Category: Faculty of Art and Culture

Estonian Academy of Arts Science Cafe is hosting a roundtable talk on the changing roles of religious and industrial buildings in contemporary Europe on the 4th of September from 1 to 3 pm at the Narva Art Residency (NART, Joala 18) as part of the Station Narva festival.

The event will be held both onsite and online from HERE.

Estonian Academy of Arts Science Cafe focuses on the shifting roles of religious and industrial buildings in contemporary Europe. As congregations shrink and industries relocate, churches and factories alike are increasingly left vacant, raising complex questions about reuse, heritage, and identity. The discussion will address how these spaces are being reimagined—as museums, cultural centres, or residential developments—and what this reveals about broader societal transformations in both secular and post-industrial contexts.

The discussion will feature musicologist and journalist Brigitta Davidjants, associate professor of social innovation at the University of Tartu Marko Uibu, Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Lisbon (Portugal) and Associate Professor at the Portuguese Catholic University – Faculty of Theology Alexandre Palma. The talk will be moderated by art historian and semiotician Gregor Taul. 

The event requires pre-registration by August 29. A free bus service is provided from Tallinn to Narva and back, departing from EKA. More information is available upon pre-registration.

After the Science Café, you are welcome to attend the Station Narva opening concert featuring Estonian Voices at 5:30 PM in the Rugodivi Culture House, Grand Hall. Admission is free, and doors open at 5:00 PM.

More information: triin.kao@artun.ee
Facebook event.

The event will take place under the auspices of the Transform4Europe Alliance — a collaborative network of 11 European universities focused on climate change, digitalisation, and social challenges — and is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

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The English saying “keep the church in the village” means “do not cause an uproar.” There are similar sayings in German, French and many other European languages. With some differences, they denote that the church forms the centre of community, the basis of identity, but also, in a figurative sense, the embodiment of common sense. Despite the geographical scope and cultural differences in Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran countries this has been the case in all of Europe. However, recent times have brought changes. Industrialisation, secular modernisation and large-scale urban planning schemes have shifted the principles of how communities are formed. This was especially so in the fundamentally atheist Soviet Union. For example in Soviet Estonia only a few religious edifices were erected between 1944 and 1991. 

The number of church-goers has also declined. As a result some churches have lost their congregations. This has raised the question of how to treat the disused churches? The situation resembles that of the post-industrial shift. Starting from the 1970s European manufacturers have left the continent in search of cheaper labour and thus the abandoned factories have made way for the birth of ‘creative cities’ – we have seen empty factories first used as squats and informal project spaces, then as gentrified creative quarters and eventually becoming expensive lofts. As for the repurposed religious buildings there are more thought-provoking examples where former religious buildings have been turned into museums, bookshops, concert halls or even swimming pools. As adaptive reuse of spaces and materials is becoming a legislative requirement in Europe, we will see more such examples in the near future. 

At the backdrop of a contemporary music festival, Narva’s fabled industrial legacy and the crossroads of divergent (religious) identities this roundtable will look at both historic case studies and current disputes concerning religious and industrial heritage in Europe.

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Brigitta Davidjants is a journalist and researcher at Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonia. In her academic research, she looks at national identity constructions and the marginalities of subcultures.

Marko Uibu is an Estonian social scientist and Associate Professor of Social Innovation at the Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu. His 2016 doctoral dissertation in University of Tartu was called “Religiosity as Cultural Toolbox: a Study of Estonian New Spirituality”.

Alexandre Palma is a theologian, Auxiliary Bishop and university professor. He is an assistant professor at the Catholic University (courses: Mystery of God; Christology; and Theology of Religions) and a researcher at the CITER – Research Center for Theology and Religion Studies. He also serves as Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Lisbon (Portugal) and is a member of the European Society for Catholic Theology and of the Seminar of young scientists of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.

Gregor Taul is a teacher, critic, and curator based in Tallinn, working as an associate professor in the Departments of Interior Architecture and General Theory Classes at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In his academic research, he focuses on art in public space, with a particular interest in Soviet-era monuments and murals as well as contemporary public art commissions.

EKA Graduation Show TASE ‘25 opens on May 28, 2025

The Estonian Academy of Arts’ grad show TASE ’25 is back, with the main event being the graduation exhibition held at the “Projekteerijate maja”, located at Rävala puiestee 8, Tallinn.

The TASE ‘25 opening event will be held on Wednesday, May 28, at 17:00 in the park in front of the Rävala 8 building. During the public opening event, awards for Young Artist, Young Applied Artist, and Young Designer will be presented to both bachelor’s and master’s level students.

PROGRAM

TASE ’25 opening events schedule on Wednesday, May 28, 4:00 PM–11:00 PM:

4 PM procession from the Estonian Academy of Arts to the building at Rävala Puiestee 8

5 PM opening ceremony on the lawn in front of Rävala Puiestee 8, announcement of the Young Designer, Young Artist and Young Applied Artist MA and BA awards

6 PM TASE ’25 exhibition doors open

7.30 PM Avemaria concert on the lawn in front of Rävala Puiestee 8

8 PM Taavet Kirja DJ set

11 PM End of the party

In addition, Hulkur Bar and ÖKU food truck will be present.

TASE pop-up shop

28.05.–1.06.25 Rävala puiestee 8 first floor lobby, open Wed 18.00–23.00 Thu–Sun 13.00–19.00

TASE ANIMA 2025 animation final project screening on Friday, June 13, 17.00–19.00 at Sõprus cinema, free admission.

Participants: Paulina Belik, Maya Chaudhary, Nataliia Domini, Kate Jansone, Timofei Jerjomenko, Annaliisa Lepik, Anne Lucas, Natalya Mirzoyan, Léo Dominique Mourey, Katrina Oll, Mia Rulli, Yiyang Sun, Alex Toodu, Kaisa Vallaots, Lukas Wind, Shunyuan Yao

Thesis of the Faculties of Architecture, Design, Art Culture and Liberal Arts

Rävala puiestee 8, Tallinn29.05.–19.06.25, open daily from 13.00–19.00, free admission

The final project of contemporary art master’s students Yvette Bathgate & Jake Shepherd “a space for gathering, a space for growing”

EKKM Community Garden, Kursi 5, Tallinn

28.05.–19.05.25, open 24/7, free admission

The program has been prepared in collaboration with Keithy Kuuspu, Kati Saaritsa, Feminist Culture House, and Laura De Jager.

Art Studio Master’s student Alyona Movko-Mägi’s final project “Being. Creator. Gender.” Seek Gallery, Väike-Pääsukese 5, Tallinn6.06.–27.09.25, open June–August 20:00–2:00, September 20:00–00:00, admission 7€/5€

Event introducing the final theses of graphic design master’s students “Cover, Show”

Skoone bastion, Tallinn

6.06. 11:00–19:00

Participants: Fatima-Ezzahra El Khammas, Hanafi Gazali, Rok Ifko Krajnc, Linnea Lindgren, Laura Martens, João Pedro Nogueira, Karthik Palepu, Archil Tsereteli

Thesis “Internal Spheres” by Dana Lorên Vares, Master of Jewelry Design

Rehearsal Hall of the Von Krahl Theatre, Telliskivi 60a-9, Tallinn

2.–3.06.25, entrance from the railway side, free

Introduction of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses in Interior Architecture led by Gregor Taul, starting in the lobby of Rävala Puiestee 8.

Wednesday, June 4, 15:00–16:00, in Estonian

Social Design Studio – a series of events and installations for social design master’s students

The exhibition ends with a discussion by recent graduates on the topic “What is social design?”

6.–7.06.25 Rävala Puiestee 8, first floor lobby, free admission.

More information:  https://www.facebook.com/sotsiaalsedisainistuudio/

Faculty of Architecture exhibition tours

Open to all space enthusiasts, both incoming students and professionals in the field:
June 4, 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Interior Architecture Final Theses, Curriculum Director Gregor Taul
June 11, 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Architecture Today, Dean Sille Pihlak
June 18, 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Faculty of Architecture final theses will be introduced by architect and head of master’s studies, Prof. Toomas Tammis
June 18, 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Faculty of Architecture final theses will be introduced by architect and head of master’s studies, Prof. Toomas Tammis

Register for the tour here

Anna-Liisa Villmann-led tours with the laureates of the Young Designer, Young Artist and Young Applied Artist MA and BA awards, starting in the lobby of Rävala puiestee 8.

Saturday, May 31, 13–14:30, in Estonian

Saturday, June 14, 13–14:30, in Estonian

Saturday, June 14, 14:30–16:00, in English

Public defenses of final theses

Final theses defenses at the Estonian Academy of Arts and at the TASE Final Thesis Festival at Rävala puiestee 8, Tallinn, 26.05.–11.06.2025

Check out the schedule on the website https://www.artun.ee/et/kalender/eka-loputoode-kaitsmised/

Get to know TASE ‘25 program and list of graduates on the website tase.artun.ee – the website will open on May 23.

The written parts of the theses can be viewed in the EKA Digital Archive at https://eka.access.preservica.com/

TASE ’25 Facebook event

On 13th May 2025, two UNESCO chairs – the University of Tartu chair on Applied Studies of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the Estonian Academy of Arts’ chair on Cultural Heritage and Conservation – will organise a joint seminar.

The roundtable features prof. Kristin Kuutma, dr. Elo-Hanna Seljamaa, dr. Riin Alatalu and dr. Anneli Randla, moderated by dr. Kristina Jõekalda. The meeting is oriented at the teaching staff and students of both chairs, with the aim to exchange experiences, and share information and plans in the framework of UNESCO.

The roundtable is in Estonian.

Roundtable with Karsten Brüggemann (Tallinn University), Tiina-Mall Kreem (Gesellschaft für deutschbaltische Kultur in Estland) and Anneli Randla (Estonian Academy of Arts), moderated by Ulrike Plath (Tallinn University).

The edited volume:
Manors are one of the most well-known and beloved phenomena in Estonian cultural history
– they are widely studied and visited, written and spoken about, photographed and filmed,
restored, bought and sold. In fact, the manor is one of the few elements of Baltic German
heritage that has been domesticated into Estonian national cultural memory and heritage landscapes. However, it could also be argued that all this has flattened their public image.

This book is based on the conviction that the manor is key to a better understanding of Baltic history and culture, as well as of the transfers between Estonian and Baltic German cultures. For this, however, we need to look beyond the manor house and its aristocratic owners, and apply multidisciplinary approaches in order to find new perspectives. In this edited volume, scholars from a variety of disciplines explore the manor as a phenomenon around which many
of the major themes of the transnational history of the Baltic space unfold.

New perspectives are opened up on the early history of the manor, the importance of material culture and art as a source of manor history, the role of research and restoration practices in shaping the meaning of the manor, the cultural imagery and representations associated with the manor, and the ambivalent relationship between Baltic Germans and Estonians.

Editors: Kristina Jõekalda, Linda Kaljundi, Ulrike Plath

Authors: Riin Alatalu, Toomas Hiio, Hilkka Hiiop, Kristina Jõekalda, Inna Põltsam-Jürjo,
Linda Kaljundi, Andreas Kalkun, Marju Kõivupuu, Kadi Polli, Heiki Pärdi, Maris Saagpakk, Hannes Vinnal

Publisher: Tallinn University Press, 2025

The roundtable is in Estonian. The book is sold with a reduced price during the event.

The seminar takes a close look at one of the most diverse artists in the Baltic art scene, Friedrich Ludwig von Maydell (1795–1846), and asks which kind of new knowledge do his letters to architect Wilhelm Stier (1799–1856) reveal about Baltic art and cultural life in the first half of the nineteenth century, incl. about the contacts with German artists both in Germany and in Italy. Their correspondence, stretching over several decades, was recently found in the archive of the Berlin Technical University’s Architecture Museum. It enables fresh insights into several topics of Baltic history, also beyond art history.

The seminar’s four roundtables feature discussants from Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn University, University of Tartu, Art Museum of Estonia, Gesellschaft für deutschbaltische Kultur in Estland et al. The seminar is organised and moderated by Kristina Jõekalda and Tiina-Mall Kreem. The program is in Estonian.

PROGRAM

12.00 Maydell’s correspondence and travels against the background of art history
Tiina Abel, Kristina Jõekalda, Liisa-Helena Lumberg-Paramonova, Maris Saagpakk

13.15 Maydell, church art and the status of an artist
Reet Pius, Kadi Polli, Anne Untera

14.00-14.30 pause

14.30 Maydell in Tartu (Dorpat): drawings, prints and everyday life
Reet Bender, Triin Kröönström, Moonika Teemus, Kristiina Tiideberg

15.30 The letters’ significance for history and cultural history
Linda Kaljundi, Kairit Kaur, Tiina-Mall Kreem

In this seminar, we will discuss the results of the EKA research project ‘Art Historical Contact Zones: Popular and Fictional Mediations of Art History in Estonia’ (2023–2024).

Our aim was to explore different ways of representing art (and its history), i.e. to investigate how art has been presented by media external to the art world, and whether and how this has changed the meanings of art, compared to the interpretations of academic researchers. Each of us dealt with a different “medium”: fiction, film, journalism, heritage construction, schematic and photographic narrative, television programs, art criticism.

At the seminar we will also present the final product of our project – a special issue of journal Vikerkaar (2025/4–5), our section edited by Johannes Saar. In addition to him, the authors of the articles are Epp Lankots, Kädi Talvoja, Liisa-Helena Lumberg-Paramonova, Tiina Abel, Kristina Jõekalda and Krista Kodres.

In this public talk, Victoria Donovan will introduce how decolonial thinking has informed her research and projects, as well as her new book Life in Spite of Everything: Tales from the Ukrainian East (2025). Life in Spite of Everything is a cultural portrait of Ukraine’s east before it was devastated by Russia’s full-scale invasion. It is a history on foot through the beautiful Donbas region, a celebration of its past and present, and its people’s tenacity, creativity and independence. Victoria will discuss the book in conversation with the historian and curator Linda Kaljundi (Estonian Academy of Arts). 

Victoria Donovan is a Professor of Ukrainian and East European Studies and the Director of the Centre for Global (Post)socialisms at the University of St Andrews. She works at the intersection of heritage studies, urban history, visual anthropology, and the public humanities. She is the co-producer of academic research, literature, exhibitions, archives, community workshops, and artistic practice exploring the industrial history and heritage of eastern Ukraine and the UK. She is the author of Chronicles in Stone: Preservation, Patriotism, and Identity in Northwest Russia (2019); Limits of Collaboration: Art, Ethics, and Donbas (2022); and Life in Spite of Everything: Tales from the Ukrainian East (2025).

Lecture will be held in cooperation of Institute of Art History and Visual Culture and Estonian Doctoral School for Humanities and Arts Project “Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies” (2021-2027.4.04.24-0003) is co-funded by the European Union.

Bart Pushaw is Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. His research, teaching, and curatorial work focus on Arctic and Baltic art histories.

Baltic actors played a critical role in the expansion of the Russian Empire across the Pacific. Starting in the eighteenth century, people from throughout the Russian Empire facilitated the invasion and occupation of Alaska Native homelands until the U.S. acquired “Russian America” in 1867. The imperial initimacies that entangled these edges of the Russian Empire — the Baltic Sea and the Bering Sea — also brought Alaska Native artworks and material culture to Estonia. Today, these objects remain in collections throughout the country. This talk explores the histories that made it possible for Alaska Native art to come to Estonia, and what futures might be possible as museums reconsider their role in rematriation.

Lecture is connected to the joint project of KUMU Art Museum and Estonian Academy of Arts Expedition: Estonian and Indigineity.

Lecture is held in cooperation with KUMU Art Museum and is funded by:

3.03–07.03

Join us for Mental Health Week – take a break and prioritize your well-being!

Monday – Digi Detox (3.03)
Swap your phone for a piece of fruit for a set time of your choice and enjoy a screen-free moment. Plus, grab a wellness shot during lunch!

Tuesday – Quiz Night (4.03)

Test your knowledge in a fun quiz night!
https://fb.me/e/63DbEu5zp

Wednesday – Yoga Class (5.03, kl 18, A501)
Find your balance and unwind in a yoga class. Suitable for all levels!

Pre-registration required

Wednesday & Thursday – Sauna Evenings (5.–6.03)

Relax and unwind in the sauna after a long day.

Pre-registration required

Thursday – Scream Room (D600)
Release your stress in a safe and soundproof space!

And much more! Find more details on Instagram.

See you at Mental Health Week!

Dear EKA members!

I invite you all to the celebrations of the 107th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia on Friday, February 21st at 13.00 on the lobby steps.

The keynote speaker will be Signe Kivi, EKA’s Rector Emerita, textile artist and member of the Riigikogu. Among many other activities, Signe Kivi has a solo exhibition “Signature” running until the first Sunday in March at the Estonian Museum of Applied Arts and Design.

The event will end as tradition dictates with a shot of vodka, kissel and sprat sandwich.

Long live Estonia!

Mart Kalm
Rector