Pavel Rotts Opens Installation in Narva Castle Park

The artist Pavel Rotts will present the installation “Climbing on Shards of Memory”. The installation resembles a classic climbing wall. The unique feature of this wall is that the colorful holds depict Baroque elements such as the head of an angel or a soaring Hercules. These Baroque fragments originate from the ruins left after the bombing of Narva 80 years ago and are part of the Narva Museum's collection. The artist used these elements to create forms, which he then cast in plastic, giving people the opportunity to touch them.

This is a continuation of the artist's project “Climbing a Memory”, in which he explores climbing as a method of working with trauma. In his research, he gathered material on how climbing as a sport helps many people find mental clarity and cope with personal or collective traumas. In his first project, he climbed bomb craters in Helsinki, reflecting on the complex past between Russia and Finland from the perspective of an Ingrian Finn. With his project, he moved to Narva — a city with which he also has a personal family connection, thus continuing to explore the complex past both within and outside himself.

The public installation offers an alternative way of understanding a difficult past and the possibilities of engaging with it in an urban space.

On the same day, at 6:00 PM, a themed city tour will take place with Madis Tuuder, Chief Inspector of Monuments Protection (starting point — the park by the castle).

During the walk through the old town with Madis Tuuder, we will talk about the tragic events that took place in Narva during World War II. The focus will be on the events of 1944, but we will also touch on earlier and later events. Language: EST/RUS (FREE)

Pavel Rotts (born 1982 in Petrozavodsk) is a multifaceted artist working in media such as installation, sculpture, performance, and artistic research. Since 2015, Pavel has been living in Helsinki. He earned a master's degree from the University of the Arts Helsinki (2022), studied at the St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Industry named after A.L. Stieglitz (2004), and graduated from the Pro Arte Institute in St. Petersburg in 2008. Pavel often uses his Ingrian Finnish identity as a starting point in his work.

• Artist: Pavel Rotts
• Curator: Kerli Ritval
• Architect: Marco Manfredino
• Graphic Design: Lyubov Terukova
• The exhibition was supported by: Soome Kultuurkapital Foundation, Eesti Kultuurkapital Foundation, NART, Narva Museum