Category: Support Units

On June 13 at 1:00 p.m., ELIA UAx program partner Taras Lesiv, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Research of the Lviv Academy of Arts, will give an open lecture at EKA. 

The lecture is part of the Transform4Europe Week program.

After the lecture, Kristiina Krabi-Klanberg will moderate the Q&A.

Taras Lesiv has been teaching art and art history at Lviv National Academy of Arts (Ukraine) since 2007. He received both BA and MA degrees in Fine and Applied Arts, specializing in sacred art. Since 2005, he has been employed as an artist and project manager on various interior design projects for Christian churches. During 2017–2018 he was a Fulbright fellow at Georgia State University (USA). He defended his dissertation “Icon Painting in Galicia from the late 19th – early 21 centuries: Artistic Imagery and Theoretical Discourse” in 2021, receiving the Candidate of Sciences degree (PhD). Taras Lesiv was appointed Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Research of the Lviv National Academy of Arts in September 2021. His research interests embrace history, theory, and practice of Christian sacred arts, visual arts and national/ethnic identity building.

During the war, the Lviv National Academy of Arts was faced with the critical challenge of safeguarding the safety and education of its students. This presentation provides a narrative account that highlights the diverse challenges our art institution encountered at the onset of the conflict, offering insights into our management strategies under trying circumstances. These challenges, including the mass departure of teachers and students to foreign countries, the transformation of educational settings, and financial constraints, all occurred alongside ongoing higher education reforms. Through partnerships with other art institutions and thanks to the dedication of our faculty, staff, and students, we established a resilient framework to maintain classes during the chaotic wartime conditions. While overcoming numerous obstacles, we are prioritizing the quality of education during and after the war. Recognizing the importance of support from both within and outside Ukraine, our goal is to prevent brain drain and preserve the vibrancy of art education.

Supported by: ERASMUS programme

The seminar taking place as part of the Transform4Europe Week of the European Universities Alliance will present the research projects carried out at EKA, which reveal the special nature of knowledge creation based on creative practices.
The seminar is open to everyone!
(The seminar is held in English)

10.00-10.15 Opening words, Dr. Anu Allas, Vice-Rector of Research, Head of Doctoral School

10.15-10.35 “Semi-urban communities: a methodology for increasing the biodiversity of cities with landscape architecture solutions” – Karin Bachmann, PhD student of Architecture and Urban Planning programme

10.35-10.55 “The Reconstruction and Artistic Development of the Historical Relief Print Technique” – Dr. Jaana Päeva, Researcher at Design Faculty

10.55-11.15 “Understanding How Artistic Research Helps to Discover Innovative Roles in Hybrid Performances” – Taavet Jansen, PhD student of Art and Design programme

11.15-11.35 “Bedroom Sketches: Sleep Tracking and Surveillance Capitalism” –  Tõnis Jürgens, PhD student of Art and Design programme

11.35-12.00 Q&A

Estonian Academy of Arts Grad Show TASE ’23
tase.artun.ee
01–17.06, open every day 12.00–18.00
Opening: 31.05, 16.00 at the Freedom Square and 19.00 at the Estonian Academy of Arts

Exhibition locations:
Freedom Square 8, Tallinn Art Hall, Artists Union’s studios, shop and bar rooms, Vent Space, Grafodrom and Experimental Printmaking Studio
Freedom Square 6, Tallinn Art Hall Gallery
Põhja pst 7, Estonian Academy of Arts (Architecture faculty’s grad works)
Lai 17, Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design yard (Graphic Design MA grad works, open until June 11)

On Freedom Square, we present the deconstructed fashion show You Have Only A Moment by Lab of Figurative Thought, followed by the announcements of the winners of the Young Artist and Young Applied Artist awards. Additionally, for the first time this year, the Young Designer Awards will be given out! Opening event continues at 19.00 at the TASE of Architecture, located in EKA!

TASE is the annual graduation show of the Estonian Academy of Arts. The exhibition presents graduation works of the Architecture, Art and Culture, Design, and Fine Arts faculties. Most works are exhibited in the Freedom Square buildings 8 and 6. The Architecture faculty’s graduation works are located at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The Graphic Design master’s works are exhibited in the yard of the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design (open until June 11).

tase.artun.ee opens with the exhibition on May 31!
Along with the works at the main exhibition, written theses are presented digitally on tase.artun.ee together with the PhD and Art and Culture works.

PROGRAMME

Grad Show TASE ‘23 grand opening
Fashion-performance You Have Only A Moment by Lab of Figurative Thought
Linda Mai Kari, Anita Kremm, Kristel Zimmer, Liisamari Viik
Supervisor: Ene-Liis Semper
31.05 at 16.00
Freedom Square

TASE of Architecture exhibition opening
31.05 at 19.00
EKA, Põhja pst 7

Theses defences
29.05–14.06
artun.ee/kaitsmised

TASE FILM
14.06 at 18.30
EKA, A101, Põhja pst 7

Guided tour by Anna-Liisa Villmann
15.06 at 15.00 in English
Starts at Tallinn Art Hall, Freedom Square 8
Guided tour by Gregor Taul (Faculty of Architecture’s graduation works)
16.06 at 12.00 in English
Starts at EKA lobby, Põhja pst 7

SATELLITE PROGRAMME

Fragment_21:12, Jewellery and Blacksmithing course works
Aleš Rezler, Elis Liivo, Lara Herrmann, Maarja Hallika, Madlen Hirtentreu, Madli Pajos, Helen Tiits, Paul Aadam Mikson
Supervisors: Eve Margus and Nils Hint
19.05–04.06, every day at 14.00–20.00
Tower of Old Town, Pikk Jalg 2

Unbounded Nature, Glass and Ceramics course works
Annali Kruusamägi, Annika Luhaäär, Erko Lill, Helen Tiits, Kätriin Reinart, Laura Stina Parri, Marta Vikentjeva, Sara Kyllönen, Valeria Poljakova, Õnne Paulus
19.05–18.06, every day at 9.00–19.00, opening 18.05 at 17.00
Tallinn Zoo, Paldiski mnt 146, entrance with the zoo ticket

Contemporary Drawing: Worlding in Layers, Contemporary Art course works
Triin Anijalg, Maria Hindreko, Sander Karjus, Kassandra Laur, Rebecca Norman, Helena Pass, Mia Rulli, Nana Schilf, Sirel Tammisto
Supervisor and curator: Britta Benno
23.05–17.06, Tue-Sat at 12.00–18.00, opening 22.05 at 17.00
EKA Gallery, Põhja pst 7

A pool with moderate temperature, Painting course works
Karola Ainsar, Luis Bruder, Maria Hindreko, Sander Karjus, Rebecca Norman, Daria Morozova, Elisa Margot Winters
Supervisors and curators: Mihkel Ilus, Tõnis Saadoja, Anna Škodenko
25.05–09.06.23, Mon-Fri at 12.00–18.00, opening 24.05 at 17.00
ARS project space, Pärnu mnt 154

Cherries once grew in my garden, Curatorial Studies and Contemporary art group exhibition
Gerda Hansen, Iryna Tanasiichuk, Siew Ching Ang, Mirjam Varik, Sarah Noonan
Curator: Ketlin Käpp
27–28.05 and 01–04.06 at 12.00–19.00 or by appointment 26.05–07.06
Uus Rada gallery, Raja 11a

In the shadow of tree being, Contemporary Art course works
Triin Anijalg, Maria Hindreko, Sander Karjus, Kassandra Laur, Rebecca Norman, Helena Pass, Mia Rulli, Nana Schilf, Sirel Tammisto
27.05–18.06, every day at 9.00–18.00, opening 26.05 at 17.00
Gallery of Tampere House, Jaani 4, Tartu

Textile Design from Fibre to Tech Solutions, Open Academy course works
Carolin Freiberg, Madde Jerbach, Piret Kuhlbars, Monika Lepik, Marit Lillenberg, Mari-Liis Lõppe, Tiia Nõmm, Heidi Renzer, Aleksander Väär
28.05–19.06, every day at 9.00–23.00
EKA, first floor glass corridor, Põhja pst 7

Creative Realities, Contemporary Art course works
Gerda Hansen, Mirjam Varik, Syed Sachal Rizvi, Eri Rääsk, Mari Steinberg, Anna-Liisa Kree, Mia Felić, Lara Žagar, Mohammadmojtaba Habibidavijani
Curator: Siim Raie
28.05–28.08, Fri-Sat at 12.00–18.00, opening 28.05 at 15.00
Villa Dombrovka, Karepa, Lääne-Virumaa

Three Drops of Blood, student exhibition
Agnes Milla Bereczki, Anu Kadri Uustalu, Lumimari, Kaur Joonas Karu, Kirke Mari Päll, Piret Potter, Ringo Roots, Triinu Väikmeri, Wing Kiu Mak, Denise Damaso, Camille Laurelli
31.05–14.06, Wed–Thu at 13.00–20.00, Fri-Sun at 11.00–18.00
Kalamaja Museum, Kotzebue 16, entrance with the museum ticket

Catarsis, Interior Architecture course works
Marleen Armulik, Katarina Ild, Hanna Kruusma, Laura Movits, Getter Pihlak, Elle Marie Randoja, Jaan Repnikov, Sven Samyn, Mirjam Vaht
Supervisor: Nele Tiidelepp
01–04.06, 24/7, performance on 31.05 at 19.00
Abandoned hut across from EKA main entrance, Põhja pst 2

Sense of Measure, Interior Architecture course works
Simon Baguette, Piret-Liis Carson, Päär-Joonap Keedus, Ann-Katriin Kelder, Anni Truu, Krete Tarkmees, Laura Maria Tõru, Viktoria Ugur, Mari Uibo, Eliisabet Valmas-Romanov
Supervisors: Roland Reemaa, Hannah Sergerkrantz
01–17.06, every day at 09.00-23.00, opening 31.05 at 18.00
EKA cafeteria, Põhja pst 7

Pretty Gimmicks, Charming Trinkets and All the Other Things, Curatorial Studies and Contemporary Art course works
Sandra Ernits, Mara Kirchenberg, Rose Magee, Sarah Nõmm, Siim Preiman, Leonor Talefe
Curator: Anita Kodanik
3–11.06, Mon-Fri at 14.00–20.00, Sat-Sun at 12.00–18.00, opening 2.06 at 18.00
Last stop with the Kopli tram, at the kiosk next to Kopli 99b

Head organiser: Pire Sova
Assistant: Dana Lorên Vares
Exhibition design: Kaisa Maasik, Johannes Luik
Architecture exhibition design: Diana Drobot, Karl Erik Miller
Communication: Solveig Jahnke, Andres Lõo, Maarja Pabut
Graphic design: Birgita Siim, Agnes Isabelle Veevo, Aaro Veiderpass
Web coordinator: Kert Väljak
Web developer: Patrick Zavadskis
Install manager: Johannes Luik
TASE FILM: Maya Chaudhary, Terje Losvik
TASE shop: Sigrit Lõhmus

Supported by: Estonian Artists’ Association, Tallinn Art Hall, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Akzonobel, Punch

The Estonian Academy of Arts organizes the Transform4Europe (T4EU) European Universities’ study week “Design & Sustainability” in June 13–17. Students and support staff from ten European universities are invited to the week full of the best lectures and workshops, and students’ works also presented at the TASE ’23 Grad Show exhibition and at the ERKI Fashion Show.

The theme of the study week is “design and sustainability”. Sustainability is one of EKA’s core values – in its development, it is based on the environmental friendliness of the art academy, which is the sustainable way of thinking. Design and the design process are an important part of the solution to the ecological crisis.  

As part of the week, creative research will be introduced, students can participate in a creative research writing workshop and workshops on clothing repair, documenting cultural heritage, etc. 

EKA students are also invited to take part in the T4EU week, which has three options:

1. The main program (June 13-17) includes mandatory general subjects and workshops and seminars with a limited number of participants. (Program link HERE)

2. Weekly seminar “Care, community and colonialism in the art museum” (June 12-15).

In addition, core program courses may also be taken if the schedule allows. (Introduction to the seminar is HERE)

3. Weekly workshop “Cultural heritage documentation solutions workshop” (June 12-16).

In addition, core program courses may also be taken if the schedule allows. (Introduction to the workshop is HERE)

Before the course, it is possible to watch pre-recorded video interviews with experts (20-30 minute interviews, 7 interviews in total) on different aspects of sustainability.

Those who complete the course receive 3 credit points, which can be transferred to a free subject.

NB! The courses are in English. 

The student can register HERE until June 4th or until the semester continues.

Detailed information about the study week in English can be found on the EKA website: 

T4EU Week in EKA “Design & Sustainability”

Contemporary Drawing: Worlding in Layers
Triin Anijalg, Maria Hindreko, Sander Karjus, Kassandra Laur, Rebecca Norman, Helena Pass, Mia Rulli, Nana Schilf, Sirel Tammisto
Curator and supervisor: Britta Benno
23.05–17.06.2023
Opening: 22.05 kell 17.00

Join us for the opening of the exhibition “Contemporary Drawing: Worlding in Layers” on May 22 at 5 pm at EKA Gallery!

The openness and liminality, being in between, on the threshold, of drawing contain the immense potential of transformation, the inherent non-being and hybridisation. Becoming something or somebody feels like flowing or writing: it is a place that requires common construction; it is a time which does not flow in a linear manner. Instead of being complete, there is becoming, the endless unrolling of materials and gestures, limitless potential. The technical processes of making art are very similar to the descriptions of the becoming of a Land(scape). When printing, painting, drawing or building installations, one is adding new layers of traces from materials, colours, (conceptual) motions and other means of depiction to a base structure. In printing, one uses different methods and mechanisms of transfer to create imagery. When drawing directly onto the canvas or on paper, a new layer is created with a pencil or the tip of a brush leaving its trace. Sometimes, however, the layers are also removed: erased, washed off with water or by tearing the textile into shreds.[2]

The exhibition displays the works of students, which were completed as part of the elective course. The aim of the course was a critical analysis or rethinking of contemporary drawing art by looking at various examples, reading texts and experimental tasks. The use of the layered work method applied in the art practice of the participants: the layered combination of experimental materials and forms in the art of drawing.

[1] Britta Benno, Saamisest maa(stiku)ks. Materjalid, teadus, utoopia. ­– Leida, 25.11.22 (https://leida.artun.ee/et/issues/tehnokriitika/saamisest-maa-stiku-ks-materjalid-teadus-utoopia vaadatud: 09.05.23).

[2] Britta Benno maa, Of Becoming a Land(Scape). Material, Science, Utopia. ­– Leida, 25.11.22 (https://leida.artun.ee/en/issues/technocriticism/of-becoming-a-land-scape-material-science-utopia accessed: 09.05.23).

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 contemporary art, prints, installation, sculpture and painting curricula will be on display. On each morning 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.

SCHEDULE

02.05. Painting, supervisors Merike Estna, Alice Kask, Kristi Kongi, Holger Loodus
03.05. Photography, supervisor Madis Kurss
04.05. Drawing, supervisors Maiu Rõõmus, Matti Pärk
05.05. Drawing, supervisors Tõnis Saadoja
08.05. Drawing, supervisor Ulvi Haagensen
9.05. Drawing, supervisor Lilli-Krõõt Repnau
10.05. Drawing, supervisor Tõnis Saadoja
11.05. Graphic Art, supervisors Charlotte Biszewski, Eve Kask, Rene Haljasmäe, Viktor Gurov
12.05. Graphic Art, supervisors Kadi Kurema, Maria Erikson, Charlotte Biszewski, Britta Benno
15.05. Photography, supervisors Marge Monko, Paul Kuimet
16.—17.05. Scenography, supervisors Ene-Liis Semper, Mark Raidpere
18.—19.05. Contemporary Art, supervisors Marge Monko, Kirke Kangro, Merike Estna, Taavi Talve, Anu Vahtra, John Grzinich, Paul Kuimet, Taavi Piibemann, Sirja-Liisa Eelma, Eve Kask, David K. Ross

Vaim Sarv Live Performance @ Entropy Gauntlet (EKA Gallery) on Friday, April 14, 7 pm.

As part of the programming for the Entropy Gauntlet group exhibition, performance artist and experimental musician Vaim Sarv (EE/USA) will be playing free, using voice and electronics to respond to the exhibition themes revolving around the porousness of post-western notions of national identity and it’s haunted histories.

Free admission!

Entropy Gauntlet
Zody Burke, Taylor “Tex” Tehan, Joonas Timmi, Lauri Raus April 6 – April 28, 2023
Opening: April 6, 6pm–9pm

“There is nothing more mysterious than a TV set left on in an empty room … Suddenly the TV reveals itself for what it really is: a video of another world, ultimately addressed to no one at all, delivering its images indifferently, indifferent to its own messages. You can easily imagine it still functioning after humanity has disappeared.”

— Jean Baudrillard, America

Entropy Gauntlet invites you to pass a threshold into a transmutation of space. Inspired by wide-eyed summer night visits to amusement parks and roadside motels, laden with the nostalgia of childhood & playing with the expectations generated by the psychogeography of such spaces, the exhibition leads viewers to contemplate the tension between fantasies of the world we’ve inherited versus the reality of a warming planet.

Solastalgia, a concept which describes a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change, presents itself materially through an amalgam of works and artifacts set inside a narrative. Within the Entropy Gauntlet is a contemporary apologue; using architecture as archetype, exploring the porousness of post-western notions of national identity and its haunted histories. Here, utopia and dystopia become uneven categories in the realm of the anthropocene.

In the tradition of transformative environmental-architectural works such as Gregor Schneider’s “Totes Haus u r” and Jonah Freeman’s “Hello Meth Lab in the Sun”, and hearkening to Robert Ashley’s operatic compositions of late capitalist melancholia, the Entropy Gauntlet manifests as a linear series of archaeological sites undergoing perpetual excavation. It is a narrative of motion and placelessness tropifying the notion that invisible, emotional environs can be injected into the visible sphere to create a sense of longing, dread, and even abject horror.

A note from the artists…

The roadside motel is a ubiquitous feature upon the sprawling face of the continental USA, but it is entirely absent in Estonia. It is taken for granted as a place where small tragedies may or may not occur. It is a location for repressed emotions to manifest due to its invisible status, despite its ubiquity in the flyover states. Within the Entropy Gauntlet, our aim is to engage with the surreality that permeates the line where memory and history interact, in an unexpected location in Tallinn; creating a hauntological simulacrum of a space that exists between destinations. The poetic transmutations of culture that occur when countries on opposite sides of the globe mirror and refract one another are acutely fertile terrain for our work.

The fact that the USA exists partially as a fantasy informed by media is intrinsic to our concept. Two out of four of us are American; despite this, the two of us have experienced our home country in ways that run contradictory to the America that exists in the imagination of the cultural status quo. The other two of us are Estonian and have spent a considerable amount of time formulating fantasies about America & weighing these fantasies against facts. To honestly engage with the USA is to deal with omnipresent shadows that resist truth & dominate the country’s emotional cartography, and with an endless deluge of popular fantasies that provide alternative images to the USA that exists.

Artist Bios:

With an eye towards the complicated nature of inherent and enforced structures, American multidisciplinary artist Zody Burke criticizes the absurdity of late capitalism and the mythologies and archetypes it generates, while leaving a liminal space for larger ways of being together.
Working with sculpture, illustration, sound, and other media, Burke has sought to establish that societal concepts of identity, symbolism, brutality and hierarchy are as tenuous as we see to craft them, and yet they paradoxically shape practically every facet of our lives.

Taylor “Tex” Tehan is an M.A. Graphic Design student from the United States and an interdisciplinary practitioner. Working with textiles, sound, metal, wood and film, his work is influenced by the landscape, nostalgia, speculative futures, mythology and romanticism of the American West. Previously working in the fashion industry, Tehan has worked as a designer for various brands, including a recent traineeship on the Menswear Design Team at Louis Vuitton in Paris. His interests meet at the cross section of fashion, music, contemporary art, film and graphic design, with a strong emphasis on experiential-environmental themes.

Joonas Timmi is an Estonian artist & designer who explores the contemporary identity of craftsmanship by combining traditional woodworking techniques with VR-modeling, 3D-printing and CNC-milling. In his work, he expresses the relations between functionality and sentimentality in objects using furniture as the main medium. Each piece aims to be a somewhat functional artifact with an emphasis on biomorphic form with anthropomorphic charisma. A recent work, “Traction” chair, was exhibited in the exhibition “Present Yet-to-Be” (Tallinn, Hobusepea gallery) in January 2022. The installation combined meandering forms of plywood with textile to create throne-like structure, inspired by the idea of alternate realities.

Lauri Raus is an Estonian songwriter & guitarist, most notable for his work in contemporary country/shoegaze ensemble Holy Motors. Through his work, he engages with western musical tropes from a distance, transfiguring his own interpretation of Americana into something subtly different and altogether unique. His band is signed to New York-based indie label Wharf Cat which has enabled him to tour the USA, allowing him to rupture, expand, and transform his relationship with the musical tradition he uses as a foundation for his art. He studies anthropology at Tallinn University.

On April 1, the EKA Pop-Up Shop selling modern design and new art will open on the shopping street of Telliskivi Creative City, 

The original designs and works of art of the students of the Estonian Academy of Arts on sale in the EKA Pop-Up Shop.

More than forty students bring out their best, latest, most sustainable design and art. Among the many EKA artists, the pop-up shop also features the works of already recognized authors. Among others, fashion student Cärol Ott, laureate of the 2021 Wiiralt scholarship, ceramicist and jewelry artist Elize Hiiop, accessory designer Sandra Luks, performance artist and Master’s student in EKA ceramics, and Keithy Kuuspu will present their creations in the store.

During April workshops and master classes for city residents, tourists, people from abroad will be held. One can find creations varying from graphics, drawings, paintings and photographs to clothing design, accessories, jewellery, ceramics and blacksmithing.

Designs and art works by the following authors will be present:

Markus Vernik
Kaisa Uik
Oliver Udeküll
Keithy Kuuspu
Helen Griffiths
Visa Eino
Triin Türnpuu
Sergei Saprykin
Evridiki Papaiakovou
Daria Dementeva
Kaileen Palmsaar
Natalia Mirzoian
Alp Eren Özalp
Helena Pass
Helen Tiits
Mirjam Aun
Riina Lii Parve
Elisa Margot Winters
Sirje Järv
Mia Felic
Anna Ovtšinnikova
Piibe Tomp
Erle Nemvalts
Cristopher Siniväli
Maria Elise Remme
Valeria Poljakova
Cärol Ott
Anu Kadri Uustalu
Samuel Eff Markkus Savimägi
Elize Hiiop
Villu Mustkivi
Liis Tisler
Zoe Koerbunner
Rita Volkov
Sandra Luks
Heli Haav
Rita Lenore
Valdek Laur
Gontsugova
Morris Motel
Elis Liivo
Kärt Heinvere

The EKA Pop-Up Shop opens on April 1 at 11:00 a.m. and will remain open until the end of the month. 

Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11–19 and Sat, Sun 11–17

Follow the information on the EKA Pop-Up Shop Facebook page

www.artun.ee; EKA üld FB; EKA Pop-Up Poe FB

Info: 

Piibe Tomp

piibe.tomp@artun.ee

Tel 5241780 

Don’t cross their boundaries!
17.03-25.08.2023
Opening: 17.03, 4 pm at EKA lobby
EKA Billboard Gallery, Kotzebue 1

Participating artists:
Kristiina Aarna, Karola Ainsar, Katharina Grepp, Kärt Heinvere, Annika Hint & Irmeli Terras, Maria Kapajeva, Sanna Kartau, Hanna Eliise Kask, Karis Kivi, Maria Izabella Lehtsaar, Annemarie Maasik, Marlene, Susanna Mildeberg, Katariin Mudist, Enn Nazarov, Liisa Niit, Katerina Rothberg, Pamela Samel, Tiina Sööt, Daria Titova, Kadi Viik, Laura Vilbiks

Feministeerium and EKA Gallery invite you to the exhibition “Don’t cross their boundaries!” opening on March 17 at 4 pm in the EKA lobby!

72% of Estonian university students have experienced sexual or gender-based harassment at least once. The most common types of harassment that the students have experienced are stereotyping remarks, sexually suggestive language, ambivalent jokes and inappropriate staring.*

Everyone has the right to decide for themselves about their bodily integrity. However, how personal boundaries are established depends on the cultural norms and on the social contract, institutionalized in the form of civil laws. Any sexual relation must be based on the explicit free consent of all parties. Free consent means that the parties of a sexual relation can decide whether they want to continue or end it at any time, fully assured that their boundaries will be respected. Consideration of each other’s needs creates an emotionally safer space and is a step towards defying stereotypes that contribute to violence and inequality.

The 2017 Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, also ratified by Estonia, advocates for changing the definition of rape in the Penal Code, so it would be based on consensual sexual relations as the norm, while deviation from consent constitutes rape. Alongside the law, it is important to establish a popular understanding across the society that everyone has the right to physical and mental self-determination and integrity. 

For this exhibition, we have selected submitted artworks that address the principles of sexual consent culture and confront the problems created by stereotyping attitudes.

* Based on the 2020 Federation of Estonian Student Unions survey Gender and Sexual Harassment in Estonian Higher Education Institutions.

Supported by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Active citizens fund