Leelo-Mai Aunbaum

“An interesting thing, the right of way! Long, heavy trains race to all’parts of the country. The way is open at every point. Green lights can be seen everywhere; the track is clear. The moment a passenger approaches the right of way, which he amateurishly calls a railway station, his life is completely changed. From that moment, the citizen no longer is his own master. He is a passenger and begins to perform all the duties of one. These duties are many, though they are not unpleasant.“
Ilf, Petrov „Twelve Chairs“

The title of the exhibition is inspired by a great Russian novel „Twelve Chairs“ by Ilja Ilf and Jevgeni Petrov.
The main theme goes around two characters who seem to exist outside the well- organized, purposeful and productive Soviet Russia. This gives the authors the possibility to write about the great system from a perspective where they can laugh and theorize about the weak spots of the soviet society.
Thanks to the satirical approach towards the society the novel has still an effect even today.

The right of way is a poetical term that can be described as an everyone’s right to be and move about in the anonymous neutral places. Just like most of the places that the main characters travel through without looking back or even thinking of returning. All of these places have a memory of their own but they are different for each traveller.

The paintings at the exhibitions have also started from places that belong to everybody without belonging to someone specific. These transit locations have all stories of their own to tell.