Press Release:

The solo show of Estonian artist Madlen Hirtentreu, titled “Shepherds of the Bunker" will open on Saturday, February 3rd at Eldem Art Space | Fırın.

"Shepherds of the Bunker" offers a space of experience where ideas and concerns about the rapidly changing world we inhabit are embodied as artifacts. From a post-human perspective, emphasizing respect and kindness towards the fading world and those that no longer live among us, the exhibition explores ways to encourage the discovery and formation of contemporary lullabies. Interested in a formal-conceptual iterative approach and surgical conditions, the artist uses the abject and technology in an integrated manner in her work. 

Organized with the support of SAHA Sustainability Fund, “Shepherds of the Bunker" is envisioned as an installation spanning the entire space with Madlen Hirtentreu's previous works and the productions she made during her 1-month residency. Using recycled or modified found objects, steel, ceramics, sound works, shadow and light plays, the work reflects a dreamlike, lost future. The artist's sculptures and sound installations, created with a mechanical-romantic approach and a Frankenstein-like technical touch, take us into the imagination of a world in which the ecological balance is irreversibly disturbed, but at the same time twisted in vision. In this world where breath is the greatest virtue, it gives voice to those who remain trapped in order to bring together the lands we have forgotten or have not yet set foot on.

Madlen Hirtentreu (Estonia, 1993) completed her undergraduate studies in Visual Culture and Economy in Milan. After completing a two-year program in Material Technology, she specialized in Installation and Sculpture in Tallinn, obtaining a master's degree.

Madlen Hirtentreu's 4th solo exhibition "Shepherds of Refuge" can be seen every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 12:00-18:30 at Eldem Art Space Bakery between February 3 - May 5.