Night of the Anthropocene: EKA art and design MA students at Vent Space

13.02.2024

Night of the Anthropocene: EKA art and design MA students at Vent Space

17.30–18.00
Performative gathering “ “
Yuko Kinouchi, Tea Lemberpuu, Jane Muts, Maria Elise Remme, Jake Rhys Shepherd, Elo Vahtrik

We warmly invite you to slow down with us through a guided participatory gathering.

We were searching for a pause, stillness. So we ran through forests, we slept in caves, we followed the waters. Everything to escape the noise man has created. The rumor about the man-made room for silence reached our ears. We met John. He told us that after a while all you hear is the blood running within you. Heartbeat and all the sounds we were made of. There are things we can’t turn off.

In “ “ we ask you to join us to slow down, pause, and turn the attention within.

P.S. We ask you to leave your shoes and phone outside the room on arrival.

18.00–19.30
Workshop “Leaf Pounding”
Chloé Geinoz, Sven-Aleksander Mantsik, Vitor Pascal, Liza Tsindelian

The ‘Leaf pounding’ (this is the name of the technique of hammering plants onto paper or fabric in order to print them on it) project is a printing workshop using ecological and sustainable materials.

Our workshop is based on the different practices of the people in the group. It was important for us that everyone’s personal artistic touch could be found in the project: Liza uses second-hand materials, Chloé uses plants a lot, Vitor and Sven have a practice linked to printing techniques and critical text.

18.00–19.30
Installation “I Like Earth and Earth Likes Me”
Eleftheria Kofidou, Jana Mätas, Caroline Pajusaar, KitKit Para, Kadri Vahar, Edgar Volkov

The vertebral column is the main supporting structure of the body and mind, as the nerve cells within the spinal cord carry all the signals that are required to sustain the organism. These interlinked systems – all connected with our spine – control our every activity; our waking, dreaming, and sleeping and our stability depends on their successful collaboration. Our tired bones are only resting when lying on this soil, yet the Earth’s skin is becoming more and more occupied. What would become of our body landscapes after all? Our artificial remains shall be Earth’s new spine.

18.00–19.30
“Can I speak to the manager? It’s about the anthropocene”
Yvette Bathgate, Mihhail Boitsov, Katariina Kesküla, Merilin Põldsam, Kristi Vendelin

Collectively we explore interconnection through the process of binding; artworks, papers and text. A short manifesto style text, alongside five artworks will bind our individual expressions together and will be presented in installation and hand bound booklet formats.

The works have been made as part of the “Art in the Age of the Anthropocene” course for the EKA Contemporary Art and Design & Crafts MA students (supervisors Sandra Kossorotova, Linda Kaljundi).

Posted by Anu Vahtra — Permalink

Night of the Anthropocene: EKA art and design MA students at Vent Space

Tuesday 13 February, 2024

17.30–18.00
Performative gathering “ “
Yuko Kinouchi, Tea Lemberpuu, Jane Muts, Maria Elise Remme, Jake Rhys Shepherd, Elo Vahtrik

We warmly invite you to slow down with us through a guided participatory gathering.

We were searching for a pause, stillness. So we ran through forests, we slept in caves, we followed the waters. Everything to escape the noise man has created. The rumor about the man-made room for silence reached our ears. We met John. He told us that after a while all you hear is the blood running within you. Heartbeat and all the sounds we were made of. There are things we can’t turn off.

In “ “ we ask you to join us to slow down, pause, and turn the attention within.

P.S. We ask you to leave your shoes and phone outside the room on arrival.

18.00–19.30
Workshop “Leaf Pounding”
Chloé Geinoz, Sven-Aleksander Mantsik, Vitor Pascal, Liza Tsindelian

The ‘Leaf pounding’ (this is the name of the technique of hammering plants onto paper or fabric in order to print them on it) project is a printing workshop using ecological and sustainable materials.

Our workshop is based on the different practices of the people in the group. It was important for us that everyone’s personal artistic touch could be found in the project: Liza uses second-hand materials, Chloé uses plants a lot, Vitor and Sven have a practice linked to printing techniques and critical text.

18.00–19.30
Installation “I Like Earth and Earth Likes Me”
Eleftheria Kofidou, Jana Mätas, Caroline Pajusaar, KitKit Para, Kadri Vahar, Edgar Volkov

The vertebral column is the main supporting structure of the body and mind, as the nerve cells within the spinal cord carry all the signals that are required to sustain the organism. These interlinked systems – all connected with our spine – control our every activity; our waking, dreaming, and sleeping and our stability depends on their successful collaboration. Our tired bones are only resting when lying on this soil, yet the Earth’s skin is becoming more and more occupied. What would become of our body landscapes after all? Our artificial remains shall be Earth’s new spine.

18.00–19.30
“Can I speak to the manager? It’s about the anthropocene”
Yvette Bathgate, Mihhail Boitsov, Katariina Kesküla, Merilin Põldsam, Kristi Vendelin

Collectively we explore interconnection through the process of binding; artworks, papers and text. A short manifesto style text, alongside five artworks will bind our individual expressions together and will be presented in installation and hand bound booklet formats.

The works have been made as part of the “Art in the Age of the Anthropocene” course for the EKA Contemporary Art and Design & Crafts MA students (supervisors Sandra Kossorotova, Linda Kaljundi).

Posted by Anu Vahtra — Permalink

26.02.2024 — 28.02.2024

International wooden construction conference Forum Wood Building Baltic 2024

Forum Wood Building Baltic
26 February – 28 February 2024
Tallinn, Estonia
https://www.forum-woodbaltic.com/

We invite you to participate in the Forum Wood Building Baltic 2024 to be held on February 27 and 28 in Tallinn, Estonia. This year we have more than 40 speakers from 15 countries. 

 There is also an opportunity to participate in the thematic excursions on February 26th. Forum Wood Building Baltic is the main conference for architecture and engineering topics of wooden buildings in the Baltic region. The overarching theme of Forum Wood Building Baltic 2024 is integrated design where different disciplines come together with their own possibilities and limitations to cooperate and push the boundaries of innovation in timber construction.  

The main technical topics will be:

  • introduction to the second generation of Eurocode 5 (by the authors of different parts) 
  • design for manufacturing and assembly 
  • building physics of wooden houses 
  • energy performance, fire safety etc. 

 

The conference is a part of the international organization Forum Holzbau. Local hosts are Estonian Academy of Arts and Tallinn University of Technology.
 

Registration to the conference can be easily done here: https://www.forum-woodbaltic.com

 

The gala dinner on February 27th is included in all tickets.

Posted by Anna Tommingas — Permalink

International wooden construction conference Forum Wood Building Baltic 2024

Monday 26 February, 2024 — Wednesday 28 February, 2024

Forum Wood Building Baltic
26 February – 28 February 2024
Tallinn, Estonia
https://www.forum-woodbaltic.com/

We invite you to participate in the Forum Wood Building Baltic 2024 to be held on February 27 and 28 in Tallinn, Estonia. This year we have more than 40 speakers from 15 countries. 

 There is also an opportunity to participate in the thematic excursions on February 26th. Forum Wood Building Baltic is the main conference for architecture and engineering topics of wooden buildings in the Baltic region. The overarching theme of Forum Wood Building Baltic 2024 is integrated design where different disciplines come together with their own possibilities and limitations to cooperate and push the boundaries of innovation in timber construction.  

The main technical topics will be:

  • introduction to the second generation of Eurocode 5 (by the authors of different parts) 
  • design for manufacturing and assembly 
  • building physics of wooden houses 
  • energy performance, fire safety etc. 

 

The conference is a part of the international organization Forum Holzbau. Local hosts are Estonian Academy of Arts and Tallinn University of Technology.
 

Registration to the conference can be easily done here: https://www.forum-woodbaltic.com

 

The gala dinner on February 27th is included in all tickets.

Posted by Anna Tommingas — Permalink

12.02.2024 — 20.02.2024

Alexei Gordin at Täisnurga Gallery

13.02-20.02 Alexei Gordin’s exhibition “This School Produces Useless Losers” will be open at Täisnurga Gallery.

The exhibition opening will be held on 12.02. at 18:00.

The exhibition is focused around the adventures of one artist in the world of Delfi comment section. It is said that there is no need to prove anything to anyone on the internet, but reality shows that users always want to prove something and what they say about art does not match what artists think about themselves. So who is right, and why does such a harmless phenomenon as art upset so many people? The exhibition consists of screenshots and found objects to which the artist gave a new meaning using phrases, slogans and puns inspired by the Delfi comment section.

Alexei Gordin (born in 1989) studied painting in Tallinn and Helsinki and currently lives and works in Tallinn.

Although he has a background in painting, Gordin fluently uses different media and works with drawing, photography, video, and performance.

The main subject matter of his artistic practice is absurdly stereotypical thinking and behaviour patterns of people in contemporary mass society. Gordin’s works are almost always narrative in nature and often cover exciting or annoying situations. In the early years of his career, filthy slums, empty industrial landscapes, marginalised and stigmatised social groups, and vulgar jokes constituted the core atmosphere of Gordin’s work.

The harsh reality of the art world has now become one of his main topics and the artist has himself become the protagonist. Scenes scattered with black humour deconstruct the image of the professional art world as something elitist and glamorous.

Gordin has won several photography competitions and in 2017 he was awarded the Young Painters’ Prize in Vilnius.

Täisnurga gallery is a project started in autumn 2023 by Karola Ainsar and Daria Morozova, which focuses on carefully selected intermediate stages and exhibiting newly completed works.

The gallery can be found by entering through the back door of the Painting Department (C201) of the Estonian Academy of Arts.

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

Alexei Gordin at Täisnurga Gallery

Monday 12 February, 2024 — Tuesday 20 February, 2024

13.02-20.02 Alexei Gordin’s exhibition “This School Produces Useless Losers” will be open at Täisnurga Gallery.

The exhibition opening will be held on 12.02. at 18:00.

The exhibition is focused around the adventures of one artist in the world of Delfi comment section. It is said that there is no need to prove anything to anyone on the internet, but reality shows that users always want to prove something and what they say about art does not match what artists think about themselves. So who is right, and why does such a harmless phenomenon as art upset so many people? The exhibition consists of screenshots and found objects to which the artist gave a new meaning using phrases, slogans and puns inspired by the Delfi comment section.

Alexei Gordin (born in 1989) studied painting in Tallinn and Helsinki and currently lives and works in Tallinn.

Although he has a background in painting, Gordin fluently uses different media and works with drawing, photography, video, and performance.

The main subject matter of his artistic practice is absurdly stereotypical thinking and behaviour patterns of people in contemporary mass society. Gordin’s works are almost always narrative in nature and often cover exciting or annoying situations. In the early years of his career, filthy slums, empty industrial landscapes, marginalised and stigmatised social groups, and vulgar jokes constituted the core atmosphere of Gordin’s work.

The harsh reality of the art world has now become one of his main topics and the artist has himself become the protagonist. Scenes scattered with black humour deconstruct the image of the professional art world as something elitist and glamorous.

Gordin has won several photography competitions and in 2017 he was awarded the Young Painters’ Prize in Vilnius.

Täisnurga gallery is a project started in autumn 2023 by Karola Ainsar and Daria Morozova, which focuses on carefully selected intermediate stages and exhibiting newly completed works.

The gallery can be found by entering through the back door of the Painting Department (C201) of the Estonian Academy of Arts.

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

08.02.2024 — 01.03.2024

Sten Saarits in ARS Showroom

In Dialogue with Dissonance
ARS Showroom
09.02-01.03.2024
Opening: 08.02 at 18:00

“In Dialogue with Dissonance” invites viewers to engage in a practice of dialogue with the art space, its surroundings, and the unpredictable qualities of sound. “In Dialogue with Dissonance” is an installation that integrates live on-site sound, digital algorithm-based manipulations, and flashing signs bearing incoherent directives for active participation. The exhibition challenges visitors to question meaning-making, modes of interaction, and embrace the unpredictability of an ever-changing space.

The sound composition for 9 audio channels and 1 low frequency emitter was developed on location as a reflection on the space. The composition is only based on automation lanes that direct live input signals through various digital signal processors, the raw sound from passing cars, the space itself, vibrations in the architecture, and feedback events picked up by different microphones are mostly unpredictable. Live sounds are picked up by specialized devices, including a geophone originally designed for seismic measurements and a coil-type microphone that renders electromagnetic fields audible.

Sten Saarits is an interdisciplinary artist who works mainly with time-based media. As an avid field recordist, his installation works often utilize sound compositions comprising spoken words and auditory signifiers, constructing participatory and animated environments. Saarits’ practice commonly explores themes of overstimulation and cultural behavioral norms.

www.stensaarits.ee

The exhibition is supported by Estonian Cultural Endowment and Estonian Artists’ Association

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

Sten Saarits in ARS Showroom

Thursday 08 February, 2024 — Friday 01 March, 2024

In Dialogue with Dissonance
ARS Showroom
09.02-01.03.2024
Opening: 08.02 at 18:00

“In Dialogue with Dissonance” invites viewers to engage in a practice of dialogue with the art space, its surroundings, and the unpredictable qualities of sound. “In Dialogue with Dissonance” is an installation that integrates live on-site sound, digital algorithm-based manipulations, and flashing signs bearing incoherent directives for active participation. The exhibition challenges visitors to question meaning-making, modes of interaction, and embrace the unpredictability of an ever-changing space.

The sound composition for 9 audio channels and 1 low frequency emitter was developed on location as a reflection on the space. The composition is only based on automation lanes that direct live input signals through various digital signal processors, the raw sound from passing cars, the space itself, vibrations in the architecture, and feedback events picked up by different microphones are mostly unpredictable. Live sounds are picked up by specialized devices, including a geophone originally designed for seismic measurements and a coil-type microphone that renders electromagnetic fields audible.

Sten Saarits is an interdisciplinary artist who works mainly with time-based media. As an avid field recordist, his installation works often utilize sound compositions comprising spoken words and auditory signifiers, constructing participatory and animated environments. Saarits’ practice commonly explores themes of overstimulation and cultural behavioral norms.

www.stensaarits.ee

The exhibition is supported by Estonian Cultural Endowment and Estonian Artists’ Association

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

19.02.2024 — 24.02.2024

Durational performance “The Embassy of Utopia” at EKA Gallery 19.–24.02.2024

Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_13
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_02
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_03
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_04
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_05
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_06
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_07
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_08
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_09
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_10
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_11
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_12
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_14
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_15
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_16
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_17
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_18
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_19
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_20
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_21

“The Embassy of Utopia: Happiness for Everybody, Free of Charge, and May No One Be Left Behind!*”
EKA Gallery
19.–24.02.2024

Open Mon–Fri 12–9 pm & Sat 5–11 pm (part of the reception), free entry

 

The Institute of Meetings & Non-Meetings opens the Embassy of Utopia at the EKA Gallery on February 19th. On the final evening of the performative installation, February 24th, one hour after President Alar Karis steps up to the lectern at the Estonia Theatre to deliver Estonia’s most anticipated speech of the year, the Embassy of Utopia will present the year’s most unexpected speech.

The speech will not be written by artificial intelligence or a freelance poet. It will be written by those who gather at the Embassy, those seeking poetic refuge.

“We have dealt with speeches in the Institute’s and Paide Theatre’s previous projects and confirmed that the core of a good speech is a clear message. But the world is not clear, and it seems that every speech, aiming to bring clarity, spreads confusion. Therefore, we decided it was time to turn our backs on clarity and create a speech that acknowledges confusion,” says one of the participating artists, Jan Teevet.

“One might ask, what distinguishes the Embassy of Utopia’s speech from any much-maligned internet forum. The answer can be found in the phenomenon of meeting. From Monday to Friday, when the Embassy’s doors at the Estonian Academy of Arts are open to all passersby, dozens of groups will meet there, not aiming for a mediocre compromise, but to build bold connections between views, crises, and solutions that frame their personal realities today,” adds the Institute’s dramaturge, Oliver Issak.

“A clear message, a clear tax system, a clear line between good and evil — we often think that clarity takes care of everything and everyone on its own, not noticing that clarity can often be uncaring. Clear messages are easier to receive and categorize, but how to organise a reception for doubts?” asks sociologist and artist-researcher Margaret Tilk.

The Embassy of Utopia is open from February 19th–23rd from 12–9 pm and culminates in the Embassy of Utopia’s reception on February 24th at 5 pm.

Entry to the Embassy is free for all, and everyone is free to decide whether it is an exhibition, a theatre production, a workshop, a meeting, a political-poetic consecration, a deep hangout, a minimalist opera, or something else entirely. One may also choose not to decide.

The Embassy of Utopia’s daily life and nightly fiction are created and organised by Oliver Issak, Kairi Mändla, Jan Teevet, Taavi Teevet, and Margaret Tilk.

“The Embassy of Utopia: Happiness for everybody, free of charge, and may no one be left behind!” is the fourth event in the series of actions created by the Institute of Meetings and Non-Meetings. The doors of the Embassy of Utopia first opened in May 2023 at the invitation of the international literature festival Prima Vista and the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, with the subtitle “Longing for a different reality”, and from September, the Embassy of Utopia’s radio action goes live on Klassikaraadio on the last Sunday of every month. On December 31st, 2023, a 5-hour New Year’s Eve special was broadcasted on Klassikaraadio’s wavelength, “Embassy of Utopia: A Thousand Toasts to the Future”.

The Embassy of Utopia is a sanctuary for positive uncertainty, bold thought, and untamable imagination. 

* The title is based on the novel “Roadside Picnic” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

 

The project is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Drinks at the reception provided by Põhjala Brewery.

 

More info:
Jan Teevet jan@instituut.art
Oliver Issak oliver@instituut.art
Margaret Tilk marga.tilk@gmail.com
www.instituut.art/utoopiasaatkond

Posted by Kaisa Maasik — Permalink

Durational performance “The Embassy of Utopia” at EKA Gallery 19.–24.02.2024

Monday 19 February, 2024 — Saturday 24 February, 2024

Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_13
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_02
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_03
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_04
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_05
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_06
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_07
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_08
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_09
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_10
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_11
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_12
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_14
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_15
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_16
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_17
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_18
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_19
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_20
Utoopia Saatkond_vastuvott_foto Kaisa Maasik_21

“The Embassy of Utopia: Happiness for Everybody, Free of Charge, and May No One Be Left Behind!*”
EKA Gallery
19.–24.02.2024

Open Mon–Fri 12–9 pm & Sat 5–11 pm (part of the reception), free entry

 

The Institute of Meetings & Non-Meetings opens the Embassy of Utopia at the EKA Gallery on February 19th. On the final evening of the performative installation, February 24th, one hour after President Alar Karis steps up to the lectern at the Estonia Theatre to deliver Estonia’s most anticipated speech of the year, the Embassy of Utopia will present the year’s most unexpected speech.

The speech will not be written by artificial intelligence or a freelance poet. It will be written by those who gather at the Embassy, those seeking poetic refuge.

“We have dealt with speeches in the Institute’s and Paide Theatre’s previous projects and confirmed that the core of a good speech is a clear message. But the world is not clear, and it seems that every speech, aiming to bring clarity, spreads confusion. Therefore, we decided it was time to turn our backs on clarity and create a speech that acknowledges confusion,” says one of the participating artists, Jan Teevet.

“One might ask, what distinguishes the Embassy of Utopia’s speech from any much-maligned internet forum. The answer can be found in the phenomenon of meeting. From Monday to Friday, when the Embassy’s doors at the Estonian Academy of Arts are open to all passersby, dozens of groups will meet there, not aiming for a mediocre compromise, but to build bold connections between views, crises, and solutions that frame their personal realities today,” adds the Institute’s dramaturge, Oliver Issak.

“A clear message, a clear tax system, a clear line between good and evil — we often think that clarity takes care of everything and everyone on its own, not noticing that clarity can often be uncaring. Clear messages are easier to receive and categorize, but how to organise a reception for doubts?” asks sociologist and artist-researcher Margaret Tilk.

The Embassy of Utopia is open from February 19th–23rd from 12–9 pm and culminates in the Embassy of Utopia’s reception on February 24th at 5 pm.

Entry to the Embassy is free for all, and everyone is free to decide whether it is an exhibition, a theatre production, a workshop, a meeting, a political-poetic consecration, a deep hangout, a minimalist opera, or something else entirely. One may also choose not to decide.

The Embassy of Utopia’s daily life and nightly fiction are created and organised by Oliver Issak, Kairi Mändla, Jan Teevet, Taavi Teevet, and Margaret Tilk.

“The Embassy of Utopia: Happiness for everybody, free of charge, and may no one be left behind!” is the fourth event in the series of actions created by the Institute of Meetings and Non-Meetings. The doors of the Embassy of Utopia first opened in May 2023 at the invitation of the international literature festival Prima Vista and the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, with the subtitle “Longing for a different reality”, and from September, the Embassy of Utopia’s radio action goes live on Klassikaraadio on the last Sunday of every month. On December 31st, 2023, a 5-hour New Year’s Eve special was broadcasted on Klassikaraadio’s wavelength, “Embassy of Utopia: A Thousand Toasts to the Future”.

The Embassy of Utopia is a sanctuary for positive uncertainty, bold thought, and untamable imagination. 

* The title is based on the novel “Roadside Picnic” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

 

The project is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Drinks at the reception provided by Põhjala Brewery.

 

More info:
Jan Teevet jan@instituut.art
Oliver Issak oliver@instituut.art
Margaret Tilk marga.tilk@gmail.com
www.instituut.art/utoopiasaatkond

Posted by Kaisa Maasik — Permalink

29.02.2024 — 10.03.2024

Young Sculptor Award Exhibition 2024

On February 29 at 4:00 pm, the Young Sculptor Award Exhibition 2024 of the Department of Installation and Sculpture of the Estonian Academy of Arts will open at EKKM.

 

The winner of the Young Sculptor Award 2024 will be announced at the exhibition opening. The award winner will be selected by a 5-member jury independent of the organisers. The competition is open to individual authors with a work completed in 2023, a development of a work completed in 2023 or a new work in the making.

This time, the jury of the Young Sculptor Award 2024 selected 15 works from the 39 entries received.

 

The nominees are Sandra Ernits, Iohan Figueroa, Chloé Geinoz, Aurelia Grace Talmon, Erik Hõim, Loora Kaubi, Ellen Emilie Laaksonen, Noah Emanuel Morrison, Sarah Noonan, Elise Marie Olesk, KitKit Para, Inessa Saarits, Asmus Soodla, Sonja Sutt and Ats- Anton Varustin.

 

The Young Sculptor Award and the accompanying exhibition, launched in 2012, aim to highlight and recognise the professional work of young artists working in the field of sculpture and installation.

 

Previous winners of the Young Sculptor Award include Hanna Piksarv, Sten Saarits, Anna Mari Liivrand, Johannes Valdma, Rosa Violetta Grötsch, Johannes Luik, Siim Elmers, Sarah Nõmm, Junny Yeung and Mara Kirchberg.

 

The exhibition is open until 10 March, daily from 2pm to 8pm.

 

The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Põhjala Brewery and Karksi Brewery.

 

Graphic design by Cristopher Siniväli

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

Young Sculptor Award Exhibition 2024

Thursday 29 February, 2024 — Sunday 10 March, 2024

On February 29 at 4:00 pm, the Young Sculptor Award Exhibition 2024 of the Department of Installation and Sculpture of the Estonian Academy of Arts will open at EKKM.

 

The winner of the Young Sculptor Award 2024 will be announced at the exhibition opening. The award winner will be selected by a 5-member jury independent of the organisers. The competition is open to individual authors with a work completed in 2023, a development of a work completed in 2023 or a new work in the making.

This time, the jury of the Young Sculptor Award 2024 selected 15 works from the 39 entries received.

 

The nominees are Sandra Ernits, Iohan Figueroa, Chloé Geinoz, Aurelia Grace Talmon, Erik Hõim, Loora Kaubi, Ellen Emilie Laaksonen, Noah Emanuel Morrison, Sarah Noonan, Elise Marie Olesk, KitKit Para, Inessa Saarits, Asmus Soodla, Sonja Sutt and Ats- Anton Varustin.

 

The Young Sculptor Award and the accompanying exhibition, launched in 2012, aim to highlight and recognise the professional work of young artists working in the field of sculpture and installation.

 

Previous winners of the Young Sculptor Award include Hanna Piksarv, Sten Saarits, Anna Mari Liivrand, Johannes Valdma, Rosa Violetta Grötsch, Johannes Luik, Siim Elmers, Sarah Nõmm, Junny Yeung and Mara Kirchberg.

 

The exhibition is open until 10 March, daily from 2pm to 8pm.

 

The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Põhjala Brewery and Karksi Brewery.

 

Graphic design by Cristopher Siniväli

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

30.01.2024

Graphic Design MA programme’s online info session 2024

GDMA_IvanMartinezStudioVisit_MexicoCity2023

MA in Graphic Design
Online info session
Tuesday, 30 January 2024, 18:00–19:00h EET (local Estonian time) / 17:00h CET / 16:00h GMT … 

We invite prospective students to join the Master of Arts in Graphic Design at the Estonian Academy of Arts for our Online Info Session on 30 January, 18:00–19:00h EET. This will be an opportunity to hear more about the program, to meet and ask questions directly from teachers and students.

REGISTER HERE

Please register by Monday, 29 January 2024, 15:00h EET.

A zoom-link will be e-mailed out to all registrants a few hours before the event starts.
If you have any questions please write to: maria.keskula@artun.ee
Posted by Maarja Pabut — Permalink

Graphic Design MA programme’s online info session 2024

Tuesday 30 January, 2024

GDMA_IvanMartinezStudioVisit_MexicoCity2023

MA in Graphic Design
Online info session
Tuesday, 30 January 2024, 18:00–19:00h EET (local Estonian time) / 17:00h CET / 16:00h GMT … 

We invite prospective students to join the Master of Arts in Graphic Design at the Estonian Academy of Arts for our Online Info Session on 30 January, 18:00–19:00h EET. This will be an opportunity to hear more about the program, to meet and ask questions directly from teachers and students.

REGISTER HERE

Please register by Monday, 29 January 2024, 15:00h EET.

A zoom-link will be e-mailed out to all registrants a few hours before the event starts.
If you have any questions please write to: maria.keskula@artun.ee
Posted by Maarja Pabut — Permalink

02.02.2024 — 03.03.2024

Lepik and Purtsak the Monumental Gallery of the Tartu Art House

On Friday, 2 February at 5 p.m., the joint exhibition “Urge“ by Lisette Lepik and Brenda Purtsak will open in the monumental gallery of the Tartu Art House.

The curator of the exhibition is Kerly Ritval.

 

The exhibition brings together the artists and the curator to examine the diverse and mysterious nature of love. They explore boundaries and express in art what drives and fulfils human life: love.

 

Love can’t be truly expressed in words, is invisible to the eye, and is intangible, making it difficult to find, hold onto and let go of. It accompanies a person throughout life as a strongly beating urge.

 

The curator explains: “Brenda Purtsak’s artistic practice engages with the human body, drawing inspiration, among other things, directly from the operating table. By dissecting the human body with colours, she seeks answers to larger existential questions, such as: What is the biological force in the human body that pushes and pulls us toward each other? Lisette Lepik’s painting practice has focused on the body, sensations, sexuality and related traumas. In this exhibition, the artist expresses thoughts, feelings and fears related to love through her distinctive colour, composition and form language.”

 

The exhibition invites viewers on an introspective journey and into contemplation about desire, love, touch and fears, as well as the absence of love, searching and discoveries.

 

Brenda Purtsak (b. 1994) is an Estonian artist who graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a master’s degree in Contemporary Art (2022) and a bachelor’s degree in Painting (2020). She has been working as a lecturer at the Academy since 2023.

 

Lisette Lepik (b. 1999) is an Estonian artist based in Tallinn. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in painting from the Estonian Academy of Arts (2022) and furthered her studies in installation art at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts (2019). Since 2023, she has been working as a lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts.

 

Kerly Ritval (b. 1996) is an Estonian curator and critic who completed a bachelor’s degree in art history and visual culture studies (2020) and a master’s degree in curatorial studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts (2023). She also supplemented her curatorial studies in Iceland (2022) and recently furthered her education in New York, assisting in producing the performance biennial Performa (2023).

 

Graphic designer: Rainer Kasekivi
Poetry used in the exhibition by Andres Anissimov

The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment and the city of Tartu.

The exhibition will remain open until 3 March.

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

Lepik and Purtsak the Monumental Gallery of the Tartu Art House

Friday 02 February, 2024 — Sunday 03 March, 2024

On Friday, 2 February at 5 p.m., the joint exhibition “Urge“ by Lisette Lepik and Brenda Purtsak will open in the monumental gallery of the Tartu Art House.

The curator of the exhibition is Kerly Ritval.

 

The exhibition brings together the artists and the curator to examine the diverse and mysterious nature of love. They explore boundaries and express in art what drives and fulfils human life: love.

 

Love can’t be truly expressed in words, is invisible to the eye, and is intangible, making it difficult to find, hold onto and let go of. It accompanies a person throughout life as a strongly beating urge.

 

The curator explains: “Brenda Purtsak’s artistic practice engages with the human body, drawing inspiration, among other things, directly from the operating table. By dissecting the human body with colours, she seeks answers to larger existential questions, such as: What is the biological force in the human body that pushes and pulls us toward each other? Lisette Lepik’s painting practice has focused on the body, sensations, sexuality and related traumas. In this exhibition, the artist expresses thoughts, feelings and fears related to love through her distinctive colour, composition and form language.”

 

The exhibition invites viewers on an introspective journey and into contemplation about desire, love, touch and fears, as well as the absence of love, searching and discoveries.

 

Brenda Purtsak (b. 1994) is an Estonian artist who graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a master’s degree in Contemporary Art (2022) and a bachelor’s degree in Painting (2020). She has been working as a lecturer at the Academy since 2023.

 

Lisette Lepik (b. 1999) is an Estonian artist based in Tallinn. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in painting from the Estonian Academy of Arts (2022) and furthered her studies in installation art at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts (2019). Since 2023, she has been working as a lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts.

 

Kerly Ritval (b. 1996) is an Estonian curator and critic who completed a bachelor’s degree in art history and visual culture studies (2020) and a master’s degree in curatorial studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts (2023). She also supplemented her curatorial studies in Iceland (2022) and recently furthered her education in New York, assisting in producing the performance biennial Performa (2023).

 

Graphic designer: Rainer Kasekivi
Poetry used in the exhibition by Andres Anissimov

The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment and the city of Tartu.

The exhibition will remain open until 3 March.

Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

01.02.2024 — 02.02.2024

Workshop for the supervisors of artistic doctoral theses

On 1–2 February 2024, a workshop to support the supervisors of artistic doctoral theses will be held in cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM).
The workshop will be conducted by Prof. Leena Rouhiainen (University of the Arts Helsinki)
The workshop will take place at the Estonian Academy of Arts (room A501)

Please register by 30 January HERE.

February 1, 2024
10.15–10.30 Welcome coffee
10.30–12.00 The degree requirements of the Doctoral Programme of Artistic Research in Performing Arts, Theatre Academy, Uniarts Helsinki

  • Theatre Academy’s definition of artistic research
  • The examination and publishing process of the artistic doctoral research
  • How to structure and expose the artistic doctoral research (artistic components, publishing opportunities)

12.00–12.45 Lunch break

12.45–14.00 The curriculum of the Theatre Academy’s doctoral programme

  • How the doctoral programme and curriculum supports the transition from artist into artist-researcher and the engagement of the doctoral candidate with the doctoral and research community of the Theatre Academy and wider Uniarts
  • 1st year mentoring/contact teacher, orientation ABCD/EFGH/XYZ, annual teaching weeks focusing on the first two years of study

14.00–14.30 Coffee break

14.30–16/16.30 Formal parameters of supervision at the Theatre Academy’s doctoral programme

  • The instructions, supervisor agreement, responsibilities, ethical guidelines and review, supervision process and supervision training

17.30 Premiere of “Creative Science” series of short films introducing Estonian artist-researchers
SuperNova Cinema, NOVA Building of BFM (Narva mnt 27), 4th floor, room N406
Before the films Prof. Leena Rouhiainen’s short lecture “Notes on Artistic Research”.

February 2, 2024

09.00–11.00 Practical considerations in supervision

  • Individual aspects of supervision – the supervisor doctoral student relationship, ethical review and research ethics.

11.00–12.00 Lunch break

12.00–13.30 Practical considerations in supervision

  • Supporting doctoral candidates in the final phase, other items on best practices and challenges

13.30–14.00 Coffee break
14.00–15.30 Conclusions and future steps

Contact:
Irene Hütsi
Coordinator of Doctoral School
irene.hutsi@artun.ee

 

Workshop is co-financed by European Union, activity “Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies”.

 

Posted by Irene Hütsi — Permalink

Workshop for the supervisors of artistic doctoral theses

Thursday 01 February, 2024 — Friday 02 February, 2024

On 1–2 February 2024, a workshop to support the supervisors of artistic doctoral theses will be held in cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (BFM).
The workshop will be conducted by Prof. Leena Rouhiainen (University of the Arts Helsinki)
The workshop will take place at the Estonian Academy of Arts (room A501)

Please register by 30 January HERE.

February 1, 2024
10.15–10.30 Welcome coffee
10.30–12.00 The degree requirements of the Doctoral Programme of Artistic Research in Performing Arts, Theatre Academy, Uniarts Helsinki

  • Theatre Academy’s definition of artistic research
  • The examination and publishing process of the artistic doctoral research
  • How to structure and expose the artistic doctoral research (artistic components, publishing opportunities)

12.00–12.45 Lunch break

12.45–14.00 The curriculum of the Theatre Academy’s doctoral programme

  • How the doctoral programme and curriculum supports the transition from artist into artist-researcher and the engagement of the doctoral candidate with the doctoral and research community of the Theatre Academy and wider Uniarts
  • 1st year mentoring/contact teacher, orientation ABCD/EFGH/XYZ, annual teaching weeks focusing on the first two years of study

14.00–14.30 Coffee break

14.30–16/16.30 Formal parameters of supervision at the Theatre Academy’s doctoral programme

  • The instructions, supervisor agreement, responsibilities, ethical guidelines and review, supervision process and supervision training

17.30 Premiere of “Creative Science” series of short films introducing Estonian artist-researchers
SuperNova Cinema, NOVA Building of BFM (Narva mnt 27), 4th floor, room N406
Before the films Prof. Leena Rouhiainen’s short lecture “Notes on Artistic Research”.

February 2, 2024

09.00–11.00 Practical considerations in supervision

  • Individual aspects of supervision – the supervisor doctoral student relationship, ethical review and research ethics.

11.00–12.00 Lunch break

12.00–13.30 Practical considerations in supervision

  • Supporting doctoral candidates in the final phase, other items on best practices and challenges

13.30–14.00 Coffee break
14.00–15.30 Conclusions and future steps

Contact:
Irene Hütsi
Coordinator of Doctoral School
irene.hutsi@artun.ee

 

Workshop is co-financed by European Union, activity “Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies”.

 

Posted by Irene Hütsi — Permalink

24.01.2024 — 17.02.2024

Melnikova, Keskküla, Monko, Daniliauskaitė at Draakon Gallery

On Wednesday, January 24 at 6 pm we welcome you to the opening of the exhibition Swirling, Twirling, Spinning curated by Merilin Talumaa.

The exhibition includes works by Daria Melnikova, Helena Keskküla, Marge Monko and Viktorija Daniliauskaitė.

The exhibition Swirling, Twirling, Spinning unites artists across generations in an empowering context, drawing inspiration from the ideas of Lithuanian-American archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas. Her profound research brought attention to the ancient cultures of the Baltic region and the broader Indo-European world, exploring archaeological artefacts, linguistics, ethnography, and folklore. Gimbutas posited a thesis that prehistoric European culture centered around the worship of a Mother Goddess, as the giver of all life. A spiritual sense of connectedness was artfully expressed through a sophisticated symbol system and an abundance of ritual objects. Nature and body were honored in Europe for tens of thousands of years. Whereas women had an especially strong position in societies across Eastern and Central Europe – a tendency no longer necessarily evident today.

Swirling, Twirling, Spinning poetically weaves a narrative that bridges ancient myths and beliefs, natural cycles, and the transformative power of feminine energy across different cultures and times. Gimbutas, who having opened the treasure trove of prehistory, inspired a belief in a peaceful existence in our time – to bring back to life suppressed vital elements, such as the earth, the body (health), the feminine, and the subconscious. Participating artists, through imaginative and fictitious narratives, share personal stories and cultural myths that also reflect the influence of Gimbutas’ theories on ancient symbolism. Their works echo these concepts through a contemporary lens, incorporating elements such as spirals, circles, and motifs such as snakes and birds – symbols rooted in ancient European matriarchal cultures that continue to resonate in Baltic art and culture.

The exhibition contemplates on reimagining a world centered around goddess worship, with its emphasis on embracing womanhood, preserving nature, and forsaking warfare. Could this theoretical concept transcend into the tangible reality of our future society? Swirling, Twirling, Spinning seamlessly intertwines historical narratives and mythology, immersing us in the themes that Marija Gimbutas ignited: the celebration of life’s cycles, constant renewal, the sanctity of the female body, and the spirituality inherent in these concepts. Gimbutas’ exploration of the spiritual dimensions of a harmonious Old Europe and her vision for a New Europe free from dominance and warfare, feels remarkably pertinent in our contemporary world.

First exhibition around the heritage of Marija Gimbutas took place in L’Atlas Gallery in Paris, France (7 November 2023–3 January 2024). The cycle of exhibitions is foreseen to continue with an upcoming show in La Traverse in Marseille, France (27 August–26 October 2024).

Marija Gimbutas (1921–1994) was a Lithuanian-American archaeologist and anthropologist. She contributed to what is considered to be one of the most significant academic watershed moments in women’s studies with her archaeological and philosophical work on Neolithic culture and religion. Gimbutas is best known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of “Old Europe,” a term she introduced. Old Europe referred to both the geographical area and social structures that existed before the Indo-European influence. Gimbutas unequivocally established the existence of a Goddess religion who is the most persistent feature in the archaeological record of the ancient world. The Goddess in all her manifestations was a symbol of the unity of all life in nature. Gimbutas’ discoveries took on great symbolic importance for feminists across various disciplines who found, in her vision of a peaceful, nature-revering society, a sense of hope for the future based on this foundation in the distant past.

Roots to Routes is an initiative created by curators Merilin Talumaa, Maija Rudovska and Justė Kostikovaitė, gathering a community of artists, curators and cultural producers whose trajectories are connected to the Baltic states region. Acting as a nomadic agency, its goal is to support and make visible artistic practices beyond cultural and (geo)political borders. An important part of the collaboration is to create and develop possible joint projects, aiming to build sustainable networks and forms of cooperation between various art scenes.

https://roots2routes.org/

Exhibitions in Draakon gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko AS.

Daria Melnikova is an artist from Riga, Latvia. Her work results from a meditative study of daily routine, clichés, architectural details and mere casual moments attempting to reconstruct their inner logic as well as to bring to light private experiences that once made them possible and necessary. Melnikova runs a journeying platform called Palette that functions as a bar. Between 2022–2023, Palette used a seasonal venue – a kiosk as a part of the urban environment – an intervention in the garden meadow of the Sporta Pils dārzi in Riga. The project activated a work of art as a meeting point, where the artist meets visitors in non-institutional and informal settings. Melnikova has held solo shows at Gallery Vartai in Vilnius (2020); Karlin Studios in Prague (2019); PLATO in Ostrava (2019); Kulturfolger in Zurich (2018); Kim? in Riga (2017, 2014, 2011); and has participated in group shows at L’Atlas in Paris (2023); KHB in Bratislava (2019); Kiasma in Helsinki (2018); Rupert in Vilnius (2018); Silberkuppe in Berlin (2017); Art in General in New York (2015); Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow (2014). Her works are included in the collection of Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland; Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga; Latvia; Zuzeum Collection in Riga, Latvia; among other public and private collections. https://dariamelnikova.com/
Viktorija Daniliauskaitė is a visual artist born in Yakutsk, Russia. She is living and working in Vilnius, Lithuania. Having graduated from the Lithuanian Art Institute (today, the Vilnius Academy of Arts) in 1974, Daniliauskaitė immediately discarded the art clichés proposed by official art and got immersed in the search for her individual style, discovering the inexhaustible sources of folk art and new art forms. Till today, she is often expressing her artistic visions through linocut. The tradition of linocut is often related with folk engravings and the postwar school of Lithuanian graphic art; however, the artist intuitively realised that this technique contains yet unexplored possibilities of expression. While connecting the heritage of folk art with 20th century modernism and postmodernism, Daniliauskaitė built a bridge between the old tradition and contemporary modern art. She recently participated in a group exhibition in L’Atlas, Paris (2023). She is participating in an upcoming group exhibition in MO Museum, Vilnius (2024). Her works belong to the National Museum of Lithuania, Vilnius; MO Museum, Vilnius; among other public and private collections.
Merilin Talumaa is a curator, art historian and cultural manager who lives and works in Paris and Tallinn. She has graduated from the Department of Art History and Visual Culture at the Estonian Academy of Arts. She is also a graduate of Environmental studies from University of Tartu. Her practice has evolved around research about artists’ studio and work environments and notions of migration and belonging. Her recent on-going projects include Roots to Routes (since 2020) – a curatorial initiative gathering a community of artists, curators and cultural producers. Prior to the book „Your Time Is My Time”, Mousse Publishing, 2023, she compiled and edited the book „Artists’ spaces : 16 studio visits”, Estonian Academy of Arts Press, 2017 (both together with Annika Toots). https://roots2routes.org/
Helena Keskküla is an Estonian artist who lives and works in Amsterdam. Her previous work centres around video, performance and installation. Humor, insecurities and failures play an important role in Keskküla’s work, which she uses to speak about universal issues. She has graduated from the sculpture and installation department of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Gerrit Rietveld’s VAV – moving image department, and Sandberg Institute’s master’s programme in fine arts. During the last three years, Kesküla has focused her practice on mythology and stone carving, while forging connections with performance and modern materials.
Marge Monko is an artist living and working in Tallinn, Estonia. She has studied in Estonian Academy of Arts (MA in Photography, 2008), and in University of Applied Arts in Vienna. In 2013-2015 she participated in a studio program in HISK (Higher Institute for Contemporary Art), Ghent, Belgium. She works as a professor in the Department of Photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Marge Monko uses photography, video, and installation. Her works are inspired by historical images and theories of psychoanalysis, feminism, and visual culture. Monko’s works can be found in private and public collections (e.g MUMOK – Museum of Modern Art in Vienna; Folkwang Museum, Essen; Muzeum Sztuki Łódź, Poland; FRAC Lorrain, France; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland; Estonian Art Museum). In 2012, she was awarded Henkel.Art.Award for Eastern and Central European artists. Monko has been selected for the residencies in ISCP (International Studio & Curatorial Program), New York (2015); KulturKonakt Austria, Vienna (2016), ParaSite, Hong Kong (2017) and Videobrasil, São Paulo (2018). Her recent exhibitions include a.o. Modern Love in Tallinn Art Hall and National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (2021-23), Great Pretender in Kai Art Center (2021), Tallinn; Stones Against Diamonds in Museum Folkwang (2019); Crush in Para Site Hong Kong (2018), RIBOCA Riga International Biennial for Contemporary Art (2018); It Won’t Be Long Now, Comrades! in Framer Framed, Amsterdam (2017). www.margemonko.com
Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink

Melnikova, Keskküla, Monko, Daniliauskaitė at Draakon Gallery

Wednesday 24 January, 2024 — Saturday 17 February, 2024

On Wednesday, January 24 at 6 pm we welcome you to the opening of the exhibition Swirling, Twirling, Spinning curated by Merilin Talumaa.

The exhibition includes works by Daria Melnikova, Helena Keskküla, Marge Monko and Viktorija Daniliauskaitė.

The exhibition Swirling, Twirling, Spinning unites artists across generations in an empowering context, drawing inspiration from the ideas of Lithuanian-American archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas. Her profound research brought attention to the ancient cultures of the Baltic region and the broader Indo-European world, exploring archaeological artefacts, linguistics, ethnography, and folklore. Gimbutas posited a thesis that prehistoric European culture centered around the worship of a Mother Goddess, as the giver of all life. A spiritual sense of connectedness was artfully expressed through a sophisticated symbol system and an abundance of ritual objects. Nature and body were honored in Europe for tens of thousands of years. Whereas women had an especially strong position in societies across Eastern and Central Europe – a tendency no longer necessarily evident today.

Swirling, Twirling, Spinning poetically weaves a narrative that bridges ancient myths and beliefs, natural cycles, and the transformative power of feminine energy across different cultures and times. Gimbutas, who having opened the treasure trove of prehistory, inspired a belief in a peaceful existence in our time – to bring back to life suppressed vital elements, such as the earth, the body (health), the feminine, and the subconscious. Participating artists, through imaginative and fictitious narratives, share personal stories and cultural myths that also reflect the influence of Gimbutas’ theories on ancient symbolism. Their works echo these concepts through a contemporary lens, incorporating elements such as spirals, circles, and motifs such as snakes and birds – symbols rooted in ancient European matriarchal cultures that continue to resonate in Baltic art and culture.

The exhibition contemplates on reimagining a world centered around goddess worship, with its emphasis on embracing womanhood, preserving nature, and forsaking warfare. Could this theoretical concept transcend into the tangible reality of our future society? Swirling, Twirling, Spinning seamlessly intertwines historical narratives and mythology, immersing us in the themes that Marija Gimbutas ignited: the celebration of life’s cycles, constant renewal, the sanctity of the female body, and the spirituality inherent in these concepts. Gimbutas’ exploration of the spiritual dimensions of a harmonious Old Europe and her vision for a New Europe free from dominance and warfare, feels remarkably pertinent in our contemporary world.

First exhibition around the heritage of Marija Gimbutas took place in L’Atlas Gallery in Paris, France (7 November 2023–3 January 2024). The cycle of exhibitions is foreseen to continue with an upcoming show in La Traverse in Marseille, France (27 August–26 October 2024).

Marija Gimbutas (1921–1994) was a Lithuanian-American archaeologist and anthropologist. She contributed to what is considered to be one of the most significant academic watershed moments in women’s studies with her archaeological and philosophical work on Neolithic culture and religion. Gimbutas is best known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of “Old Europe,” a term she introduced. Old Europe referred to both the geographical area and social structures that existed before the Indo-European influence. Gimbutas unequivocally established the existence of a Goddess religion who is the most persistent feature in the archaeological record of the ancient world. The Goddess in all her manifestations was a symbol of the unity of all life in nature. Gimbutas’ discoveries took on great symbolic importance for feminists across various disciplines who found, in her vision of a peaceful, nature-revering society, a sense of hope for the future based on this foundation in the distant past.

Roots to Routes is an initiative created by curators Merilin Talumaa, Maija Rudovska and Justė Kostikovaitė, gathering a community of artists, curators and cultural producers whose trajectories are connected to the Baltic states region. Acting as a nomadic agency, its goal is to support and make visible artistic practices beyond cultural and (geo)political borders. An important part of the collaboration is to create and develop possible joint projects, aiming to build sustainable networks and forms of cooperation between various art scenes.

https://roots2routes.org/

Exhibitions in Draakon gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko AS.

Daria Melnikova is an artist from Riga, Latvia. Her work results from a meditative study of daily routine, clichés, architectural details and mere casual moments attempting to reconstruct their inner logic as well as to bring to light private experiences that once made them possible and necessary. Melnikova runs a journeying platform called Palette that functions as a bar. Between 2022–2023, Palette used a seasonal venue – a kiosk as a part of the urban environment – an intervention in the garden meadow of the Sporta Pils dārzi in Riga. The project activated a work of art as a meeting point, where the artist meets visitors in non-institutional and informal settings. Melnikova has held solo shows at Gallery Vartai in Vilnius (2020); Karlin Studios in Prague (2019); PLATO in Ostrava (2019); Kulturfolger in Zurich (2018); Kim? in Riga (2017, 2014, 2011); and has participated in group shows at L’Atlas in Paris (2023); KHB in Bratislava (2019); Kiasma in Helsinki (2018); Rupert in Vilnius (2018); Silberkuppe in Berlin (2017); Art in General in New York (2015); Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow (2014). Her works are included in the collection of Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland; Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga; Latvia; Zuzeum Collection in Riga, Latvia; among other public and private collections. https://dariamelnikova.com/
Viktorija Daniliauskaitė is a visual artist born in Yakutsk, Russia. She is living and working in Vilnius, Lithuania. Having graduated from the Lithuanian Art Institute (today, the Vilnius Academy of Arts) in 1974, Daniliauskaitė immediately discarded the art clichés proposed by official art and got immersed in the search for her individual style, discovering the inexhaustible sources of folk art and new art forms. Till today, she is often expressing her artistic visions through linocut. The tradition of linocut is often related with folk engravings and the postwar school of Lithuanian graphic art; however, the artist intuitively realised that this technique contains yet unexplored possibilities of expression. While connecting the heritage of folk art with 20th century modernism and postmodernism, Daniliauskaitė built a bridge between the old tradition and contemporary modern art. She recently participated in a group exhibition in L’Atlas, Paris (2023). She is participating in an upcoming group exhibition in MO Museum, Vilnius (2024). Her works belong to the National Museum of Lithuania, Vilnius; MO Museum, Vilnius; among other public and private collections.
Merilin Talumaa is a curator, art historian and cultural manager who lives and works in Paris and Tallinn. She has graduated from the Department of Art History and Visual Culture at the Estonian Academy of Arts. She is also a graduate of Environmental studies from University of Tartu. Her practice has evolved around research about artists’ studio and work environments and notions of migration and belonging. Her recent on-going projects include Roots to Routes (since 2020) – a curatorial initiative gathering a community of artists, curators and cultural producers. Prior to the book „Your Time Is My Time”, Mousse Publishing, 2023, she compiled and edited the book „Artists’ spaces : 16 studio visits”, Estonian Academy of Arts Press, 2017 (both together with Annika Toots). https://roots2routes.org/
Helena Keskküla is an Estonian artist who lives and works in Amsterdam. Her previous work centres around video, performance and installation. Humor, insecurities and failures play an important role in Keskküla’s work, which she uses to speak about universal issues. She has graduated from the sculpture and installation department of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Gerrit Rietveld’s VAV – moving image department, and Sandberg Institute’s master’s programme in fine arts. During the last three years, Kesküla has focused her practice on mythology and stone carving, while forging connections with performance and modern materials.
Marge Monko is an artist living and working in Tallinn, Estonia. She has studied in Estonian Academy of Arts (MA in Photography, 2008), and in University of Applied Arts in Vienna. In 2013-2015 she participated in a studio program in HISK (Higher Institute for Contemporary Art), Ghent, Belgium. She works as a professor in the Department of Photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Marge Monko uses photography, video, and installation. Her works are inspired by historical images and theories of psychoanalysis, feminism, and visual culture. Monko’s works can be found in private and public collections (e.g MUMOK – Museum of Modern Art in Vienna; Folkwang Museum, Essen; Muzeum Sztuki Łódź, Poland; FRAC Lorrain, France; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland; Estonian Art Museum). In 2012, she was awarded Henkel.Art.Award for Eastern and Central European artists. Monko has been selected for the residencies in ISCP (International Studio & Curatorial Program), New York (2015); KulturKonakt Austria, Vienna (2016), ParaSite, Hong Kong (2017) and Videobrasil, São Paulo (2018). Her recent exhibitions include a.o. Modern Love in Tallinn Art Hall and National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (2021-23), Great Pretender in Kai Art Center (2021), Tallinn; Stones Against Diamonds in Museum Folkwang (2019); Crush in Para Site Hong Kong (2018), RIBOCA Riga International Biennial for Contemporary Art (2018); It Won’t Be Long Now, Comrades! in Framer Framed, Amsterdam (2017). www.margemonko.com
Posted by Andres Lõo — Permalink