Exhibitions

On Monday, 18th September, the EKA Library will open an exhibition to present the results of the artistic research project „The Reconstruction and Artistic Development of the Historical Relief Print Technique“.

The starting point of the study is the relief printing technique used in the workshop of leather artist and bookbinder Eduard Taska in 1924. The technique is currently unknown but distinguished from the well-known cliché and linoprint by its two-dimensional result and the absence of fine graphic lines.

The exhibition provides an overview of the experiments conducted to reconstruct the relief printing process as authentically as possible and develop printing solutions suitable for contemporary materials and techniques based on the restored historical technique that allows for mass production.

The reinvented reverse print technique allows for the use of a wide range of reusable and recyclable materials as printing plates. It enables blind and foil printing on various materials. The results of the experiments show that the reverse print is suitable for prototyping as well as for the production of unique items and small-scale products.

The exhibition will remain open until 15^th November 2023.

For more information, please contact Jaana Päeva: jaana.paeva@artun.ee

EKA artistic research project team of „The reconstruction and artistic development of the historical relief print technique“: Jaana Päeva, Eve Kaaret, Lennart Mänd, Riina Samelselg

Exhibition design: Ran-Re Reimann

Project is funded by: Ministry of Culture’s Artistic Research Support Program in the field of culture and creative industries

Special thanks to: The Estonian History Museum, EKA Bookbinding Studio, IKIGI

Monday to Friday 10.00–18.00
Saturday 11.00–15.00

(Russian below)

KEEPING THINGS IN THE DARK, AGAIN
Anna Škodenko, Darja Popolitova, Viktor Gurov and Francisco Martínez 
22.09—25.10.2023
Opening: 22.09 at 5 pm

Join us for the exhibition “Keeping things in the dark, again” opening on September 22, 5 pm at EKA Gallery!
“Keeping things in the dark again” is a collectively curated art project, based on ethnographic research. The exhibition at the EKA gallery is the final part of a trilogy, which reflects on the correlation between public secrets and shadow spaces in Ida-Virumaa. Over the past three years, we have visited 37 basements, exploring the underground material culture of this post-industrial, Russian-speaking, ecologically devastated region. A four-artist installation has been the first outcome of our collective work, which was exhibited in the Riga Art Space (2022) and at the Sillamäe Museum (2023). In the meantime, we have been developing our installation and continued with our research and the exchange of ideas. As a result, we have created 4 new, individual works:

THE PAST OF THE FUTURE—this installation stages a series of encounters with the time capsule buried into the ‘Glory to Labour’ monument in 1971 in Kohtla-Järve, which is supposed to be opened in 2046 but was accidentally unearthed in 1996.

KRATT© MADE IN IDA-VIRUMAA—a wall installation consisting of sculptured oil shale fragments exposed on 3D-printed shelves. Kratt is a workaholic mythological creature who destroys oneself when its creator entrusts it with impossible tasks.

CAVE GHOSTS—an installation that combines fumage aesthetics with spatial design. By covering the entrance to the gallery, it reproduces the experience of descending a staircase and stepping into a cellar. Or into a mining tunnel.

LIQUID SHADOWS AT THE BORDER—a series of Byzantine collages inspired by the bonding gestures of garage users in Kulgu (aka ‘Narva Venice’). This is a male, amphibious territory for doing things other than in the city and being in time at ease.

What had been concealed and kept in the dark has a particular efficacy while resurfacing and being on display. This exhibition presents different instances of this, reflecting on material hoarding, messages for the future, existentialist aesthetics and shelters where to test different sides of the self. People need hideouts and places to store things in the dark. The main installation deals with this issue and is composed of 4 parts: the ‘Cellar Door’ video installation in which Jelena guides us around her cellar in Kohtla-Järve; the audio-visual sculpture titled ‘Баю-бай’ introduces a surreal video located in a sculpture in the form of a stroller; the visual representation ‘Sartre downstairs’ of various existential messages found in local basements; and ‘Subterranean biographies’, which displays a series of extracted objects alongside personal stories.

Anna Škodenko (b. 1986) is a multidisciplinary artist and guest lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Her work is characterized by a lyrical and analytical approach to the medium and the visual image.

Darja Popolitova (b. 1989) is a multidisciplinary artist, guest lecturer and doctoral student at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Darja creates jewellery and video installations on the topic of digital culture, mixing it with pseudo-magical aesthetics.

Viktor Gurov (b. 1989) is an artist and graphic designer interested in urban landscapes and decommissioned places. He works as creative director of the Estonian National Library.

Francisco Martínez (b. 1982) is an anthropologist of Tampere University dealing with contemporary issues of material culture through ethnographic experiments. In 2018, he was awarded with the Early Career Prize of the European Association of Social Anthropologists.

We express our gratitude to Pire Sova, Svetlana Ivanova, Ekaterina Grafova, Jelena Mutonen, Andrei Mitkovets, Nadežda Popolitova, Jakob Tulve, Andres Nõlvak, Allar Rebane, Madis Kaasik, Riina Varol, Mari Kivipõld, Taavi Teevet, Dmitri Fedotkin, Enas Amerkhanov, Dept. of Jewelry and Blacksmithing, WasteMatters ERC project, and, overall, to all who have contributed to the exhibition in different ways.

_______________

И СНОВА ВЕЩИ В ТЕМНОТЕ?
Анна Шкоденко, Дарья Пополитова, Виктор Гуров и Франсиско Мартинес
Галерея EKA, 22.09—25.10.2023
Открытие: 22.09 в 17.00

И СНОВА ВЕЩИ В ТЕМНОТЕ? – это коллективный художественный проект, основанный на этнографических исследованиях. Выставка в галерее EKA является заключительной частью трилогии, которая размышляет о том, как хранимые обществом тайны соотносятся со скрытыми пространствами в Восточной Эстонии. За последние три года мы посетили 37 подвалов, исследуя подземную материальную культуру этого постиндустриального, русскоязычного, экологически разоренного региона. Инсталляция, созданная четырьмя художниками стала первым результатом нашей коллективной работы, которая была выставлена в Рижском городском выставочном зале (2022) и в музее Силламяэ (2023). Тем временем мы дополняли нашу инсталляцию, продолжали наши исследования и обмен идеями. В результате мы создали 4 новые индивидуальные работы: 

ПРОШЛОЕ БУДУЩЕГО—эта инсталляция представляет собой серию встреч с капсулой времени, замурованной в 1971 году в монументе «Слава Труду», возведенном в Кохтла-Ярве. Капсулу предполагалось открыть в 2046 году, но ее случайно обнаружили в 1996.

ДОМОВИК© MADE IN IDA-VIRUMAA—настенная инсталляция, состоящая из скульптурных фрагментов горючего сланца, выставленных на полках, напечатанных на 3D-принтере. Kratt (домовик) – мифологическое существо-трудоголик, которое уничтожает себя, когда его создатель поручает ему невыполнимые задачи.

ПЕЩЕРНЫЕ ПРИЗРАКИ—инсталляция, сочетающая эстетику фьюмажа с пространственным дизайном. Закрывая вход в галерею, инсталляция воспроизводит ощущение спуска по лестнице в подвал. Или в шахтный туннель.

ЖИДКИЕ ТЕНИ НА КРАЮ—серия коллажей в византийском стиле, вдохновленная тем, как вяжут узлы пользователи лодочных причалов в районе Кулгу (также известном как «Нарвская Венеция»). Это, так сказать, земноводная, мужская территория, где можно отдохнуть от городской рутины и отлично провести время. 

То, что было скрыто и хранилось во тьме, приобретает особое очарование, когда извлекается на поверхность. И выставка позволяет нам в этом неоднократно убедиться, размышляя о накоплении материалов, посланиях в будущее, экзистенциалистской эстетике и убежищах, где можно узнать разные стороны собственного «я». Людям нужны укрытия и пространства, чтобы хранить вещи в темноте. Основная инсталляция посвящена этой теме и состоит из 4 частей: видеоинсталляция «Дверь в подвал», в которой Елена проводит нас по своему подвалу в Кохтла-Ярве; аудиовизуальная скульптура «Баю-бай» знакомит с сюрреалистичным видео, располагающимся в скульптуре в форме коляски; визуальное представление «Сартр внизу» из различных экзистенциальных посланий, найденных в местных подвалах; и «Подземные биографии», в которых рядом с личными историями представлен ряд извлеченных объектов.

Anna Škodenko (1986)—мультидисциплинарная художница и гостевая преподавательница в Эстонской академии художеств. Ее творчество характеризуется лиризмом и аналитическим подходом к медиуму и визуальному образу.

Darja Popolitova (1989)—мультидисциплинарная художница, гостевая преподавательница и докторант в Эстонской академии художеств. Дарья создает украшения, а таже видео-инсталляции на тему дигитальной культуры, смешивая это с псевдо-магической эстетикой.

Viktor Gurov (1989)—художник и графический дизайнер, которого интересуют темы оформления текстов, а также городских пейзажей и заброшенных, урбанистических мест. Виктор работает креативным директором Эстонской национальной библиотеки.

Francisco Martínez (1982)—антрополог Университета Тампере, занимающийся современными проблемами материальной культуры через этнографические эксперименты. В 2018 году он был награжден премией за раннюю карьеру Европейской ассоциации социальных антропологов.

Выражаем благодарность Пире Сова, Светлане Ивановой, Екатерине Графовой, Елене Мутонен, Андрею Митковцу, Надежде Пополитовой, Якобу Тульве, Андресу Нылваку, Аллар Ребане, Мадис Каасик, Рийна Варол, Мари Кивипылд, Таави Тивет, Энас Амерханов, Дмитрий Федоткин, Кафедра ювелирного и кузнечного дела, ERC проект WasteMatters, и всем, кто так или иначе внес свой вклад в инсталляцию.

Tiia Roivanen ELE/GESTURE
15.–21.09.2023 in Vent Space

Tiia Roivanen lives and work in Helsinki, Finland. They graduated from Taidekoulu Maa’s contemporary art study program (2022) and is preparing for a bachelor’s degree in Aalto University’s visual arts education program. In their Bachelor’s artistic research they explore their practicum in how intuition and gestures perform in our sense of selves. They call it ”the practicum of weaving”. They is a self-taught lyricist and composer. In their work, they use singing, lyrics, organic materials and objects that become a part of their work. With their projects, they does solo concerts and music performances. Now they is fascinated to bring their musical work

’Ele’ (Gesture) into an installation and to open a new layer of thoughts with it’s aesthetics. 

Ele/Gesture is proposing movement. Gestures and their interpretations may vary – their connection to humankind is wavering, and sometimes complex. Every gesture adds a layer into our surface. They pierce trough into our previous ways and make space for variation. Sometimes there is dust between the gestures and the surfaces don’t stick to each other. Do you understand the meaning? Yes – no – sometimes you get lost. They always give, reach and receive. You can choose how to answer. 

What kind of gestures you have been practicing? Which gestures lead forward? What kind of gesture you are?

Gesture is a statement for revealing yourself. The idea behind the work is to act as a letter, like a “novella about heartbreak”. Since childhood, I have been fascinated by epochal films from the 1700s and 1800s. I think there’s something about them that never changes – the romantic scenes and the dazzling rays of sun woven into their core, blurring my surroundings. The romanticized scenes from the fields and the way love is being presented as this unbearable source of suffering. The spaces we have created, the spaces we have taken from, the spaces we want to go back to even after we have lost them. This gesture is an act to become seen in grief and movement to see the layers – it strives to be a multimaterial composition. 

I would like to thank my closest people and co-workers for their ultimate support in order to complete Ele. Thank you Elias Riipinen for music producing Ele, Ida Lindgren, Hele Okkonen ja Saija Lehtola for making video cooperation and Helmi Tikkanen who helped me to write this poster in English.

Manifesto:

In my practice I am committed to questioning questions of vulnerability and honesty, which trough play grow first from shyness to trust, and then into an experience of being able to open up, with encounters that reflect the path you are on. I try to surrender myself towards it constantly.

On Friday, 15th of September at 6 pm Holger Loodus will open his solo exhibition titled “Silver Bullet / Dinner for Four” at Vaal Gallery.

The exhibition brings together two parallel narratives presented as a cohesive unity through the mediums of painting and video.

The series of paintings titled “Dinner for Four” is about you and me and the unknown guests who come to visit us one evening from far away. The guests have come to provide answers to questions that have been bothering us for a long time – how to end wars and solve global problems; what the future of our planet will be; is humanity still sustainable or is it time to pack up and leave? And finally, as perhaps what we all think about, how can we become better human beings? At the same time, there are so many questions we would like to ask, but perhaps we are afraid to. What answers do they bring? We’ve never sat down with people who have no face, no body, and who don’t speak with words. But they talk a lot.

“Silver Bullet” is a video essay about a rifle bullet lost in space. A closer look reveals that a solitary character lives there inside. We don’t know how they got there, where they’re going or what they’re thinking. At the same time, inevitable processes and strange events are taking place. The artist wonders whether such phenomena take place inside every bullet on its journey.

The exhibition will remain open until 7th of October, Tue–Fri 12–6 pm, Sat 12–4 pm.

Holger Loodus (b 1970) is a musician, painter, multimedia and installation artist, as well as a lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts. His work is characterized by the construction of strange situations that at times strive towards fantastical realities or alternative histories. In order to do this, he uses analytical and poetic-philosophical visual means – from hyperrealist painting to mechanisms he himself has constructed and from video to staged installations. In 2018, Loodus participated in the exhibition of the Köler Prize nominees at the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia and was awarded the People’s Choice Award. Since 2010, he has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions in Estonia, Lithuania, Finland and Germany, his most recent solo exhibitions took place at Kai Art Center (2023), Kogo Gallery (2021), Turku Art Museum (2019) and the Tallinn Art Hall Gallery (2017).

Contributors to the exhibition:
Sander Põldsaar – camera and post-production.
Katrin Enni – sound
Aaron Adam Bluds – passenger

The artist would like to thank: Rein Loodus, Kristel Altmäe, Andreas Altmäe, Iris Vilu, Mihkel Ilus, Jane Muts, Hans Lillemets, Tanel Paliale, Irma Bluds, Johannes Säre

Exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

“The Art of Adapting” opening on Thursday, 14 September at 6.30 pm

Artists: Sophie Durand, Elo-Reet Järv, Sandra Kosorotova, Kärt Ojavee, Uku Sepsivart, Denisa Štefanigová, Paco Ulman, Kristina Õllek

At the opening, at 7.30 pm, Johhan Rosenberg will present his site-specific performance “Adapting to 360°”. Rosenberg’s sculptural performance is rooted in the core of a myth. Before the audience’s eyes, the legends of Ovid’s Metamorphoses from the Kadriorg Palace ceiling painting will come to life.

The exhibition observes the approaches of contemporary artists to nature appreciation and the de-aestheticising of nature, rooted in ecological aesthetics and ecofeminism. The exhibition displays works by critical contemporary artists and works from the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia. 

Curators: Madli Ehasalu, Triin Metsla
Exhibition designer: Siim Karro 
Graphic designer: Tuuli Aule
Coordinators: Kerttu Männiste, Aleksandra Murre, Laura Tahk
Educational programmes: Ilona Kroon, Eneli Raal, Berta Vahtra

The exhibition will remain open until 3 March 2024. 

The opening of the exhibition “Abandoned Landscapes: Kohila Paper Mill” will take place on September 16th at 12:00 in the wood pulp room of the Kohila paper mill.

The Department of Architecture at the Estonian Academy of Arts, in collaboration with the Department of Heritage Conservation and Restoration, organized the interdisciplinary workshop “Abandoned Landscapes” for the twelfth time this spring. The workshop aims to find contemporary solutions for unused building complexes. This year’s workshop, professional studio, and exhibition were created in collaboration with the Kohila community and the NGO Kohila Paper Mill, who have taken it upon themselves to value the paper mill, which has stood empty for 20 years, as a landmark.

The exhibition held in the paper mill’s premises showcases projects and models created by second-year students of the architecture and urban planning program at the Estonian Academy of Arts. These projects explore how to value and revitalize the historical Kohila paper mill. The exhibition is accompanied by a specially created sound installation.

At the exhibition opening taking place on September 16th at 12:00 PM, students will present nine future possibilities for the paper mill, providing answers to questions such as:

1. Can deteriorating industrial buildings be repurposed through circular economy methods?
2. Does the circular economy create new jobs?
3. Can a community and cultural center be economically sustainable?
4. How to engage the community and remain competitive?
5. What constitutes a building’s footprint?
6. What makes a building sustainable?
7. Can and how should demolition be done intelligently?
8. Which historical layers are valuable and contribute to the environment?

During the spring semester, students visited Kohila and the paper mill multiple times, thoroughly analyzing its structural environment and the broader region. They mapped out both opportunities and challenges. Additionally, they worked on the same area in a landscape architecture course, focusing on connecting the paper mill and Kohila’s landscape, as well as conceptualizing and defining the local landscape. The task for students was to create programs and spatial intervention visions that treat the abandoned factory building in ways that have not yet been put into practice.

A significant portion of renovated old factory buildings in Estonia has adopted a similar model: new businesses and office spaces move in, catering to specific interest groups, making the building inaccessible to many due to economic or social reasons. However, everyone wants to connect with the history of their homeland on equal terms. Therefore, a crucial challenge was to develop solutions that offer usability regardless of a person’s financial status, consumption preferences, or age.

The exhibition builds upon the results of the workshop held in January, which brought together students from the fields of architecture, interior architecture, heritage conservation, design, and engineering. The workshop was guided by Riin Alatalu, Triin Reidla, and Aljona Gineiko from EKA’s Department of Heritage Conservation and Restoration; Koit Ojaliiv and Andres Ojari from EKA’s Department of Architecture and Urban Planning; and Simo Ilomets from TTÜ’s Institute of Construction and Architecture.

Workshop details: https://www.artun.ee/kalender/huljatud-maastikud-kohila-paberivabrik/

The projects were developed by second-year students of EKA’s architecture and urban planning program:

Arabella Aabrams, Anabel Ainso, Anu Alver, Fred-Eric Pavel, Alis Mäesalu, Karmo Viherpuu, Tuule Kangur, Darja Gužovskaja, Laura Haki, Frank Kuresaar, Hugo Georg Kalaus, Madis Arp Keerd, Kristian Tigane, Triinu Lamp, Liisalota Kroon, Karl Robin Timm, Laura Venelaine, Karl Perens, and Villem Kai Johannes Laimre.

These projects were developed under the guidance of architects from KUU Architects: Joel Kopli, Koit Ojaliiv, and Juhan Rohtla, with consultation from LCA consultant Anni Oviir.

The exhibition is supported by the Estonian Cultural Endowment.

Event in FB:

“Loading Ceramics” presents the results of an international short residency of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Faculty of Architecture 3DL and Department of Ceramics, which synthesizes critical spatial thinking with material and parametric additive layering technology.

The focus of collaborative robotic 3D printing of clay is targeted to the re-imagination and re-conceptualization of the ‘pillar’ of architecture – the long historical transformation of the support element is traceable in the built environment both directly in physical form and culturally in collaboration with the developments of other disciplines and technologies. In a simplified form, this quest can be summarized as the problem of minimizing and maximizing: how, in a situation where modern buildings require supporting structures that are as lightweight and easy to manufacture as possible, can we achieve a symbiosis of ideas that brings together all the disciplines involved in a comprehensive compound for this element, directing towards novel results? The aim is to (re)discover the hidden potentials of the (partly forgotten) support system in a contemporary context through experimental ceramic columns and pillars.

The opening of the exhibition will be accompanied by a thematic symposium highlighting the observations of the participating architects, designers, and artists. It will present the results of an international short-term residency of 3DL | Faculty of Architecture and Ceramics Department of the Estonian Academy of Arts, synthesizing critical spatial thinking with material and parametric layering technologies. The symposium will be chaired by Andres Kurg.

The symposium is in English.

The symposium “Keraamika kannab | Loading Ceramics takes place on Tuesday, September 12th at 14:00 on the 1st Floor and the subsequent exhibition opens at 16:00 on the 3rd floor of Estonian Architecture Museum.

Curators: Martin Melioranski, Lauri Kilusk

Co-curator: Varvara Guljajeva

Participants: Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet Solà, Raul Kalvo, Lauri Kilusk, Kaiko Kivi, Martin Melioranski, Sasha Serber, Paco Ernest Ulman, Markus Wikar

The exhibition and symposium is supported by the Estonian Academy of Arts and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia

Asmus Soodla’s solo exhibition “Standardised Lumber” opening event on the 15th of September at 6PM at Uus Rada gallery. 

“Standardised Lumber” provides a podium for the unnoticed – wood products that in their versatility serve the whole of human-made space. They are the instruments from which things are made and their value is mostly expressed only in the finished result. This exhibition shifts the focus from the result to the tools, analysing, illustrating and discovering unaltered wood products. The exhibition explores the transition between the natural material and the artificial product, and about society’s criteria for the means by which it creates space around itself.

Asmus Soodla is an artist, who in recent years has been mainly engaged in sculpture, installation and sound art. While his earlier work is mostly narrative-based and intertwined with dramatic elements, his recent projects, including “Standardised Lumber”, focus on isolated and direct concepts. Asmus studies Installation and Sculpture at the Estonian Academy of Arts.

The exhibition will be open from 16th to 23rd of September at the Uus Rada gallery, Raja 11a.

Open hours:
MON-FRI 4PM-8PM
SAT-SUN 12PM-8PM

Tanja Muravskaja’s exhibition “The Vernacular” represents an atlas of the words of Russian-speaking Estonian people, which reflects several processes that have taken place in the past and are still emerging in the local society.

This unique trace of the times and culture is recorded in the mother tongue of the Estonian Russian community and is a very expressive verbalization of the Esto-Russian identity. The set of words has been collected in close cooperation with the above-mentioned community and the Tallinn Russian Museum.

Tanja Muravskaja’s work proceeds from an analytic approach and psychological observation. In her artworks, she tackles such topics as identity and memory, as well as the relationships between society and its members. While focusing on photography, she creates installations, which evolve into total environments. Murasvkaja’s works are represented in the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia and the Tartu Art Museum. In 2018, Muravskaja was awarded the Köler Prize Grand Prix by the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia. In 2019, Order of the White Star Fifth Class was bestowed on her. She was the recipient of the national artist’s salary in 2018-2021.

“The Vernacular” was part of the “Museum Laboratory” project of the Tallinn Russian Museum. In the Narva Art Residency, the work continues to develop and together with the visitors, the collection is expanded further.

Exhibition design concept by Raul Kalvo
Graphic design by Vladimir Loginov
Technical implementation by Johannes Säre and Denes Farkas
Translator: Ilona Martson
Special thanks to : Cultural Endowment of Estonial, Tallinn Russian Museum of the Tallinn City Museum 

Exhibition is open until October 29th 2023
Thu – Fri 15 – 19, Sat – Sun 13 – 19

On 9 September at 16.00 in Narva Art Residency (Joala 18)

Tanja Muravskaja’s exhibition “The Vernacular” at the Narva Art Residency displays an atlas of the words of Russian-speaking Estonian people. This collection of words reflects several processes that have taken place and are still taking place in the local society.

Muravskaja uses an analytical approach and psychological observation in her work – whether the object of her approach is the psychology of an individual, society or place. His works deal with identity and memory, as well as the relationship between society and its members.

In the special Station Narva artist talk Tanja will open up about the exhibition and the words collected for it. This is followed by a practical workshop “Word game”, in which Muravskaja invites the participants to play with language, concepts, words and translations – substances that everyone can employ in a unique and creative way.

Part of Station Narva program

Attending free of charge