Karlotta Lainväe at Uus Rada Gallery

You are invited to the opening of Karlotta Lainväe’s exhibition “Where do I go when I follow the thread?” on February 20th at 18:00 at Uus Rada Gallery.

In the exhibition “Where do I go when I follow the thread?” I invite you to join me on my journey to unravel the secrets of the place I call home. The sea, the forest, the fields and the rocks, they all hold mystery and knowledge deep within. What parts of my family and ancestors are woven into this place and what do I carry forward? The sense of security shining from there is always with me, yet it is fragile and comes with the weight of responsibility to protect it all.

Karlotta Lainväe is an artist studying photography in EKA, in her work she focuses on the human search for security and belonging. She also examines how connections to history, nature, and rituals create a sense of safety that protects us yet remains fragile and easily lost. To bring her ideas to life, she uses photography, handcrafts and installations to create a visual world where viewers can reflect on their own internal and external sense of security.

Opening: 20.02 at 18:00

Exhibition open: 21.02 – 27.02 at 16:00 – 19:00

Uus Rada Gallery

At the EKA Open Doors Day, a special alumni meeting will take place, where different career opportunities for graduates of creative fields will be introduced. Alumni from various disciplines and graduation years will share their experiences of finding their paths as freelancers, entrepreneurs, or professionals in the public sector or academia.

Thursday, 27 February, 14:00–15:15, EKA Assembly Hall (A101).

Graduates from the Faculties of Design, Architecture, and Art and Culture will share their experiences:
– Ann Kristiin Entson | Tallinn Urban Planning Department, graduate of Architecture and Urban Planning
– Maarin Ektermann | art worker and critic, graduate of Art History– Maria Kristiin Peterson | SASK Design, graduate of Textile Design
– Meel Paliale | film director, graduate of Photography
– Renee Puusepp | Creatomus Solutions, EKA, graduate of Architecture and Urban Planning

The event takes place within the framework of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Pupil Lab project, co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme. The project aims to introduce the principles of knowledge-based entrepreneurship and their application in the creative field.

Come and get inspired to shape your own future!

London-based art critic Orit Gat will be giving an open lecture on 12 February at 18.00 at the Estonian Academy of Arts (room A202) on the subject of being personal in (art) writing. She will be exploring different ways of bringing personal experiences to writing and making space for experiences that are often not reflected in culture. Gat also considers the importance of developing a writing practice as a social space and writing with others in mind.
The lecture will be followed by a discussion led by art critic and educator Maarin Ektermann.
Orit Gat is a British writer and art critic living in London. She has written about
contemporary art, books, digital culture, and football for numerous magazines including The White Review, frieze, e-flux journal and e-flux criticism, ArtReview, Jacobin, Texte zur Kunst, Paper Visual Art, Art Monthly, the Times Literary Supplement, the LA Review of Books, The World Policy Journal, Camera Austria, and Cultured, among others.

Orit Gat’s lecture in Tallinn is organized jointly by the Estonian Centre of Contemporary Art and the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
The lecture will be held in English.

DANCING WITH THE STARS!
EKA Billboard Gallery 3.02.–2.03.2025
Open 24/7, free
Opening: 3.02.25 at 5 pm

Dancing with the Stars! exhibition showcases the designed letters and the process of the class Typography I. During 14 weeks several exercises and experimentations were carried out, drawing was done both by hand and on the computer, using toilet paper, towels, foam and even a metal engraver.

While the first seven weeks were dedicated to experimentation and playing, the last seven focused on creating an entire alphabet and going through the letter design process. Vectorised letters were created, several of which were also made into working font files.

Students:
Simon Janson, Ryan Kaabel, Anni Kangur, Riste Sofie Käär, Jan-Markus Maasepp, Alina Maškina, Elisabeth Mägi, Berit Raun, Mattias Erik Tiik, Rasmus Tikerpe, Katariina Tõnismäe, Mark Albert Villand, Artjom Ševtšenko, Kätriin Reinart, Eline Cremers, Mira Keygnaert, Dennis Vugts

Supervisor:
Agnes Isabelle Veevo

The fonts can be downloaded for free from the SUVA Type Foundry website: suvatypefoundry.ee

We warmly invite you to the opening of the exhibition “This time, my client is Nature” on February 7 at 18:00 at Uus Rada.

What if nature were not just an inspiration but a client—one we must listen to, understand, and collaborate with? This exhibition brings together three artists—Phoebe , Wen Lin Wang and Andrea Gudiño —who each explore the connection between humans and nature through illustration, printing, animation and so on.

Moving from silent observation to active engagement, the exhibition invites visitors to tune into nature’s presence and consider how art can translate their messages. Through their works, the artists create a space where landscapes, flowers, beetles and natural elements are not just subjects but voices in a larger conversation.

Opening 07.02 18:00

Exhibition open: 07.-14.02 14:00-18:00

We look forward to seeing you!

The Estonian Academy of Arts (Associate Prof. Kristina Jõekalda) together with Yale University (Prof. Bradley Woodworth) is organizing a history seminar on the Baltic Germans on February 7-8 2025:

“Bulwark against the East or Imperial Outpost? Baltic Germans in the Russian Empire“.

Among the speakers is also EKA’s junior researcher Ragne Soosalu.

The seminar takes place at Yale University in USA, but can be followed via Zoom. For an overview see the recap.

EKA Experimental Forms Exhibition “Foam Futures” at Viru Keskus

“Foam Futures” is an experimental fashion forms exhibition by the fashion, textile, and accessory design students of the Estonian Academy of Arts. Under the guidance of fashion designer Liisi Eesmaa and artist Flo Kasearu, futuristic foam plastic characters have come to life and will take over the Viru Keskus Atrium starting February 4th.

The exhibition “Foam Futures” at Viru Keskus Atrium invites visitors to reflect on the impact of human-made synthetic materials on the environment. This artistic display, created by students of Estonian Academy of Arts , focuses on the journey of foam plastic – from industrial waste to a nature-hostile “life form” that poisons the environment and gains strength, creating post-apocalyptic landscapes.

The pieces on display were created during a month-long workshop, where packaging industry waste was transformed into unique sculptures. The students manipulated materials using cutting, bubbling, and molding techniques to create both futuristic and organic shapes. Their inspiration was drawn from nature – plants, fungal networks, and strange life forms – reflecting the conflict between human creation and the natural world.

“This exhibition is raw energy and an endless amount of work hours, resulting in these haunting, bubbling, and foaming creations. Like a shadowy-black colony of beings, drawn from the students’ subconscious and rosy dreams,” commented one of the workshop mentors, fashion designer Liisi Eesmaa. “Our goal is to shock just enough and test the boundaries – how large and how colorful does packaging waste in the urban landscape need to be for people to clearly realize that the only way forward is through material recycling. We are thrilled to do this in collaboration with the emerging generation – the talented students of the Estonian Academy of Arts,” said Kristel Martis, Marketing and Communications Manager of Viru Keskus.

“Foam Futures” does not offer answers, but urges visitors to ask: what happens to the waste we create? Do we only notice it when it directly disrupts our lives, or does it silently blend into nature, causing irreversible harm?

The exhibition’s interactive elements – touch walls and sound experiences – take visitors to the heart of the foam plastic and its transformed environment, helping them better understand the impact and longevity of materials in nature.

“The students created incredibly juicy and voluminous accessories! The raw material was delightfully fascinating, and while the process was as always challenging and labor-intensive, the final transformations of the material were incredibly rewarding!” said mentor Flo Kasearu.

The exhibition “Foam Futures” will be open at the Viru Keskus Atrium from February 4th to February 19th.

Admission is free.

*The synthetic PE (polyethylene foam) material widely used in the exhibition is recyclable with modern technology. After its “artistic life,” it can be shredded and converted back into granules, 70% of which can be reused to create new materials.

Event Supporters: VIRU, EKA, Viva-color, Digiprint, Reval Kondiiter, ETTeam Baltic OÜ, AS Norma, Põhjala, WÕLU, Kadrioru Park

Artists: Allan Suomalainen, Anete Aurelie Aas, Halyna Yaroshenko, Hedi Leppik, Helen Tambla, Katriin Raudsepp, Kertu Seestrand, Linda Teemägi, Lucille Gonzalez, Maksim Kapustin, Mihhail Zaytsev, Oskar Tammäe, Pihla Alina Teder, Roosi Mändmaa, Sofia Robbe, Tereza Bláhová

Interior Architects: Airi Anderson, Brigita Praks, Carmen Pikknurm, Helena-Liisa Moks, Janet Kljuzin, Karl Oskar Palo, Kertu Bachmann, Madli Bulgarin, Raigo Tšetšin, Reigo Raal

Form Supervisors: Liisi Eesmaa, Flo Kasearu

Space Creation Supervisor: Annika Kaldoja

Production: Piret Puppart, Cristopher Siniväli, Marion Laev

Graphic Design: Anete Ots, Mariliis Tarja

Artistic Direction of Photos: Liisi Eesmaa

Photographer: Riina Varol

Photographer’s assistant: Karmel Kull

MUAH: Eliise Brigita Mõisamaa

Models: Merzeede (Agency Icon), Sam (E.M.A. Model Management)

Additional Information: piret.puppart@artun.ee

Event Facebook: Event – Vahu Vahel

Photo Link: To be added later

Doctoral School invites candidates interested in applying to the creative research PhD at EKA to participate in a preparatory course.

Creative research (artistic and practice-based research) is rooted in the professional practice of artists, designers, and/or architects, generating new knowledge that takes shape both in creative practice (artwork, creative process, product, service, etc.) and in a written dissertation.

The course focuses on designing and developing a creative research project, introducing completed and ongoing doctoral dissertations. It also helps participants clarify how to connect their research problem, methods, and creative practice.

The course consists of four seminars and individual consultations, providing participants with personalized feedback on their projects. It is led by Dr. Jaana Päeva, head of the art and design PhD program, and Dr. Liina Unt. Additionally, Dr. Kristi Kuusk and Dr. Siim Tuksam will join for consultations.

During the course period, participants will also have the opportunity to attend the Faculty of Fine Arts’ traditional “PhD Vitamin” event, which brings together creative research experts and prospective doctoral students through public lectures and consultations.

NB! The course takes place on-site at EKA.

Preparatory course schedule:

18.02, 17.00-18.30   Introduction to artistic and practice-based research. A501

19.02, 17.00-18.30   Research problem and framework. Example of a practice-based research (Nesli Oktay). A302

25.02, 17.00-18.30   Integrating theory and practice. Example of a practice-based research (Tõnis Jürgens). A403

26.02, 17.00-18.30   Research question and methods. Example of a practice-based research (Taavet Jansen). A501

14.03, 10.00   PhD Vitamin. Lectures, discussion, consultations. A501

11.03   Submitting research proposal drafts for consultations.

18.03   Individual consultations.

To participate, please send a short introduction (max 1.5 pages) to irene.hutsi@artun.ee by 11.02. The text should address your motivation, previous experience and the potential topic of your research. The number of places is limited, the acceptance will be confirmed by 14.02.

The course will be held in English.

Additional info:

Online info session: doctoral studies at EKA, 04.02.2025

Conditions for admission to doctoral studies

Estonian Artistic Research Framework Agreement

The exhibition space of the Estonian Academy of Arts, VENT Space (Vabaduse väljak 6/8) ends its series of exhibitions with a surreal fairy tale that you either believe or not.

The exhibition “Believe it or not” opens the door to a world where familiar stories can turn into something completely new in the blink of an eye.

Kirke Ross, an artist who graduated from EKA as an animator, interweaves audio and visual art to bring to life strange and imaginative scenarios where the heroes of modern stories meet surreal elements – perhaps here you will come across a bootless cat struggling in the clutches of evil, or you will instead meet Jüri wearing a red cape, following in the footsteps of the lovely Little Red Riding Hood.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on January 30 at 18:00. There is something to drink for the first visitors.

 VENT Space’s last exhibition is open from January 31 to February 9, 2025. Every day 12:00-18:00.

Author: Kirke Ross

Curators: Kirke Ross and Katariina Kesküla

Dr. Charis Gullickson is a senior curator at the Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (Norway).

In her PhD project, Charis Gullickson examined public art museums in Norway as social actors. In her abstract she states: “The aim of this dissertation is to question status quo art museum practices and the predisposition to regard state-funded art museums in Norway as ‘neutral’ institutions.” Museum neutrality prevents institutions from “seeing” their potential transformative social power. Out of her research project grew the activist group Museer er ikke nøytrale / Museat eai leat neutrálat. For Charis, it is about learning to see (understanding systems of power and hierarchical structures). If museum practitioners cannot see the structural and systemic problems that exist, they cannot begin to fix them. Hence art museum professionals tend to maintain status quo and function within prevailing uncontroversial frameworks.

This lecture discusses Norwegian art museums as settler institutions in a historical perspective. I will consider how coloniality shapes the present within the context of art museums and curatorial practices. Analyzing the historical trajectory of the art museum from this standpoint might help demonstrate why art museums and curators operate the way they do today.

Links to case studies:

https://www.idunn.no/doi/full/10.18261/kk.105.1.4

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369801X.2022.2161063

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cura.12580

Lecture is held in cooperation with KUMU Art Museum and is connected to the exhibition “They Began to Talk” at the Gallery of Contemporary Art at Kumu Art Museum which invites us to reflect on environmental changes resulting from human activity through the lens of colonial history and its lasting impact. The exhibition brings together the practices of artists working in this region with those from Indigenous communities in the Nordic countries, exploring the possibility of recovering and cultivating a sense of connection.

Lecture is funded by:

@nordnorskkunstmuseum

@ikkenoytrale

Lecture’s recording at EKA TV.