A social art project giving a voice to young people who often go unnoticed.

Children who need love the most often do not know how to ask for it in a lovable manner.

(Child protection specialist)

Hold me dearly is an expressive and heartfelt exhibition, which was born in cooperation with young people living in closed child care institutions (the Estonian acronym is KLAT). The exhibition presents to viewers stories about children and teens whose behaviour is often rooted in trauma, fear, rejection and a lack of belonging. It is an exhibition about noticing, about what happens when a child is left alone and what a single warm look, trust and genuine presence of another human being can accomplish.

Hold me dearly is part of the Kumu inner courtyard programme dedicated to the museum’s 20th birthday. Entrance is free of charge.

The project was initiated by the artist Marta Vaarik, whose solo exhibition under the same title was held in the Vabaduse Gallery in 2022. The exhibition later served as the basis for a feature documentary and a broader concept for a travelling exhibition. This display is the culminating chapter of that journey.

The exhibition gives a voice to the youth who often get society’s attention only when something goes wrong. Instead of labelling them or simplifying their stories, the project creates a space where they can speak for themselves, choose a suitable format and decide how they want to be seen. The central question of the exhibition is: how do we notice the person behind one’s behaviour?

The young voices participating in this project grew up in an environment where a sense of safety was fragile or completely lacking. Living in a constant fight-and/or-flight mode leaves a mark on a child’s development, relationships and self-esteem, and may lead to behavioural difficulties, self-harm or other forms of risky behaviour. What such a child needs is to be understood, listened to and noticed, not judged.

Juri and Marta held workshops where each young individual searched for a suitable way of telling their story. All in all, a few dozen young people participated in the process, and eleven of them decided to be part of this exhibition. Each participant chose a suitable medium for their art: photo, collage, installation, sculpture, sound, music or short film. As a result, these are works that speak earnestly, directly and boldly.

The installation-like environment created in Kumu’s inner courtyard integrates the works into a “social sculpture park”: a bus stop, a vendor’s booth, a car, a playhouse and other mundane objects you can hide in have been turned into places where personal stories meet the public space. Viewers can move through an environment in which experiences that people usually shy away from have been made visible.