First international retrospective by Anu Põder

Her depictions of the human body are fragile, impermanent, formed from unconventional materials such as plastic, burlap or wool: Estonian artist Anu Põder (1947-2013) was not interested in political art in the sense of the Soviet Union, but in people's inner lives. For her, the outer appearance was a reflection of the inner. Põder's work is characterized by two epochs: the Soviet occupation of Estonia from 1940 and the independence of her country from 1991. At first she seemed like an art rebel, then she was seen as an artistic voice for the young country in times of great uncertainty about its own identity. The chronologically organized exhibition Anu Põder: Space for My Body is the artist's first retrospective outside of her home country. It runs from January 3 to June 30 at MUZEUM SUSCH, which is only a few years old.

The MUZEUM SUSCH opened in 2019 to promote discussion and research. It was founded by the Polish entrepreneur and art patron Grażyna Kulczyk and also impresses with its unusual location: it is situated on the site of a former 12th century monastery in the remote village of Susch with just over 200 inhabitants in the Swiss Alps. Anu Põder: Space for My Body was curated by Cecilia Alemani, who was responsible for the artistic direction of the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.