Exhibitions

The exhibition “What happened to all the water in Venus” by Iohan Figueroa, opens at Uus Rada Gallerii (Raja 11a) At 17:00 Hrs
on 05.10.2024, The exhibition will remain open from Wednesdays to Saturdays,
from 13:00 to 19:00 until 19.10.2024

Liquid ideas that disappear fast,
slipping through the gaps of gaze,
almost impossible to grasp,
escaping in between my hands like drops of rain on a surface of glass.
They come and go, leaving behind a sensation —evaporating—
as if my mind has been drenched in something vast and unknowable.
Fluids dripping, never landing, never settling into a form,
always in motion, elusive, impossible to hold on.
The reflection reveals a distorted image, a dissolving glimpse,

reality is a blur, the lines between what is real and imagined
Always fade into a haze.
I stand in the unseen room of this and that but never fully one or the other, never
complete, never completely understood.
Nothing is solid. Everything is in constant change, a perpetual state of circularity.
Moments loop back on themselves, thoughts spiral – I lose track of beginnings and
ends.
I choose the softness of being, I am fluid, like the ideas slipping through my fingers,
like the water that shapes itself to whatever it finds.
What would be left if everything were fixed,
if every thought, every feeling, were permanent?

Iohan Figueroa 1989
Oaxaca, Mexico

Iohan Figueroa is a multidisciplinary artist from Oaxaca, Mexico, they seamlessly integrate sculpture, movement, and environmental elements into their practice. Drawing inspiration from the natural world and its wildlife, they explore the profound connections and interactions between nature and humanity. Utilizing tactile memories as a creative conduit, Figueroa translates these sensory experiences into tangible materials, viewing the body as both canvas and instrument for artistic expression. Their work reflects a deep engagement with the environment, capturing the essence of nature and its relationship with the world at large. Their research focuses on socio-spatial relations, recognizing the ephemeral nature of movement and seeking to preserve it through various means. This exploration reflects a profound understanding of the dynamic interplay between the body, space, gender and society.

Text: Iohan Figueroa, Keithy Kuuspu
Advisor: Keithy Kuuspu
Graphic Design: Seppe-Hazel Laeremans
Exhibitions is supported by: Eka Craft Studies

Wednesday, October 9 th 2024, at 5 pm

Restart. Transformations in Modern Housing Estates

Seminar and exhibition opening

Estonian Academy of Arts, Põhja pst 7, Tallinn

What are the opportunities and challenges for the renewal of post-WWII housing estates? What has been the shift from collective to total private ownership? Young practitioners from across Europe will look at the innovative housing estates of the past from today’s perspective, revealing their architectural background, current uses and the personal stories behind the facades.

Speakers include Elspeth Lee (Superposition), Rajna Avramova, Hedwig van der Linden and Kevin Westerveld (Dérive), Ena Kukić and Dinko Jelečević (E+D) and the Spolka collective. Students from the Faculty of Architecture of the Estonian Academy of Arts present their renovation ideas using the example of typical khrushchevkas in Narva.

The event is organised by the Museum of Estonian Architecture and Architectuul in collaboration with the Estonian Academy of Arts under the European Architecture Platform LINA programme.

The seminar will be accompanied by the presentation of a book on the same topic, edited by Christian Burkhard and Triin Ojari and designed by Indrek Sirkel.
The seminar will be followed by an exhibition opening, designed by Indrek Sirkel and Diana Drobot.

The exhibition will run until October 20, 2024.

The opening of the exhibition A Matter of Scale: Tallinn will take place on Friday, October 11 at 18:00 on the staircase of the EKA lobby.

 

This exhibition presents the results of the TU Delft graduation studio A Matter of Scale – Architecture for the European City: Tallinn, Estonia. Over the course of two semesters, TU Delft students developed projects for Tallinn, based upon a two-fold analysis: contextual analysis on a series of sites along Tallinn’s coastline, and disciplinary analysis, in the form of a precedent study, investigating Tallinn’s architecture. This analysis translates in a strong anchoring of the projects in the local conditions in Tallinn, in several ways: in establishing a relationship with the historical fabric of the medieval town, with industrial heritage, or the residential neighborhoods such as Lasnamäe; in engaging with local materiality and building practices, or with the local political context. Some of the designs can be seen as “counterprojects”, proposing alternatives to ongoing spatial developments.

With the presentation of the results of the studio at the Tallinn Architecture Biennial 2024, we hope to bring new perspectives to the local architectural debate.

Initiative: TU Delft Chair Methods of Analysis & Imagination: Jorge Mejía, Willemijn Wilms Floet, Klaske Havik

EKA celebrates its 110th anniversary with a birthday week. 

 

From November 4th to 8th exhibition tours, lectures and film screenings will take place. The week will end on Friday with the opening of the EKA’s new building, the White House and a birthday party. Departments’ alumni parties will take place on Friday. 

Monday

15.30 Defense of Ulvi Haagensen’s doctoral thesis | Auditorium A-501

17.30 Curator’s tour and model drawing at the EKA museum exhibition “EKA 110 Clothed and Nude. 110 Years of Figure Studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts” | EKA Gallery

18:00 New Media 30: Laura Schmidt (DE) – ZKM_Gameplay. The Next Level (Paul Galloway will be joining us from New York city via screen. In English) | Main hall A-101

Tuesday

17.30 Curator’s tour and model drawing at the EKA museum exhibition “EKA 110 Clothed and Nude. 110 Years of Figure Studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts” | EKA Gallery

18:00 New Media 30: Ava Imogen Grayson (CA/FI) & John Grzinich (US/EE) – Discussing Sound Art (Ava will be joining us from Helsinki via screen. In English) | B-305

19:15 New Media 30: Jaime Lobato (MX/EE) – The right to forget. Artificial intelligences humanly inspired in contemporary art (Jaime will be joining us from Mexico via screen. In English) | B-305

Wednesday

16.00 Open Lecture by honorary doctor Linda van Deursen | Main hall A-101

17.30 Curator’s tour and model drawing at the EKA museum exhibition “EKA 110 Clothed and Nude. 110 Years of Figure Studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts” | EKA Gallery

17.30 Awarding of inners of applied research and development work | The Hole

18.00 Open Lecture by honorary doctor Antoine Picon | Main hall A-101

Thursday

17.30 Curator’s tour and model drawing at the EKA museum exhibition “EKA 110 Clothed and Nude. 110 Years of Figure Studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts” | EKA Gallery

19.00 Cinema: The best of by the Animation Department | Main hall A-101

Friday – PARTY!

16.00 Anniversary assembly and conferment ceremony | Main hall A-101

18.00 Departments’ parties for alumni | EKA Main Building

19.00 Opening of the EKA White House | EKA White House

19.30 Musical performers until the end of the party | Both houses:

• 19.30 – EKA Students Queer Association | EKA white house
• 20:00 – DJ Vaatab jooksvalt | EKA main building
• 21.00 – Karameel | EKA white house
• 21.30 – EKA Chamber Choir | EKA main building
• 21.45 – karaoke with Helina Risti | EKA main building
• 22.30 – Motonormal | EKA white house
• 00.00 – Avemaria | EKA white house

20.30 Auction | Main hall A-101

22.00 EKA 110 gift opening

The programme of events will be updated on a rolling basis.

EKA Birthday Week events are free of charge and open to all.  

 

Events of EKA Departments as part of the EKA 110 Celebration

Monday, November 4th

• 18:00-21:00 – EKA Open Academy Open Lecture: “EKA 110 | How to Collect Art?” (in Estonian)
• 18:00 – EKA New Media 30: Paul Galloway (US) – Video Games at MoMA

Tuesday, November 5th

• 16:30 – EKA Graphic Design + Product Design present: Open Archive of the Design Faculty 1966-1994 (open area on the 2nd floor, A300)
• 17:00 – EKA Graphic Design + Product Design panel discussion: Design Thinking – Establishing Design in Times of Change (EKA lobby)
• 18:00 – EKA New Media 30: Ava Imogen Grayson (CA/FI) & John Grzinich (US/EE) – Discussing Sound Art (room B305)
• 19:15 – EKA New Media 30: Jaime Lobato (MX/EE) – The Right to Forget: Artificial Intelligences in Contemporary Art
• 17:00 – EKA Graphic Art: Exhibition of Nominees for the Edmund Valtman Young Graphic Artist Scholarship (EKA glass gallery)

Thursday, November 7th

• 18:00 – EKA New Media 30: Raivo Kelomees – Metamorphoses of Media Art (room A101)

Friday, November 8th

• 16:00-00:00 – EKA Textile 110: Installation Textile in 110 Squares (room D504)
• 10:00-17:00 – EKA Interaction Design and Animation Departments’ installation Godseed (Kotzebue 10 basement)
• 17:00 – Opening of EKA New Media 30th Anniversary Outdoor Exhibition: Video Installations
• 18:00 – Formal Research Seminar of the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture (room A501)
• 18:00 – EKA Glass Department Book Launch Glass Painting – Painting with Light (room B604)
• 22:00 – EKA Architecture / PAKK – Opening of EKA’s Gift (Kotzebue 2)

Alumni Gatherings on Friday, November 8th

• 17:30 – Ceramic Department Gathering: Viewing of Past Works and Identifying Authors (room B602)
• 17:30 – Fashion Design Alumni and Faculty Gathering, Tour of Workspaces and Works (room D507)
• 18:00 – Formal Research Seminar and Gathering of the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture (room A501)
• 18:00 – Design and Innovation (formerly known as Applied Art) Room Open! Welcoming future and current alumni, instructors, and friends! (room D404)
• 18:00 – Product Design Alumni and Student Gathering and “Cafe” (room C301)
• 18:00 – Interaction Design Alumni and Student Party (room D306)
• 18:00 – Textile Design Alumni and Student Reunion (room D505)
• 18:00 – Photography Department Gathering at Maitselabor. Opportunity to tour department spaces and studios. Wide Angle Gallery Exhibition (room B407)
• 18:00 – Faculty of Architecture Introduction and Social Space (room A400)
• 18:00 – Glass Department Book Launch, Formal Gathering, and Studio Tour (room B604)
• 18:00 – Accessory and Bookbinding Department open! Welcoming future and current alumni, instructors, and friends. Showcasing the accessory and bookbinding studio; recent student work exhibited in the glass display at the entrance. Leather drink bar by accessory artisans! (rooms B510 and B511)
• 18:00 – Jewellery and Blacksmithing Department open! Tour of department spaces and workshops (room B504)
• 18:00 – The Department of Heritage Protection and Conservation invites its alumni and friends to the sculpture conservation studio (room D308)

28.09.–20.10.2024

Dear colleague,

 

I am Marta Konovalov – designer, researcher, craftivist, mender and a gardener by heart, lecturer and a doctoral student at Estonian Academy of Arts. I act like a forager in my garden. I sow confusion to forage knowledge. The garden is a place for mundane practices and my practice-based research. I see a plot of land the same way I see a hole or a stain in a garment – as an opportunity to add layers and to engage. The survival of us, the gardeners, on this planet relies on our response-ability, resilience, care and adaptability, the ability to rethink the garden and our relationships with the garden. 

 

I invite you to the periphery and to my garden at Viljandimaa. With the aim to investigate, entangle, respond, slow down, decompose patterns, regenerate, repair and shift the aesthetics. I will exhibit my practice of textile repair and the research artefacts.

 

28th of September from 14–18 the opening, walkabout with soilshifter Markus Pau, co-creating and delivering findings to textile design

 

3rd and 5th of October from 14–18 exhibiting the research artefacts in dialogue with Viljandi Heritage Festival

 

13th of October from 12–18 exhibiting the research artefacts and the possibility to attend a textile repair workshop

 

20th of October from 14–17 exhibiting the research artefacts, walkabout with artist Jane Remm and the possibility to attend a textile repair workshop

 

We will meet at Saarde talu, Veisjärve küla, Viljandimaa
58,0815866, 25,7876976

Attending the events is for free.

Please let us know when you wish attend:

https://forms.gle/kSHitYeaa8v3FDHC8

 

FB: https://fb.me/e/2im0227Fl

https://www.artun.ee/et/kalender/disainer-edasihoidlik-aednik-marta-konovalov/

https://www.instagram.com/repair_and_regeneration/

This exhibition is part of the project PR02049 ”Artists and designers as researchers, rethinkers and partners of nature in the context of degrowth”  funded by Estonian Ministry of Culture, where we, together with artist Jane Remm, develop creative research methods with the aim to engage with nature.

 

The Viljandi Heritage Festival introduces the phenomena of intangible cultural heritage and opens various perspectives of folk culture knowledge that help find economical solutions to economic and environmental problems; shares tips on how to bring changes to your own life and of course also brings various entertainment.

https://sisu.ut.ee/parandusfestival2024/?lang=en

See you soon,

Marta

 

You are warmly invited to “A little bit calmer than before” by Eleftheria Irene Kofidou

Opening and a performance: 18.09 18:00

Exhibition opening times: 19.09-02.10 on the weekdays 14:00-18:00; 21.-22.09 14:00-16:00; 28.09-29.09 closed

A little bit calmer than before, is an additional instructional comment by composer J. Strauss for his musical piece Don Quixote op. 35 variation VII – The Ride through the Air. As ‘a little bit’ is a vaguely countable amount, it becomes very hard to place it inside a spectrum, unless someone has access to the other variables of the equation. In Kofidou’s installation the composer’s directory line lies out of context, as there is no before, nor afterwards to compare the present moment to, but in a quixotic analogy to her homeland’s socio-political situation.

“I will pay off for my everyday victories by losing the war” states the burnt slogan on the gallery wall, a recreation of a graffiti that existed in Aristotle University Campus, during the artist’s teenage years. As Orthodox tradition has it, during Easter, believers mark the sign of the cross on their door frames, using the flame of the holy light from their candles; an act of shielding the household from evil and a wish for good luck. The campus looks very different now, the once messy wall is now white, the legendary punk squat of the Department of Biology is closed down and a new special police unit is established. The slogan, long gone, is recreated again, burnt on the wall as a tribute to the missing particles, the lost fractures of collective memory. But enough with pessimism in politics; Under its surface, it doesn’t wish to become another loaded message in limbo; fights will be given at any cost, even the cost of an already foreseen outcome. In the Dispossessed, Ursula K. Le Guin mentions “There was a wall. It did not look important (…) But the idea was real. It was important. (…) Like all walls it was ambiguous, two-faced. What was inside it and what was outside it depended upon which side of it you were on.” There are two walls, one that already exists and another one; fractured and initially horizontal; is it there to dominate or to seal?

The installation becomes a set and the objects act as props for the performance; trying to grasp this certain type of calmness that comes after the strong fumes of anger have evaporated and resides in the process of preparation of oneself; the anticipation for something that is coming and is not calm at all. Is it there to be later broken?

The artist wishes to thank: Anu Vahtra, Ats Kruusing, Eleni Kofidou, Erik Hõim.

Graphic design: Eleni Kofidou

Eleftheria Irene Kofidou (1995) is a Greek artist based in Tallinn, who is mostly working with installations, performance art and text. Her art practice is often interconnected with poetry and focuses on processes of layering meanings, socio political connotations related mostly to her background and exploring ways that language triggers movement.

The exhibition “Joint Double” by Jüri Kermik engages with the dynamics of the design process and its involvement in looking forward and looking back. “It originates from my long-term interest in regional design and my experience of places I consider home, Estonia and Suffolk,” shares Kermik.

In 2017, having settled to live and work in Suffolk, Kermik noticed similarities and differences between Estonian and Suffolk chair-making traditions. The lightweight vernacular chairs, marked with signs of the conditions they evolved from – whether bodgers’ outworking camps in the woods or seasonally operating village workshops, featured variations of the common frame construction. While observing similarities in the construction of these chairs, one unique difference stood out for the designer. Instead of the seat formed by spindles placed between the legs, a typical Suffolk chair has its seat frame jointed to the front legs from above. Kermik’s designs for Suffolk Chair I & II, and the Wedding Chair explore the design opportunities offered by this joint and the thresholds it sets for structural interventions, proportions and ways of sitting.

In parallel with the “Joint Double” project, Kermik started to work on the site of his ancestral farmstead on the Sõrve peninsula in Saaremaa. The process of building a small hut Mikuelu allowed him to experience how the space could be reimagined. “While constructing a new space, I was unearthing the old. Through the processes of digging and moving earth I found buried components of the activities of the inhabitants and evidence of the layout of the site as it had been.”

Tools and objects are connected to land cultivation and farming: plough blades, cowbells, parts of horse bridles, woodworking chisels and rope-making spikes. Some of these unearthed things will be re-used in constructing the new Mikuelu, and some will be presented in this exhibition as an ‘’archaeological toolbox’’.

Compiled and designed by Jüri Kermik
Graphic design: Stuudio Stuudio
Production team: Kai Lobjakas, Ketli Tiitsar, Toomas Übner

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

The exhibition is part of the Tallinn Design Festival programme.

On 26 September at 09.30-11.00 the peer review of  Taavi Varm’s doctoral project will take place. Taavi Varm is a PhD student in Art and Design programme. The project “Erasmus Workshop 2024: Integrating participatory learning, video game design and psychological well-being” is the 1st artistic research project of his doctoral studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
Taavi’s artistic doctoral thesis entitled “Designing video games for young adults to improve mental health and psychological well-being” at the Estonian Academy of Arts explores the integration of participatory learning, co-creation and experimental video game design to develop innovative methods and find new perspectives for improving psychological well-being of young adults.

Supervisors:
Dr. Varvara Guljajeva (HUSK)
Dr. Helen Uusberg (University of Tartu)

Project reviewers:
Dr. Liina Unt (University of Tartu, Viljandi Culture Academy)
Dr. Ásthildur Jónsdóttir (Iceland University of the Arts)

Peer review event will take place in Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/95865149077?pwd=dOJbppC0isCyq2QoKPZmxhSgm3xv0d.1

Meeting ID: 958 6514 9077
Passcode: 817972

 

Mental health issues are a major global concern, especially among young adults. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety are leading causes of disability worldwide. Especially in Estonia, nearly half of young adults report mental health challenges. Addressing these issues is vital for creating a healthier and more productive future generation.

The workshop, which took place at Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium, was an artistic educational initiative that aimed to combine video game design with participatory learning and psychological well-being.

The workshop explored the potential positive impact of participatory creative methods on the psychological well-being of young adults. The workshop focused on artistic and experimental game design in a supportive environment. The main methods used were specially developed design toolboxes, the psychological concept of flow theory and participatory design principles.

The aim of this research is to offer creative approaches to addressing mental health issues through an artistic research framework. Emphasizing co-creation, the goal is to foster meaningful dialogue and creative synergy among young adults, artists, and professionals, generating evidence-based solutions in both the creative process and the final game projects.

I would like to thank the partners and supporters:
My supervisors Helen Uusberg and Varvara Guljajeva for continuous support.
Erik Joasaare from Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium, Lisbon German School, Erasmus+ Art Bridge project, Andero Uusberg from University of Tartu and the Doctoral School of the Estonian Academy of Arts.

ENKKL’s “Last Award”
EKA Billboard Gallery 29.08.–08.12.2024
Open 24/7, free
Opening: 29.08.24 at 6 pm

The legendary Weekly Award of the Estonian Young Contemporary Art Union (ENKKL) will have its symbolic end at the EKA Billboard Gallery. The group work was made during ENKKL’s summer school at Muhu. We invite all visitors and other passers-by to put their hands on it. Now you too have the opportunity to be a part of the Estonian art scene. You could be the next star artist! It’s warmer together. Together is better.

Participating artists: Kärt Heinvere, Irma Holm, Erik Hõim, Kadri Joala, Liisa-Lota Jõeleht, Saara Liis Jõerand, Loora Kaubi, Kärt Koppel, Nele Kurvits, Katariin Mudist, Marto Mägi, Eke Ao Nettan, Sandra Puusepp, Kertu Rannula, Johanna Reinvald, Mia Maria Rohumaa, Raahel Rüütel, Inessa Saarits, Lisette Sivard, Sonja Sutt, Rebeca Žukovitš, Aimur Takk, Annabel Tanila, Margaret Tilk, Elo Vahtrik, Mattias Veller

The project is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
Opening drinks from Põhjala Brewery.