Open architecture lecture: Lara Almarcegui

he Open Lecture series of the EKA Faculty of Architecture will take place in the spring of 2024 under the general title Unlearning.

The lecture series aims to engage with values, imaginaries and systems of knowledge that shape the contemporary fields of architecture and urbanism. Unlearning is coordinated by Maroš Krivý, professor of Urban Studies.

According to Gayatri Spivak, for example, unlearning concerns not only what is said, but also what is not said as part of an ideological formation. There is now a broad push to transform design from a practice subservient to elite interests to a comprehensive, interdisciplinary practice capable of responding to a range of social and environmental urgencies. As part of this transformation, the four lectures engage with existing architectural imaginaries while proposing alternative ones.

On May 2, Lara Almarcegui will present in the EKA hall a lecture “Construction Rubble, Wastelands and Mining Rights: who owns the ground and who can extract it”.

The work of Lara Almarcegui poses questions about the current state of the construction, development, use, and decay of spaces that are apparently peripheral to the city. In her large- scale projects she provokes a dialogue between the different elements that make up the physical reality of the urban landscape, in its constant transformation through demolitions, excavations, construction materials, and contemporary ruins.

Reflecting on extraction for the production of space, the raw material installations by Lara Almarcegui underline the relation between the constructed, the city, who owns its geology and the ground where it is settled. To highlight the large volumes involved and the materiality of the built environment, Almarcegui made piles of the gravel extracted each day by a quarry in the city of Basel, 1 000 tons. (project commissioned by Creative Time, Messe Basel, 2018). Inventories of construction materials were carried out to analyse the origins of the built environment: Sâo Paolo is built out of 446 million tons of concrete (Sâo Paulo Biennial 2006). M+ in Hong Kong, one of the most recent major museum projects, is made of 168 938 tons of gravel. 

Who owns ground and resources and who has the right to extract them? Legally, natural resources are publicly owned, but governments can grant them to mining companies in the form of exploration or extraction rights. As part of the inquiry on underneath ownership and who has the right to exploit these natural resources, Almarcegui has been acquiring exploration rights (Mineral Rights, Graz, 2015-ongoing). Tveitvangen, nearby Oslo, (2015-ongoing), the exploration mineral rights extend over an area of one square kilometre, and reach from the subsoil down to the centre of the earth.

Lara Almarcegui’s artistic practice explores the material aspects of land and urban space. She has worked in different cities, identifying abandoned, unused, or forgotten sites and examining the contemporary transformation processes brought about by social, political, and economic change. In recent years, Almarcegui has turned her attention to construction sites, in particular the composite materials used in the construction of new buildings and the cyclical relationship between land and architecture. Almarcegui represented Spain at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013).

The lectures are intended for all disciplines, not only for students and professionals in the field of architecture.

All lectures are held on Thursdays at 6 pm in the EKA main auditorium. All lectures are in English and free of charge.

Schedule of the spring lectures:

March 14 at 6 pm Jess Myers

April 4 at 6 pm Oulimata Gueye

April 18 at 6 pm Henriette Steiner

May 2 at 6 pm Lara Almárcegui

Within the framework of a series of open lectures, the Faculty of Architecture of EKA presents a dozen unique practitioners and valued theorists in the field in Tallinn every academic year. See all the lectures: www.avatudloengud.ee

The lecture series is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

May brings an opportunity to experience, in an exhibition format, works produced by students in the Faculty of Fine Arts as their term projects: every day there will be a fresh crop of university students’ works on display in the gallery.

Works in animation, contemporary art, installation and sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, scenography curricula will be on display. On each evening of the marathon, a new exhibition will be installed and in the evening the exhibit will give way to the next one. Hopefully, viewers will be able to keep up with the pace of the young artists.

On the day of the evaluation, the exhibition is open from 3 to 6 pm, exhibitions held over several days are open from 12 to 6 pm on the following day.

SCHEDULE:

Mon 29.04. Drawing, supervisors Maiu Rõõmus, Matti Pärk
Tue 30.04. Drawing, supervisors Eero Alev, Britta Benno
Wed 1.05. the gallery is closed
Thu 2.05. Drawing, supervisor Ulvi Haagensen
Fri 3.05. Drawing and painting, supervisors Britta Benno, Brenda Purtstak
Sat 4.05. – Sun 5.05. Abstract drawing, supervisor Lembe Ruben-Kangur

Mon 6.05. Photography, supervisor Madis Kurss
Tue 7.05. – Wed 8.05. Photography, supervisor Marge Monko
Thu 9.05. – Fri 10.05. Painting, supervisors Eero Alev, Mihkel Ilus, Holger Loodus, Jaan Toomik
Sat 11.05. – Sun 12.05. Painting, supervisors Sirja-Liisa Eelma, Kristi Kongi, Holger Loodus

Mon 13.05. Contemporary Art, supervisors Anu Vahtra, Kristi Kongi, Camille Laurelli, Marge Monko, Liina Siib, Taavi Talve, Eve Kask, Laura Põld, David K. Ross, Jaan Toomik, Reimo Võsa-Tangsoo
Tue 14.05. Printmaking, supervisors Maria Erikson, Merilin Metsamaa, Mirjam Varik, Lembe Ruben-Kangur, Sandra Puusepp
Wed 15.05. Animation, supervisors Lilli-Krõõt Repnau, Lucija Mrzljak, Anu-Laura Tuttelberg
Thu 16.05. Scenography, supervisors Liina Keevallik, Mark Raidpere
Fri 17.05. Scenography, supervisors Renzo Alexander Van Steenbergen
Sat 18.05. Drawing, supervisor Lilli-Krõõt Repnau
Sun 19.05. the gallery is closed

Mon 20.05. Printmaking, supervisors Eve Kask, Viktor Gurov, Erik Alalooga, Eve Kaaret, Monica Langwe

On Wednesday, April 24, from 17:30 to 19:00, there will be an information session on the master’s degree program in interior architecture. The meeting will take place in the common area of the Faculty of Architecture students of the EKA study building on the fourth floor (C-400). We will also broadcast the meeting on Zoom, which will also be recorded. The event will take place in Estonian.

In the information session, the head of the curriculum, Gregor Taul, will give an overview of the courses and projects that have taken place so far, on the one hand, and give a more detailed overview of the plans for next year. In addition, we will talk about admission and try to answer your questions.

You can familiarise yourself with the curriculum in advance in Tahvel. We also recommend looking at the department’s latest newspaper. Current information about student activities can also be found on the department’s website and on Facebook and Instagram.

If you are interested, please register via the Google form.

On Thursday, April 25, at 6 p.m., the exhibition “Allow Yourself to Change” will be opened in the ARS Project Space on the intersection of painting and artificial branches.

At the center of painting has always been humanity with its special flaws and virtues – the uniqueness and imperfection of the human hand, the inability to perform movements quickly and flawlessly and to repeat them identically has been the core of painting throughout the centuries-long history of the medium. While today’s artificial intelligence can create flawless forms at lightning speed, repeat them an infinite number of times, and draw images from the entire stock of human visual culture.

But what happens when the slow processuality of painting meets a working method that quickly and efficiently involves machine art instances and global data arrays? What role could an art oriented to deceleration have in the era of total acceleration, when people trust themselves more and more in the care of such technological systems, the working mechanisms of which they do not know, for the sake of efficiency, competitiveness and economic growth?

The exhibition features five Estonian artists, who in recent years have devoted themselves to the study of the relationship between painting and the artificial branch and cross traditional painting techniques with various digital technologies. Vano Allsalu feeds the artificial forest with paintings in his signature style and maps its capabilities in an abstract way of expression; Gerda Hansen plays with the idea of whether a painter of the era of machine art can step into the same river twice; Siiri Jüris allows his figural abstract paintings to mutate with the help of digital technology; Carl-Robert Kagge uses Photoshop’s generative fill feature to create painting screens, and Mart Vainre has developed an ouroboros analog-digital-analog color transformer. The curator of the exhibition is Liisa Kaljula, who works in the painting collection of the Estonian Art Museum and has curated several art exhibitions.

The preparation process of the exhibition is different from the usual curated group exhibition – the curator and the artists have met regularly in the studios of the participating artists to discuss the new situation in which art has been placed by the powerful appearance of the artificial branch: could painting, with its celebration of slowness, physical work and human error, be a counterculture of the age of digital acceleration? The temporary community created between the participants has helped to make sense of this moment in time, when the paths of painting and artificial branches inevitably cross and human and machine intertwine.

Artists: Vano Allsalu, Gerda Hansen, Siiri Jüris, Carl-Robert Kagge, Mart Vainre
Curator: Liisa Kaljula
Graphic design: Carl-Robert Kagge
Exhibition project manager: Mart Vainre
Installation: Johannes Säre

The exhibition “Allow yourself to change.” From painting in the age of machine art” will remain open in the ARS Projektiruumi until May 18, 2024.

The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Cultural Foundation and the Estonian Artists’ Union, the opening is supported by Põhjala.

In connection with the ARS Open Ateliers Day, on May 17th, tours conducted by the exhibition participants will take place, the finale of the exhibition will end with a discussion about the relationship between painting and new technologies.

ARS Projektiruum, Pärnu mnt 154, Tallinn

Open Mon-Sat 12-6pm

Free entrance

arsfactory.ee

EKA Pop-Up is the spring festival of the Estonian Academy of Arts in Telliskivi Creative City. We invite young and old to various workshops conducted by EKA students!

REGISTRATION

The following workshops are planned:

22.04 at 17:30 Abstract painting workshop (suitable for both young and old). Instructor: Santa Zukker
23.04 at 15:00 Painting with glass balls (suitable for both young and old). Instructor: Kaisa Uik
23.04 at 17:00 Painting with glass balls (suitable for both young and old). Instructor: Kaisa Uik
24.04 at 17:00 Crafting from leather strips (suitable for both young and old). Supervisors: Mariann Henrikson and Karolin Eks
25.04 at 15:30 abstract painting workshop (suitable for both young and old). Instructor: Santa Zukker
25.04 at 17:00 Textile printing with home tools (suitable for both big and small). Supervisor: Mari Maiste
28.04 at 13:00 Crafting from leather strips (suitable for both young and old). Supervisors: Mariann Henrikson and Karolin Eks
08.05 at 17:00 Textile printing with home tools (suitable for both big and small). Supervisor: Mari Maiste
The cost of the workshop is 10 euros – this amount includes the cost of materials. You can pay on the spot in cash or by bank card.

If you want to take part in the workshop, REGISTER HERE.

Also keep an eye on the EKA POP-UP Facebook page!

The event is supported by the Estonian Cultural Foundation.

Additional information:

I shook Leokin’s hand
katlin.leokin@artun.ee

On Thursday, 2nd of May at 6 pm the group exhibition titled “Forever in Bloom” will open at Vaal Gallery. The exhibition will remain open until 1st of June Tue–Fri 12–6 pm and Sat 12–4 pm.

Artists: Tõnis Jürgens, Loora Kaubi, Rebecca Norman, Viivi Saikkonen, Marleen Suvi, Roman-Sten Tõnissoo
Curator: Kaisa Maasik
Graphic design: Jaan Pavliuk

The group exhibition “Forever in Bloom” offers personal insights into stories of growing up. Meaning, how someone feels about themselves today and in their own body is directly determined by being in contact with others, coexisting, while staying true to themselves. The works in the exhibition express sincere feelings, perishability, sexuality and levels of comfort in one’s own body. It’s a tribute to growing up, a time during which you get to know different aspects about yourself, to let go of personal discomfort and other people’s expectations.

On May 15 at 6 pm, a tour of the exhibition led by the curator and artists, followed by the screening of Peeter Simm’s film “Multicolored Fairies” (1981) will take place at the exhibition. The event is free and is held in Estonian.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Ledzep Group.
Opening drinks from Põhjala Brewery.

More info:
Kaisa Maasik
kaisa.maasik@artun.ee

Singular Inner Worlds

Marju Mutsu and Reti Saks (Laanemäe) 

This exhibition presents the graduation projects of two notably distinct female print artists: Marju Mutsu (1941–1980), who graduated in 1969, and Reti Saks, formerly Laanemäe (1960), who obtained her diploma in print art in 1987. From the outset, both artists displayed a unique and unmistakable style. They both engrave their visions with a sharp needle onto the acid resistant layer of a metal plate using intaglio printing, specifically etching. Their interpretations of the world are profound and characterised by a strong sense of generalisation – albeit expressed in entirely different ways.

Marju Mutsu’s vibrant series Youth comprises six prints, each titled thematically: Wind, Truth, Tenderness, Song, School and Earth. On one hand, we observe the spirit of the 1960s reflected here, capturing the fast-paced rhythms of contemporary life, alongside determined-looking men with strong jawlines. On the other hand, we encounter unprecedented forms in Estonian printmaking, witty suggestions, fragmentation of the pictorial space, as well as emotional experiences, mental states, and the beauty of nature’s fragments. The uniqueness of Mutsu’s print art lies not only in its dynamic expression and Astrid Lindgren-like humour, but also in its exploration of all the possibilities of intaglio printing and bold experimentation: at times, the plate is not completely wiped clean of printing ink, the outlines of recognisable figures blend into abstraction, and the surface of the printing plate itself becomes a character.

The joyful print artist departed from us prematurely, at the young age of just 39.

Reti Saks’ series of seven images Games exudes a more subdued and static tone. From the outset, the artist has been on a quest for answers to life’s profound mysteries, delving into the enigma of life and death. The depth of exploration, sometimes even penetrating the surface of the image itself, is evident in the sheet titled Deep Print. Other prints, like Stairs, Ribbon and Walker, signify human choices, whereas works such as Eye to Eye, Hand and Picture illustrate the enigmatic ways in which the world can be perceived. The artist reflects the world through herself, with her images literally bearing her own visage. In a metaphysical expanse of imagery, a semi-frozen figure of a child-woman emerges, often in repetitive iterations, reminiscent of the artist herself. This deeply introspective exploration of the world is both painful and melancholic, yet it is also rich and multi-layered.

Reeli Kõiv
curator of the exhibition

Graphic design: Pärtel Eelmere

Nature and Abstraction
Designs for Monumental Paintings from the 1970–1980s

Monumental painting emerged as a significant medium in Estonian art during the 1960s. However, formal instruction in this area gained momentum at the art academy over the subsequent two decades. During this period, the ideas of several painting students progressed from concept to completion in various materials. Examples include the stained glass works of Urve Dzidzaria and Heli Tuksam, which originated from their diploma projects. The preliminary work of these projects is also displayed at the current exhibition.

While Soviet official art typically featured propagandistic content in works intended for public spaces, neither our professional monumental painting nor the students’ works adhere to this approach. Guided by the enthusiastic mentorship of Dolores Hoffmann, students developed universally human and aesthetic solutions in monumental painting. One noticeable trend is the oscillation between nature-inspired, realistic design creation and the abstract style, where recognisable figures have been lost. This selection presents various personal approaches, ranging from a slightly stylised manner to completely abstract expression. In each case, the artists have carefully considered the future technique of execution, whether it be fresco, sgraffito, mosaic or stained glass.

Several artworks that were removed from the old EKA building on Tartu Road before its demolition have been subsequently reinstalled and showcased in the new academy building. Furthermore, contemporary pieces have been introduced, as instruction in monumental painting continues under the guidance of Heldur Lassi at the Estonian Academy of Arts, albeit on a more modest scale today. Present-day students are not constrained by traditional boundaries – they do employ classical techniques but boldly blend them together as dictated by the content. This exhibition provides viewers with the opportunity to establish conceptual links between different approaches from various periods, prompting them to seek out the completed monumental paintings, both old and new, within the public spaces of the EKA.

The artworks showcased in the exhibition were initially featured at the comprehensive exhibition Invisible Monumental Painting at the EKA Gallery in 2020, offering a vibrant display designed by Kristi Kongi.

Reeli Kõiv
curator of the exhibition

Passepartouts: Kristi Kongi
Graphic design: Pärtel Eelmere

Performance “What if there is no place called home” by Melina Unterhauser in Keskpuur on 20th of April from 12.00 to 15.30.

“This I will only tell myself in confidence because it comes from a little part where I don’t go often and there is still a place for you. Come and sit next to my kitchen to hear a story of our past. Follow the unheard story of my grandfather.”

The performance takes place at Keskpuur activating the installation of Inessa Saarits and Liisa-Lota Jõeleht. Melina Unterhauser transforms the installation by inviting audience to have a homemade meal together, the performance explores and questions the overlapping and contradictions of the culture heritage in different countries. Where are the intersections and what isolate us from each other? How to live as a nomad in a new country with a different cultural background?

Unterhauser is interested in involvements of the individuals and groups in society, specifically  in rituals, social movements and political systems. For that she works mostly in installation and performance to combine haptic materials with body movement.

Melina Unterhauser is a German artist based in Karlsruhe and Tallinn. She is currently studying in the installation and sculpture department at the Estonia Academy of Arts for an exchange semester. In Germany she is a student of Ulla von Brandenburg in the Fine Arts Academy of Karlsruhe. She has participated in several group exhibitions in Germany and Italy.

12:00-14:30 Sound installation and preparation of the meal
15:00 Eating together

Maria Erikson‘s solo exhibition Hazy Gardens opens in GÜ gallery at 5pm on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Exhibition is open until May 3, 2024.

You will find me if you want me in the garden.
Unless it’s pouring down with rain.(Einstürzende Neubauten, The Garden. Album Ende Neu, 1996.)

Trees stand for growth and life but also for stability and roots. People spend time amongst the trees to seek knowledge and integrity because this is where the spiritual and mundane are intertwined. I visit the trees to ask for advice or tell them about my grief.
(M. E.)

Hazy Gardens premises on an allegorical ambiguity of a garden as an archetypal image of the soul and happiness. A garden represents a spiritual headspace but also a physical space where to seek sanctuary and beauty. While it is an attempt to create nature in a constrained form, it can also be seen as an extension of a domestic space. It is a dimension that is purposefully cultivated in a need of comfort, freedom and escape. In a sense, nurturing a garden is nurturing oneself. It is an embodiment of human desire to care for and be cared for. The neglected, once lush garden becomes a symbol of decay and of a tenacious nature that eventually takes over the habitat.

With similar attentiveness and sensitivity, as if tending to a garden, gentle gestures are transferred to printing paper though the creative process of the artist, envisioning a dreamy garden space, and simultaneously representing the ephemeral nature of the dream itself. Artist’s attempt to grow and maintain both real and imaginary gardens becomes an allegory of the (human) nature, its permanence and impermanence.

Artist thanks: Association of Estonian Printmakers, Lembe Ruben-Kangur,
Liina Siib, Britta Benno, Kadri Toom, Naomi Nowak, Anna Viola Hallberg, Brynhild Seim, Jim Berggren, Marko Odar, Villem Säre, Mart Saarepuu,
Björkö Konstnod, EKA graafika

Exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Maria Erikson (1985) lives and works in Tallinn and Oslo. Her body of work is an exploration of personal identity and cultural narrative through the methodology of craft and the process of artmaking, the representation of the body and the ephemeral nature of material itself. With the focus on materiality and materials as sets of relationships, she investigates visible and non-visible relations that are produced by the gestures between them. In new structural arrangements she investigates their jointness and indifferences, bodiliness and ability to inhabit shared space.

Maria Erikson teaches graphic art at the Estonian Academy of Arts and the Oslo National Academy of Arts in Norway, previously also at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. Erikson holds a MFA degree in printmaking study area from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki and a master printer certificate as a collaborative lithography printer from Tamarind Institute (NM, USA). Before that, she studied graphic arts in Sweden. Maria Erikson is a recipient of the Eduard Wiiralt grant (2021), The Swedish Printmakers´ Association Scholarship, (2017), Getfotsfonden Foundation Scholarship (2012), Eric Ericson Foundation Fellowship (2012), and has been on two occasions rewarded with Ann-Margret Lindell Grant for Printmaking (2021, 2008, Sweden). In 2023, Erikson was awarded the title of Printmaker of a Year by the Association of Estonian Printmakers.

Recent exhibitions: Perspektiv på trykk, Gallery Norske Grafikere, Norway (2024); Pindadest, piiridest, omaruumidest, The Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art (2023). Solo exhibitions Soft Touch On The Deckle, The Museum of Lithography, Sweden; Gallery Ratamo, Finland; Gallery Draakon, Tallinn (2023) and Notes from Borderspace, ARS Project Space, Tallinn (2022).