Gravur on Tour – Modern European Glass Engraving in Tallinn, Estonia

Engraving on glass in present-day Europe is diversified and multifaceted connecting both tradition and innovation. The touring exhibition „GRAVUR ON TOUR“ has been frequented and admired by numerous visitors in all the countries it has been presented so far. The 31 participants come from ten European countries. From Estonia Eeva Käsper, Mare Saare and Tiina Sarapu are participating. The initial idea for the touring exhibition comes from the English engraver Katharine Coleman. In the autumn of 2014 the plan started to materialise during a working session in Bavarian Frauenau. It was determined, which countries will be included in exhibiting: in May 2015 „Gravur on Tour“ will start in Stourbridge, where it will be part of the British Glass Biennial, going afterwards to Belgium (Glazenhuis Museum, Lommel), the Netherlands (Galerie De Avanturijn, Epe), Germany (Glasmuseum, Rheinbach), Czech Republic (Glass Museum, Kamenický Šenov), Estonia (National Library, Tallinn), Finland (Finnish Glass Museum, Riihimäki). The final stop will be Glasmuseum Frauenau in Germany, the starting point, where a symposium will also be held in September 2016.The three key persons are Katharine Coleman, Norbert Kalthoff and Wilhelm Vernim, assisted by Jeroen Maes (Belgium), Jakobine von Dömming and Hein van der Water (the Netherlands), Jaroslava Votrubová ja Helena Braunová (Czech Republic), Mare Saare (Estonia), Uta Laurén (Finland), Karin Rühl (Germany).In Tallinn four Estonian glass artists are also represented by their engraved works: Pilvi Ojamaa, Eve Koha, Peeter Rudaš and Riho Hütt. Engravings by several students – from Estonia, Ireland, Germany and Japan – enrich the overall impression with a certain boldness and freedom of expression, both from the artistic and innovative point of view of the younger artist generation. The latter have been invited to Tallinn by the initiative of the Estonian Academy of Art. The design of the exhibition in Tallinn is by Tiina Sarapu.The aim of the touring exhibition is to introduce more widely engraving on glass, one of the oldest and also most demanding, at the same time maybe less known, glass techniques in contemporary glass art.