In times when ongoing wars and a growing political thirst for ultimate power hidden behind slogans of order have introduced a permanent state of instability, indulging in a search for one’s own inner child might seem senseless and even irresponsible. Anarchism, chaos, escapism – all these words ring the bells of doom in the feverish minds of adults trying to keep their fragile lives in order while the rest of the world is on fire. Hundreds of daily chores that keep the productivity numbers up give a sense of control and the idea that important things are being done and the purpose of one’s existence as a dutiful human being is fulfilled. But, to use the words of American writer Ursula Le Guin, one can say that people who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. As somebody who sees the entrapment in this vicious coping mechanism as a one-way ticket to burnout, artist Eike Eplik disobeys and surrenders to creative chaos, offering her new exhibition as the platform for an intuitive, even visceral exploration of oneself.

Eplik’s solo exhibition is a playground for exhausted grown-ups who have forgotten the transformative effects and freedoms that a childlike openness and curiosity can present. Through playful rediscovery of her natural and youthful self, she questions the limitations and lack of imagination that the world of reason presents. Becoming a mother and observing her child’s free-spirited engagement with the world awakened in Eplik an urge to seek the same unapologetic courage to explore and nurture her inner child. In its own way, this project is a return to Eplik’s childhood world in the countryside near Rapla. This is a place where your fantasies create different worlds to explore, and neither the space nor the body suffers from limits built by rules. The closet can become a nightclub, the outdoors an extension of one’s body, melting into the forest or the mud.

Borrowing from German philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer the idea that art is play, we can say that Eplik protests against control, not by encouraging destruction, but by engaging in a seemingly goalless activity. She dives into this playful world-building process using layering techniques. A story upon story, world upon world, materials on other materials, images and forms, while the viewer’s task is to peel these layers off to discover the raw meat underneath. The space in this process becomes a multi-diverse communal organism full of childhood memories, fantasies and dreams, as well as explorations of biodiversity and interspecies connectivity.

This garden-like place is filled with different organic-looking forms – earthy clay sculptures resembling termite houses and turtle shelves, tufted meadows, movable platforms with stones, earth and plants, and shiny cut-out silhouettes reflecting childlike fairy tales inspired by Eplik’s personal mythologies and the environment surrounding her son. All the works are connected, while each represents its singular ecosystem. It is an intuitive space where the gardener follows the life forms and their movement instead of moulding them to her needs and wishes. It all mixes and morphs, never truly taking one recognisable shape.

Gadamer stresses that artwork is a dynamic, communicative, communal event that is incomplete without engaged participants. Through the exhibition, Eplik builds an inviting space that encourages visitors to loosen the strings of control and awaken a sense of unlimited possibilities, joy and the love life can give.