a series of assemblages composed of luminograms with an added layer of dried plant leaves on top. The composition of the works uses geometric forms abstracted from the ‘Crystal Grid’ series. In the coexistence of the luminogram and dried plants a fascinating mirror image appears. Essentially, live plants feed on light via the photosynthesis that is mainly carried out by the leaves. A dried leaf no longer feeds on light, whereas in the case of luminograms, it is the surface of the image that essentially feeds on it.
Paul Kuimet (born 1984) lives and works in Tallinn. He works with photography, 16mm film and installations of these media. He studied at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In 2018 he participated in the residency programmes at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels and at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York. Kuimet has recently exhibited at Tartu Art Museum (2023), WIELS Project Space, Brussels (2021), FUGA: Budapest Center of Architecture (2021), and Tallinn Art Hall (2020).
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Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Crystal Grid 33 – 34 (Rome - Tallinn)
Photocollage, C-print on Aluminium composite, epoxy resin
47,5 cm x 47,5 cm, each, 2020 – 2023 -
Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Crystal Grid 21 – 23 (Ghent - Meise - Brooklyn)
Photocollage, C-print on Aluminium composite, epoxy resin
47,5 cm x 47,5 cm, each, 2020 – 2023 -
Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Crystal Grid 24 – 26 (Brooklyn - Tallinn - Meise)
Photocollage, C-print on Aluminium composite, epoxy resin
47,5 cm x 47,5 cm, each, 2020 – 2023 -
Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Crystal Grid 35 – 36 (Tallinn - Rome)
Photocollage, C-print on Aluminium composite, epoxy resin
47,5 cm x 47,5 cm, each, 2020 – 2023 -
Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Crystal Grid 16 – 17 (Frankfurt am Main - Meise)
Photocollage, C-print on Aluminium composite, epoxy resin
47,5 cm x 47,5 cm, each, 2020 – 2023 -
Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'
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Paul Kuimet, Crystal Grid 27 – 29 (Ghent - Bronx - Rome)
Photocollage, C-print on Aluminium composite, epoxy resin
47,5 cm x 47,5 cm, each, 2020 – 2023 -
Paul Kuimet, Crystal Grid 37 – 40 (Tallinn - Meise - Copenhagen - Tartu)
Photocollage, C-print on Aluminium composite, epoxy resin
47,5 cm x 47,5 cm, each, 2020 – 2023 -
Paul Kuimet, Installation view 'Crystal Grid'