Marita Liivak “Love Letter in the Flesh”
“The theme is not conceptually groundbreaking—it’s simply the naked female body. The idea is to showcase many different bodies. I want people to spend more time with diverse bodies.” commented Marita Liivak
"I believe that by spending time with things, something may change, perhaps even in a person’s behavior," said Kaisa, who shared her experiences after spending a month with a painting Marita Liivak painted of her.
Trailer for the exhibition: A Love Letter in the Flesh
On Thursday, January 4th, at 7:00 PM, Victoria Olt Gallery opened Marita Liivak's new painting exhibition, A Love Letter in the Flesh. The exhibition brought together women, their stories, and nude paintings. This exhibition emerged from the artist's personal journey with her own body. After years of painting her own body and observing it as a work of art, she eventually realized that her gaze had softened. Where once there was judgment, curiosity, admiration, and acceptance had taken its place.
However, the story of one body is only one perspective. For this reason, Liivak wanted to explore whether a similar process could happen for other women. She proposed a hypothesis: "Art has the power to heal the way we see our bodies." Following this idea, she invited several women to embark on a journey with her. She asked them to share the story of their bodies on paper and then display a portrait of themselves in a visible place. The next step was for the women to spend a month looking at the painting of their body, after which they were interviewed on video, reflecting on the emotions and experiences that emerged during the process.
This journey raised many important and intriguing questions for both the subjects and the artist herself. The resulting exhibition, a symbiosis of stories, paintings, and video interviews, opened a window into the inner world of women—a world filled with vulnerability, acceptance, grief, and love.
"I have experienced this, and others have too—reaching self-love through art," said Darja, who also spent a month with a painting. "It doesn't even have to be art that depicts your body. It doesn't have to touch on the body at all. But if it touches your body, the path to self-love becomes even shorter."
Marita Liivak studied painting at both the Pallas University of Applied Sciences in Tartu and the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania, Italy (BA). Her intuitive creative process blends with masterful technique. By channeling her life experiences through art, she develops motifs that push the boundaries of comfort. She uses vibrant colors, large-format canvases, and sensual figures to explore themes ranging from mental health and sexuality to the comedy, awkwardness, and sincerity of everyday life. Though primarily inspired by her own life and emotions, Liivak’s work remains open to various interpretations. Once her pieces are made public, they begin a life of their own, independent of the artist.