Anu Põder was a sculptor whose practice remained relatively unknown to an international audience until recently.
2021 Biennial Year Find out more
Interested in the fragility and impermanence or human-like ‘lifespan’ of materials, Põder favoured the use of textile, wax, plaster, soap, glue, plastic and wood throughout her artistic career. She began working in the 1970s within the context of a so-called ‘bronze age’ within Estonian art, when the visual language of heavy and solid materials such as bronze and granite was dominant. Conversely, Põder explored the capacity of materials to deteriorate, corrode and change appearance. Recent exhibitions include Baltic Triennial, Lithuania (2018) and the major retrospective Anu Põder: Be Fragile! Be Brave! at Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn (2017).
Liverpool Biennial 2021
'Tongues'
Anu Põder’s set of sculptures titled ‘Tongues’ (1998) from Tate’s Collection were presented at Tate Liverpool. Showing various stages of decay and corrosion, Põder’s sculptures are realistic representations of the human tongue, cut and exaggerated in size, and cast from soap. Working while Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union, Põder’s use of everyday materials alludes to the domesticity expected of women, while the violent imagery of a human tongue removed from its mouth evokes notions of silencing, apprehension and fear. The enlarged size of the tongues gives weight to their presence, emphasising the vitalness of freedom of expression.
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Anu Põder, Tongues, 1998. Courtesy of Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn. Photo: Hedi Jaansoo
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Anu Põder, Tongues, 1998. Installation view at Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Rob Battersby
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Anu Põder, Tongues, 1998. Installation view at Tate Liverpool, Liverpool Biennial 2021. Photography: Rob Battersby
