The Estonian Academy of Arts’ Grad Festival TASE ’25 Opens on Wednesday

The Estonian Academy of Arts’ graduation theses festival TASE is back – the annual top event for young Estonian art, design, architecture and art culture. The TASE‘25 festival opens on Wednesday, May 28 at 5:00 PM in the park in front of the Designers’ House, Rävala Puiestee 8. The TASE ‘25 website, with the program and list of graduates, can be found at tase.artun.ee. The focus of the festival is an exhibition of graduation theses by EKA students, in which graduates of the faculties of architecture, design, art culture and fine arts at both bachelor’s and master’s levels participate. The main exhibition is accompanied by a diverse satellite program with specialist exhibitions, defenses and TASE Film. The TASE festival is growing every year and this year we will present nearly 250 works to visitors. The opening remarks of the festival will be delivered by Rector Hilkka Hiiop, Minister of Education Kristina Kallas, entrepreneur Tiit Pruuli and TASE ’25 curator Kaisa Maasik. The Deans of the faculties will present the Young Artist, Young Applied Artist and Young Designer awards. This year, the EKA graduates will observe the human and the environment as closely intertwined – bodily experience, identity filtered through layers of memory, mental and physical health and forms of resistance on both a personal and collective level come to the fore. The focus is on the human being in his or her fragile, often fractured living environment, where new ways of adapting, coping and rethinking must be constantly sought. Keywords such as cultural belonging, chronic pain, neurodiversity, gatekeeping, aesthetic tension, mythology, but also accessibility as a prerequisite for equal opportunities and sustainability as an ethical choice are heard. The young creators relate to their surroundings sometimes with gentle empathy, sometimes with a sharp criticality – searching for meanings, clarity or ways of creating change. The Master’s theses in Architecture and Urban Planning at the Faculty of Architecture address current issues related to everyday life and environmental preservation, such as building renovation, reuse, and community involvement in decision-making and planning processes. For example, Martin Sepp examines the courtyard of the Sääse microdistrict in his work, highlighting the impact of space on the community, and Miko Vahane discusses participatory housing development planning. The focus is also on the theoretical positions behind the creation of spatial solutions. Kaari Maria Tirmaste‘s work focuses on feminist spatial design, exploring how the design of spaces can reflect gender equality and awareness. Patrick Liik highlights the importance of independently developed urban spaces using the example of the Paljassaare garage association, and Johannes Madis Püttsepp discusses spatial experiences that create an emotional dialogue with the city, exploring the meaning of sensory overload and places of peace in urban space. Among the master’s theses of the Faculty of Art and Culture are, for example, Hanna Strauss‘ study of space as a source of aesthetic experience and Santa Zukker‘s study of the impact of educational programs of contemporary art exhibitions on the development of empathy in young people. At the bachelor’s level, Mia Marlena Meimer discusses the dollhouse as a reflection of bourgeois culture in the Estonian era, and Caroline Murumägi focuses on ETV television titles. Graduates of the Faculty of Design are connected by material sensitivity, social issues and the interpretation of personal experiences in various design practices. Being human is discussed among the new graduates of circular design and social design. Critical topics in society that require a sensitive nerve are examined, such as dementia, leaving prostitution, as well as upcycling. Interaction design master’s student Pauliine Sild is looking for solutions that would help adults with ADHD better start their work tasks. Circular design graduate Eva Reiska is developing a method in the chemistry laboratory of Aalto University to produce textile fibers from fallen tree leaves. Cristopher Siniväli has combined ceramics and fashion design in his master’s thesis, creating a collection of ceramic exoskeletons that protect the creator from stress and mental strain. At the bachelor’s level, Mirell Vinnal is exploring the reuse of motorsports materials and slow-motion design principles in an accessory collection, Toomas Samuel Silbaum is creating a collection of costumes for a drag queen persona in fashion design, and Paul Aadam Mikson is exploring symbols of punk culture’s resistance and self-defense through blacksmithing. Among the Fine Arts master’s theses are Helena Pass‘s study of the ways in which horses are depicted, and Linda Mai Kari‘s study of the relationship between beauty ideals and self-adornment and social expectations. At the bachelor’s level, Hanna Vinter‘s paintings touch on death culture and dreamlike states, and in Sonja Sutt’s installation, household objects become carriers of melancholic poetics. Asmus Soodla intervenes in the exhibition environment with the spatial installation TASE, exploring the politics of spatial taste through interior architectural details. The TASE ’25 exhibition is open until June 19. TASE ’25 opening events schedule on Wednesday, May 28, 4:00–11:00 PM: 4:00 PM procession from the Estonian Academy of Arts to the building at Rävala Puiestee 8 5:00 PM opening ceremony on the lawn in front of Rävala Puiestee 8, announcement of the Young Designer, Young Artist and Young Applied Artist MA and BA awards 6:00 PM TASE ’25 exhibition opens 7:30 PM Avemaria concert on the lawn in front of Rävala Puiestee 8 9:00 PM Taavet Kirja DJ set 11:00 PM closing Public defenses of the final theses will take place from May 26 to June 11. The defense schedule can be found on the website artun.ee/kaitsmised

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