Exhibitions
17.11.2023 — 17.12.2023
Alice Kask and Neeme Külm at the Tartu Art House
On Friday, 17 November at 5:00 p.m. Alice Kask and Neeme Külm will open their joint exhibition “Something Righter in This” in the large gallery of the Tartu Art House.
The exhibition is seemingly a continuation of the show “In Vanity Alone”, which Alice and Neeme organised in the Tallinn City Gallery a year ago. At the same time, it is also not. While the selection at that time was firmly orchestrated by Neeme, who worked as a demiurge transforming the comprehensible space into an incomprehensible one, today the roles have been switched and Alice has reclaimed the space which she had surrendered to Neeme, filling it with her large paintings. Neeme has handed over the reins saying: “Let grace accompany our actions”.
In the gallery, the artists still work independently and on their own, sometimes in a hectic manner, but mostly very self-confidently. Their work, despite differences in their thinking, actions and choices of media, still, miraculously, function together as a strong whole. The powerful symbolism with which they work does not shatter, but increases this unity.
Neeme sows wedges into the walls like budding flowers, replaces the alarm button with pearls for his sweetheart, opens a cello case like a confession and fills an archaic confessional with texts from his journal. Hidden behind the declarations of love and the hints of reconciliation, he also gently establishes himself and keeps a watchful eye over the whole space. The gaze is casual but still present, because somebody has to gaze.
The unmistakable Alice, who only dares to speak about herself, transforms her paintings into the attributes of femininity, concentrating on a lone figure, on a single item, but full of tension and on a grandiose scale. Ruthlessly precise in what she is trying to show, straightforward in concealing what deserves to be hidden. Only nature is left outside Alice’s penetrating gaze: she looks at it from a distance and sees it as something bigger than herself. The dark and dreary elements can only be captured vaguely, recorded only from a distance. So complicated and, at the same time, also so simple. As sincere as possible.
“A certain uncompromising discomfort for the inevitable corporeality of human consciousness” is present in the “striking spatial-poetic ping-pong” which accompanies the exhibition of Alice Kask and Neeme Külm. These were the words of the art critic Hanno Soans a year ago and, lo and behold, they indeed still hold true.
Alice Kask (b. 1976) graduated in 2002 from the master’s programme in painting of the Estonian Academy of Arts. Since her major solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonian (2016), she has recently shown her works at the Helsinki Art Hall (2018) and Rüki Gallery (2020). In 2008, she had a solo exhibition in the Tartu Art Museum. Among other accolades, in 2003 she received the Konrad Mägi Award.
Neeme Külm (b. 1974) graduated in 1998 from the Department of Sculpture of the Estonian Academy of Arts and studied in 2003–2005 in the master’s programme of interdisciplinary arts at the same school. His most powerful solo exhibitions took place in the first half of the 2010s and his more recent group shows have existed on the border between architecture and visual arts. Külm was one of the founders of the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia.
The artists thank: Tamara Luuk, Kadri Villand, Johann Tanel Möldre, Lepo Külm, Berit Teeäär, Tiit Talvaru, Hilkka Hiiop and Päär Keedus.
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
The exhibition is open until 17 December.
*A bus will run from Tallinn to the opening of the exhibition. More information and registration here: https://forms.gle/xmanLQ1YxnixyuKv5
Tartu Art House (Vanemuise 26, Tartu, Estonia) Wed–Mon 12–18. Exhibitions are free of charge.
The exhibitions of the Tartu Art House are supported by the Tartu town government and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
Alice Kask and Neeme Külm at the Tartu Art House
Friday 17 November, 2023 — Sunday 17 December, 2023
On Friday, 17 November at 5:00 p.m. Alice Kask and Neeme Külm will open their joint exhibition “Something Righter in This” in the large gallery of the Tartu Art House.
The exhibition is seemingly a continuation of the show “In Vanity Alone”, which Alice and Neeme organised in the Tallinn City Gallery a year ago. At the same time, it is also not. While the selection at that time was firmly orchestrated by Neeme, who worked as a demiurge transforming the comprehensible space into an incomprehensible one, today the roles have been switched and Alice has reclaimed the space which she had surrendered to Neeme, filling it with her large paintings. Neeme has handed over the reins saying: “Let grace accompany our actions”.
In the gallery, the artists still work independently and on their own, sometimes in a hectic manner, but mostly very self-confidently. Their work, despite differences in their thinking, actions and choices of media, still, miraculously, function together as a strong whole. The powerful symbolism with which they work does not shatter, but increases this unity.
Neeme sows wedges into the walls like budding flowers, replaces the alarm button with pearls for his sweetheart, opens a cello case like a confession and fills an archaic confessional with texts from his journal. Hidden behind the declarations of love and the hints of reconciliation, he also gently establishes himself and keeps a watchful eye over the whole space. The gaze is casual but still present, because somebody has to gaze.
The unmistakable Alice, who only dares to speak about herself, transforms her paintings into the attributes of femininity, concentrating on a lone figure, on a single item, but full of tension and on a grandiose scale. Ruthlessly precise in what she is trying to show, straightforward in concealing what deserves to be hidden. Only nature is left outside Alice’s penetrating gaze: she looks at it from a distance and sees it as something bigger than herself. The dark and dreary elements can only be captured vaguely, recorded only from a distance. So complicated and, at the same time, also so simple. As sincere as possible.
“A certain uncompromising discomfort for the inevitable corporeality of human consciousness” is present in the “striking spatial-poetic ping-pong” which accompanies the exhibition of Alice Kask and Neeme Külm. These were the words of the art critic Hanno Soans a year ago and, lo and behold, they indeed still hold true.
Alice Kask (b. 1976) graduated in 2002 from the master’s programme in painting of the Estonian Academy of Arts. Since her major solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonian (2016), she has recently shown her works at the Helsinki Art Hall (2018) and Rüki Gallery (2020). In 2008, she had a solo exhibition in the Tartu Art Museum. Among other accolades, in 2003 she received the Konrad Mägi Award.
Neeme Külm (b. 1974) graduated in 1998 from the Department of Sculpture of the Estonian Academy of Arts and studied in 2003–2005 in the master’s programme of interdisciplinary arts at the same school. His most powerful solo exhibitions took place in the first half of the 2010s and his more recent group shows have existed on the border between architecture and visual arts. Külm was one of the founders of the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia.
The artists thank: Tamara Luuk, Kadri Villand, Johann Tanel Möldre, Lepo Külm, Berit Teeäär, Tiit Talvaru, Hilkka Hiiop and Päär Keedus.
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
The exhibition is open until 17 December.
*A bus will run from Tallinn to the opening of the exhibition. More information and registration here: https://forms.gle/xmanLQ1YxnixyuKv5
Tartu Art House (Vanemuise 26, Tartu, Estonia) Wed–Mon 12–18. Exhibitions are free of charge.
The exhibitions of the Tartu Art House are supported by the Tartu town government and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
17.11.2023 — 17.12.2023
Keiu Maasik at the Tartu Art House
On Friday, 17 November at 5:00 p.m. Keiu Maasik will open her solo exhibition “Meadows of Change, a Place Called Home” in the monumental gallery of the Tartu Art House.
The exhibition is about life in virtual reality and reflects on the possibility that human life may move there in the future. It also deals with the fear that this could happen and what we as humans would lose as a result.
For the past few years, the artist buried herself in the world of computer games and spent as much of her free time as possible in the virtual world. It seemed to be an acceptable thought exercise for her that in the future human life would move to the virtual world. One of the games she immersed herself in for several months was Red Dead Redemption 2. She felt like there was no other place she would rather be than in the world of RDR2. The game takes place in 1899 in America. The story follows the ventures of a gang of outlaws at a time when the Wild West is fading and civilization is encroaching. Their time is coming to an end and fear is in the air ahead of inevitable changes.
“I felt similar fear last year when I encountered a herd of wild horses. A rumble could be heard in the distance, and the ground beneath me shook gently. At some point, about twenty horses came into view, galloping at full speed through sea water. The horses and the powerful scenery seen in the game now seemed hollow in comparison. I want the world to move forward, but I don’t want to lose the galloping horses roaming about freely,” the artist explains.
Keiu Maasik (b. 1992) graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a bachelor’s degree in photography and a master’s degree in contemporary art. In 2019, she received the EKA Young Artist Award. In 2018, she received the Wiiralt scholarship and was the laureate of the competition Young Tartu of the Tartu Art Museum. In her work, she discusses the impact of documentation on memory, identity and relationships between people.
Graphic design: Anna Kaarma
The artist’s gratitude to: Madis Kurss and Kaisa Maasik
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
The exhibition is open until 17 December.
- A bus will run from Tallinn to the opening of the exhibition. More information and registration: https://forms.gle/xmanLQ1YxnixyuKv5
Tartu Art House (Vanemuise 26, Tartu, Estonia) Wed–Mon 12–18. Exhibitions are free of charge.
The exhibitions of the Tartu Art House are supported by the Tartu town government and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
Keiu Maasik at the Tartu Art House
Friday 17 November, 2023 — Sunday 17 December, 2023
On Friday, 17 November at 5:00 p.m. Keiu Maasik will open her solo exhibition “Meadows of Change, a Place Called Home” in the monumental gallery of the Tartu Art House.
The exhibition is about life in virtual reality and reflects on the possibility that human life may move there in the future. It also deals with the fear that this could happen and what we as humans would lose as a result.
For the past few years, the artist buried herself in the world of computer games and spent as much of her free time as possible in the virtual world. It seemed to be an acceptable thought exercise for her that in the future human life would move to the virtual world. One of the games she immersed herself in for several months was Red Dead Redemption 2. She felt like there was no other place she would rather be than in the world of RDR2. The game takes place in 1899 in America. The story follows the ventures of a gang of outlaws at a time when the Wild West is fading and civilization is encroaching. Their time is coming to an end and fear is in the air ahead of inevitable changes.
“I felt similar fear last year when I encountered a herd of wild horses. A rumble could be heard in the distance, and the ground beneath me shook gently. At some point, about twenty horses came into view, galloping at full speed through sea water. The horses and the powerful scenery seen in the game now seemed hollow in comparison. I want the world to move forward, but I don’t want to lose the galloping horses roaming about freely,” the artist explains.
Keiu Maasik (b. 1992) graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a bachelor’s degree in photography and a master’s degree in contemporary art. In 2019, she received the EKA Young Artist Award. In 2018, she received the Wiiralt scholarship and was the laureate of the competition Young Tartu of the Tartu Art Museum. In her work, she discusses the impact of documentation on memory, identity and relationships between people.
Graphic design: Anna Kaarma
The artist’s gratitude to: Madis Kurss and Kaisa Maasik
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
The exhibition is open until 17 December.
- A bus will run from Tallinn to the opening of the exhibition. More information and registration: https://forms.gle/xmanLQ1YxnixyuKv5
Tartu Art House (Vanemuise 26, Tartu, Estonia) Wed–Mon 12–18. Exhibitions are free of charge.
The exhibitions of the Tartu Art House are supported by the Tartu town government and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
07.11.2023 — 03.01.2024
“Breathing Through the Eyes” at L’Atlas in Paris
Artists: Aili Vint (EE), Daria Melnikova (LV), Kristel Saan (EE), Kristina Õllek (EE), Monika Varšavskaja (EE/FR), Morta Jonynaitė (LT), Viktorija Daniliauskaitė (LT)
Curator: Merilin Talumaa (EE)
The exhibition Breathing Through the Eyes at L’Atlas in Paris gathers together different generations of artists from the Baltic countries, most of them presenting their work in Paris for the first time.
The exhibition touches subtly on the ideas of Lithuanian-American archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas, whose profound research brought attention to the ancient cultures of the Baltic region and the broader Indo-European world, especially well described in her book The Balts (1963). The exhibition takes its inspiration from Gimbutas’ ideas which have influenced contemporary perspectives on heritage, indigenous identities, and the relationship between humans and nature in the Baltic Sea area.
Research on the cross-disciplines of archaeological artefacts, linguistics, ethnography and folklore led Gimbutas to posit the thesis that prehistoric European culture was female-centred and worshipped a Mother Goddess as the giver of all life. The Goddess’ power was in water and stone, in cave and tomb, in animals and birds, in hills, trees and flowers. A spiritual sense of connectedness was artfully expressed through a sophisticated symbol system and an abundance of ritual objects. Nature and body (especially the female body) were honoured in Europe for tens of thousands of years. Women had an especially strong position in societies across Eastern and Central Europe – a tendency no longer necessarily evident today.
The exhibition Breathing through the eyes poetically comments on the fragile materiality of our being, multiple identities, the process of change and new environmental sensibility. 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 beliefs 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 directs us to consider how we might reimagine a world centred around goddess worship, with its emphasis on preserving nature, nurturing existence, and forsaking warfare. Could this theoretical concept transcend into the tangible reality of our future society? Breathing through the eyes seamlessly intertwines historical narratives, cultural myths, and potential scenarios, immersing us in the themes that Marija Gimbutas ignited: the celebration of life’s cycles, the sanctity of the female body and labour, 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.
Gastronomic performance: Monika Varšavskaja (EE/FR)
Exhibition setup: Daria Melnikova (LV)
Communication visuals: Gaile Pranckunaite (LT)
Exhibition stays open until December 22, 2023.
L’Atlas
4 Cour de l’île Louviers, 75004 Paris
Opening hours: Tuesday—Saturday, 12pm—7pm
Free entrance
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.
“Breathing Through the Eyes” at L’Atlas in Paris
Tuesday 07 November, 2023 — Wednesday 03 January, 2024
Artists: Aili Vint (EE), Daria Melnikova (LV), Kristel Saan (EE), Kristina Õllek (EE), Monika Varšavskaja (EE/FR), Morta Jonynaitė (LT), Viktorija Daniliauskaitė (LT)
Curator: Merilin Talumaa (EE)
The exhibition Breathing Through the Eyes at L’Atlas in Paris gathers together different generations of artists from the Baltic countries, most of them presenting their work in Paris for the first time.
The exhibition touches subtly on the ideas of Lithuanian-American archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas, whose profound research brought attention to the ancient cultures of the Baltic region and the broader Indo-European world, especially well described in her book The Balts (1963). The exhibition takes its inspiration from Gimbutas’ ideas which have influenced contemporary perspectives on heritage, indigenous identities, and the relationship between humans and nature in the Baltic Sea area.
Research on the cross-disciplines of archaeological artefacts, linguistics, ethnography and folklore led Gimbutas to posit the thesis that prehistoric European culture was female-centred and worshipped a Mother Goddess as the giver of all life. The Goddess’ power was in water and stone, in cave and tomb, in animals and birds, in hills, trees and flowers. A spiritual sense of connectedness was artfully expressed through a sophisticated symbol system and an abundance of ritual objects. Nature and body (especially the female body) were honoured in Europe for tens of thousands of years. Women had an especially strong position in societies across Eastern and Central Europe – a tendency no longer necessarily evident today.
The exhibition Breathing through the eyes poetically comments on the fragile materiality of our being, multiple identities, the process of change and new environmental sensibility. 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 beliefs 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 directs us to consider how we might reimagine a world centred around goddess worship, with its emphasis on preserving nature, nurturing existence, and forsaking warfare. Could this theoretical concept transcend into the tangible reality of our future society? Breathing through the eyes seamlessly intertwines historical narratives, cultural myths, and potential scenarios, immersing us in the themes that Marija Gimbutas ignited: the celebration of life’s cycles, the sanctity of the female body and labour, 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.
Gastronomic performance: Monika Varšavskaja (EE/FR)
Exhibition setup: Daria Melnikova (LV)
Communication visuals: Gaile Pranckunaite (LT)
Exhibition stays open until December 22, 2023.
L’Atlas
4 Cour de l’île Louviers, 75004 Paris
Opening hours: Tuesday—Saturday, 12pm—7pm
Free entrance
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.
23.11.2023 — 28.11.2023
Inessa Saarits’ “Total Jellification” at Vent Space
All the artworks in the exhibition “Total Jellification” are made of the same material – agar, a type of jelly that is made from seaweed. It is a natural material used for making desserts, puddings and custards, it is also used in microbiology for cultivating bacteria.
The exhibition “Total Jellification” is inspired by a phenomenon of jellification of the seas. A paper called “Jellification of Marine Ecosystems as a Likely Consequence of Overfishing Small Pelagic Fishes: Lessons from the Benguela” studies the consequences of overfishing in South Africa. Overfishing small pelagic fishes increases the biomass of jellyfishes. These small fishes can eat parts of jellyfish when they are not yet fully developed, but as they grow bigger, jellyfishes have virtually no predators. Thus the small fishes are important in managing the population of jellyfishes. The marine ecosystem has been completely transformed from the start of commercial fishing. But this isn’t only a problem for South Africa, the same processes have been discovered all around the globe and encounters with jellyfishes have also increased in the Baltic sea.
In this exhibition, jellification has been taken literally. Vent space has been transformed into an experimental space, where the possibilities of agar are explored. Agar jelly has been casted, moulded, dried, cut and for the opening the artist herself will also be jellified. The exhibition is an exploration of a quickly changing future, how to deal with the rapidly jellifying world.
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Põhjala and Karksi Brewery.
Inessa Saarits’ “Total Jellification” at Vent Space
Thursday 23 November, 2023 — Tuesday 28 November, 2023
All the artworks in the exhibition “Total Jellification” are made of the same material – agar, a type of jelly that is made from seaweed. It is a natural material used for making desserts, puddings and custards, it is also used in microbiology for cultivating bacteria.
The exhibition “Total Jellification” is inspired by a phenomenon of jellification of the seas. A paper called “Jellification of Marine Ecosystems as a Likely Consequence of Overfishing Small Pelagic Fishes: Lessons from the Benguela” studies the consequences of overfishing in South Africa. Overfishing small pelagic fishes increases the biomass of jellyfishes. These small fishes can eat parts of jellyfish when they are not yet fully developed, but as they grow bigger, jellyfishes have virtually no predators. Thus the small fishes are important in managing the population of jellyfishes. The marine ecosystem has been completely transformed from the start of commercial fishing. But this isn’t only a problem for South Africa, the same processes have been discovered all around the globe and encounters with jellyfishes have also increased in the Baltic sea.
In this exhibition, jellification has been taken literally. Vent space has been transformed into an experimental space, where the possibilities of agar are explored. Agar jelly has been casted, moulded, dried, cut and for the opening the artist herself will also be jellified. The exhibition is an exploration of a quickly changing future, how to deal with the rapidly jellifying world.
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Põhjala and Karksi Brewery.
09.11.2023 — 11.11.2023
where does the sun go? at Vent Space
Don’t you wonder what’s inside? I have an idea. It appeared in the last dream. I changed something, but you can change it back. Where does the sun go? It tends to hide between the lines.
Pauline Creuzé is an artist from France. She works with video and site-specific video installation. With the artist collective À VENIR, she has been producing group exhibitions in empty urban spaces between 2017 and 2021.
kacper krajewski is an interdisciplinary Polish artist based in Tromsø, Norway. Kacper navigates the intricate intersections of biology and technology, compulsively challenging notions of consciousness, perception and corporeality. Guided by a queer perspective, they delve into the depths of embodied existence.
Gregor is a musician and artist from Eupen, a small city in the east of Belgium. Gregor combines different techniques to create immersive changes of perspective, often through compositions dictated by algorithmic approaches.
Py Tenor is an artist from Sweden based in Tromsø. Using installation and wearable sculpture, she works with recognizable material and situations, focusing on sensory and tactile experiences.
Sondre Sjølie is an artist from Nes municipality in Norway, currently taking a bachelor’s in fine arts in Tromsø. His works are often based in narrative and absurd storytelling, inspired by underground comics, humour and tragedy.
where does the sun go? is a collective exhibition by students of Tromsø Academy of Arts.
Vent Space is at Vabaduse väljak 6-8
where does the sun go? at Vent Space
Thursday 09 November, 2023 — Saturday 11 November, 2023
Don’t you wonder what’s inside? I have an idea. It appeared in the last dream. I changed something, but you can change it back. Where does the sun go? It tends to hide between the lines.
Pauline Creuzé is an artist from France. She works with video and site-specific video installation. With the artist collective À VENIR, she has been producing group exhibitions in empty urban spaces between 2017 and 2021.
kacper krajewski is an interdisciplinary Polish artist based in Tromsø, Norway. Kacper navigates the intricate intersections of biology and technology, compulsively challenging notions of consciousness, perception and corporeality. Guided by a queer perspective, they delve into the depths of embodied existence.
Gregor is a musician and artist from Eupen, a small city in the east of Belgium. Gregor combines different techniques to create immersive changes of perspective, often through compositions dictated by algorithmic approaches.
Py Tenor is an artist from Sweden based in Tromsø. Using installation and wearable sculpture, she works with recognizable material and situations, focusing on sensory and tactile experiences.
Sondre Sjølie is an artist from Nes municipality in Norway, currently taking a bachelor’s in fine arts in Tromsø. His works are often based in narrative and absurd storytelling, inspired by underground comics, humour and tragedy.
where does the sun go? is a collective exhibition by students of Tromsø Academy of Arts.
Vent Space is at Vabaduse väljak 6-8
31.10.2023 — 25.11.2023
Paul Kuimet: “Crystal Grid” at Draakon Gallery
October 31, 2023 Paul Kuimet’s solo exhibition Crystal Grid will be open in Draakon gallery.
The opening event takes place on November 1 at 18:00.
The project-related artist’s book presentation will take place on November 23 at 18:00 adjacent to the gallery in Kanuti Gildi SAAL.
“… How to give structure to something that itself is lacking one? How to present something like that? This is a question of visibility and making visible. What are the means for making visible something that always remains invisible? More precisely: the thing that remains invisible in real life, but of which we can get a glimpse in Crystal Grid, is the structure of capitalism. But how to display something like that?”
Neeme Lopp Paul Kuimet’s Analytical Photography
Essay from artist’s book Crystal Grid (Lugemik, 2023)
The exhibition features 25 new works from the Crystal Grid series. The series, commenced in 2020, consists of collages composed of photos taken in palm houses of various botanical gardens around the world. The collages are arranged in sets of two, three or four, juxtaposing plant fragments, which in reality are located hundreds or even thousands of kilometers apart.
For the collages, a pattern is used, derived from the structure of the ceiling of the central transept of the Crystal Palace, erected for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. For each work, a new pattern is designed within the existing framework, based on the internal composition of each photo – part of the image is cut according to the pattern, and part is left uncut.
Paul Kuimet (1984) is an artist who works with photography, 16 mm film, and installation comprising of these media. Although his work is often described by a technological way of seeing, his practice places emphasis on the movement and presence of the beholder in the exhibition space. Since 2013, his work has been interested in modernist forms. In his latest works he has concentrated not so much on the forms of modernism, but on its materials, such as steel and glass, and their relationship to the development of modern capitalism since the mid-nineteenth century. He received an MA degree from the Estonian Academy of Arts (2014). In 2018, he participated in residency programmes at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels, and at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York City. Since 2022, Kuimet is the Associate Professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Department of Photography.
The exhibition will remain open until November 25, 2023.
The exhibition is a part of the satellite programme of the contemporary art biennial Tallinn Photomonth (6.10.–26.11.2023). More info: fotokuu.ee
Supported by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts, Põhjala Brewery
Exhibitions in Draakon gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and AS Liviko.
Paul Kuimet: “Crystal Grid” at Draakon Gallery
Tuesday 31 October, 2023 — Saturday 25 November, 2023
October 31, 2023 Paul Kuimet’s solo exhibition Crystal Grid will be open in Draakon gallery.
The opening event takes place on November 1 at 18:00.
The project-related artist’s book presentation will take place on November 23 at 18:00 adjacent to the gallery in Kanuti Gildi SAAL.
“… How to give structure to something that itself is lacking one? How to present something like that? This is a question of visibility and making visible. What are the means for making visible something that always remains invisible? More precisely: the thing that remains invisible in real life, but of which we can get a glimpse in Crystal Grid, is the structure of capitalism. But how to display something like that?”
Neeme Lopp Paul Kuimet’s Analytical Photography
Essay from artist’s book Crystal Grid (Lugemik, 2023)
The exhibition features 25 new works from the Crystal Grid series. The series, commenced in 2020, consists of collages composed of photos taken in palm houses of various botanical gardens around the world. The collages are arranged in sets of two, three or four, juxtaposing plant fragments, which in reality are located hundreds or even thousands of kilometers apart.
For the collages, a pattern is used, derived from the structure of the ceiling of the central transept of the Crystal Palace, erected for the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. For each work, a new pattern is designed within the existing framework, based on the internal composition of each photo – part of the image is cut according to the pattern, and part is left uncut.
Paul Kuimet (1984) is an artist who works with photography, 16 mm film, and installation comprising of these media. Although his work is often described by a technological way of seeing, his practice places emphasis on the movement and presence of the beholder in the exhibition space. Since 2013, his work has been interested in modernist forms. In his latest works he has concentrated not so much on the forms of modernism, but on its materials, such as steel and glass, and their relationship to the development of modern capitalism since the mid-nineteenth century. He received an MA degree from the Estonian Academy of Arts (2014). In 2018, he participated in residency programmes at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels, and at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) in New York City. Since 2022, Kuimet is the Associate Professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Department of Photography.
The exhibition will remain open until November 25, 2023.
The exhibition is a part of the satellite programme of the contemporary art biennial Tallinn Photomonth (6.10.–26.11.2023). More info: fotokuu.ee
Supported by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts, Põhjala Brewery
Exhibitions in Draakon gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and AS Liviko.
02.11.2023 — 09.11.2023
Kunstiryhmitus “I Live in Tallinn”
I LIVE IN TALLINN
Kunstiryhmitus
02.11 – 09.11.2023
Opening: 02.11 at 6 pm
“I Live in Tallinn” is an exhibition that wraps up the collective Kunstiryhmitus’ 48 performances in Tallinn’s urban space. At the opening performance, rooms that were spilled throughout the city will be brought back together to a garage box at the gallery space Garage49 (Kalaranna 42/6).
The sentence “I live in Tallinn.” should not refer to just the space that is enclosed between four walls. This can only be achieved if the space between buildings in a city does not only act as a transit corridor that takes you from point a to point b. The polarization between public and private space is artificial. When we stop seeing the two as totally separate, public space can be an extension of our home- it becomes common space. By bringing situations that usually take place at home to the streets of Tallinn, we turned it into a part of our homes.
Kunstiryhmitus is a collective of EKA students from different study fields. The collective focuses on studying the space around them through performance.
Instagram: @kunstiryhmitus
Kunstiryhmitus “I Live in Tallinn”
Thursday 02 November, 2023 — Thursday 09 November, 2023
I LIVE IN TALLINN
Kunstiryhmitus
02.11 – 09.11.2023
Opening: 02.11 at 6 pm
“I Live in Tallinn” is an exhibition that wraps up the collective Kunstiryhmitus’ 48 performances in Tallinn’s urban space. At the opening performance, rooms that were spilled throughout the city will be brought back together to a garage box at the gallery space Garage49 (Kalaranna 42/6).
The sentence “I live in Tallinn.” should not refer to just the space that is enclosed between four walls. This can only be achieved if the space between buildings in a city does not only act as a transit corridor that takes you from point a to point b. The polarization between public and private space is artificial. When we stop seeing the two as totally separate, public space can be an extension of our home- it becomes common space. By bringing situations that usually take place at home to the streets of Tallinn, we turned it into a part of our homes.
Kunstiryhmitus is a collective of EKA students from different study fields. The collective focuses on studying the space around them through performance.
Instagram: @kunstiryhmitus
07.11.2023 — 30.11.2023
“The Story of Nanomaterial No. 399” at EKA Gallery 08.–30.11.2023
Small particles that can only be seen in nano scale are the biggest magic in the unseen. Those tiny little specks dance like fireflies, creating its own symphony in darkness.
Being small does not diminish their grandeur. But being small offers them freedom.
They can slip through cracks, join each other, and make universes.
The universe humans can’t even fathom.
For what though? To whisper secrets.
The secrets of life’s intricate tapestry.
The tiny things are hidden under veils of everyday sight.
Though it is not visible, they work in harmony, shaping destiny. *
The breakthrough in knowledge and technology that allows us to work with materials on a nanometer scale is interesting because many life processes take place at that scale. Designing at the molecular level will allow us to create materials like nature does.
The exhibition presents the results of a project that focused on developing new nanomaterials at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The exposition is opening up the material creation and manufacturing processes. Materials that we normally see in a laboratory environment are placed in the gallery space for observation through different scales.
The entire space opens up a creative research work that has brought together materials science, machine construction, creative processes, as well as failure and final outcomes of the project.
Kärt Ojavee (b. 1982) is an artist and designer who combines new technologies with traditional craft. Her approach to textiles is conceptual, exploring their historical meaning and possibilities for future development. Ojavee’s interactive textiles and installations often feature electronic components that speculate on future possibilities, characterised by their ability to change during their life cycle. She is interested in the transformation of materials over time, and ways in which the materials are in symbiosis with their environment. Ojavee creates experimental materials and has recently been working with various surplus materials and seaweed biomass, focusing on the value of matter.
Katarina Kruus (b. 1995) studies, observes and mediates the transformation of materials from one state to another. She is focusing on biomaterials and natural pigments, while thinking about desirable future landscapes.
At the moment, Kruus is studying at the Estonian Academy of Arts’ master’s programme in the textile department. Previously, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in the same department and has studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art.
Madis Kaasik (b. 1989) is currently working at Estonian Academy of Arts as a Digital Manufacturing and Mechatronics Lab Manager. He’s also the founder of engineering and mechanical design studio Protoinvent OÜ. Madis’s main interests are designing and manufacturing custom electromechanical devices for startups, artists and researchers. He enjoys machine design processes largely because it is the artistic side of mechanical engineering that facilitates creative pursuits.
Gelatex Technologies OÜ is a materials technology company that develops and produces nanofibrous materials. These consist of fibers that are up to 100 times smaller than a human hair. Gelatex focuses specifically on areas related to biotechnology, especially in vitro 3D cell culture and tissue engineering. There are also ongoing projects in the direction of drug development, wound treatment, and cultivated meat. Gelatex has an international team of enthusiasts and solution-oriented people with backgrounds in materials technology, mechanics, biochemistry, microbiology, marketing, sales and business development.
“The Story of Nanomaterial No. 399” at EKA Gallery 08.–30.11.2023
Tuesday 07 November, 2023 — Thursday 30 November, 2023
Small particles that can only be seen in nano scale are the biggest magic in the unseen. Those tiny little specks dance like fireflies, creating its own symphony in darkness.
Being small does not diminish their grandeur. But being small offers them freedom.
They can slip through cracks, join each other, and make universes.
The universe humans can’t even fathom.
For what though? To whisper secrets.
The secrets of life’s intricate tapestry.
The tiny things are hidden under veils of everyday sight.
Though it is not visible, they work in harmony, shaping destiny. *
The breakthrough in knowledge and technology that allows us to work with materials on a nanometer scale is interesting because many life processes take place at that scale. Designing at the molecular level will allow us to create materials like nature does.
The exhibition presents the results of a project that focused on developing new nanomaterials at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The exposition is opening up the material creation and manufacturing processes. Materials that we normally see in a laboratory environment are placed in the gallery space for observation through different scales.
The entire space opens up a creative research work that has brought together materials science, machine construction, creative processes, as well as failure and final outcomes of the project.
Kärt Ojavee (b. 1982) is an artist and designer who combines new technologies with traditional craft. Her approach to textiles is conceptual, exploring their historical meaning and possibilities for future development. Ojavee’s interactive textiles and installations often feature electronic components that speculate on future possibilities, characterised by their ability to change during their life cycle. She is interested in the transformation of materials over time, and ways in which the materials are in symbiosis with their environment. Ojavee creates experimental materials and has recently been working with various surplus materials and seaweed biomass, focusing on the value of matter.
Katarina Kruus (b. 1995) studies, observes and mediates the transformation of materials from one state to another. She is focusing on biomaterials and natural pigments, while thinking about desirable future landscapes.
At the moment, Kruus is studying at the Estonian Academy of Arts’ master’s programme in the textile department. Previously, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in the same department and has studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art.
Madis Kaasik (b. 1989) is currently working at Estonian Academy of Arts as a Digital Manufacturing and Mechatronics Lab Manager. He’s also the founder of engineering and mechanical design studio Protoinvent OÜ. Madis’s main interests are designing and manufacturing custom electromechanical devices for startups, artists and researchers. He enjoys machine design processes largely because it is the artistic side of mechanical engineering that facilitates creative pursuits.
Gelatex Technologies OÜ is a materials technology company that develops and produces nanofibrous materials. These consist of fibers that are up to 100 times smaller than a human hair. Gelatex focuses specifically on areas related to biotechnology, especially in vitro 3D cell culture and tissue engineering. There are also ongoing projects in the direction of drug development, wound treatment, and cultivated meat. Gelatex has an international team of enthusiasts and solution-oriented people with backgrounds in materials technology, mechanics, biochemistry, microbiology, marketing, sales and business development.
27.10.2023
Vent Space: Miradonna Sirkka and Sofi Häkkinen
“The Life and Death”
Miradonna Sirkka and Sofi Häkkinen have worked together for 8 years – and counting. The pair has created the artistic world of Recover Laboratory, a Finnish pioneer of immersive performances. Sirkka hails from experimental contemporary circus and Häkkinen from fine arts; together they explore the space of performance art with their signature way of looking at the world, where the mundane becomes surreal, and humor and vulnerability are present simultaneously.
Sirkka and Häkkinen’s performance “the Life and Death” brings together elements of performance art, DJ & VJ gigs, and having grown up in the 00’s. The performance can be seen as criticism of hetero- and mono-normativity, along with capitalistic perfectionism. Queerdos Häkkinen and Sirkka build a shared moment of fun, weirdness, horror, play, love and tears, while probing around the space they occupy right now both mentally and physically.
In the performance, the hypersexualization afab bodies are subjected to in everyday life is made visible and reclaimed. The duo takes matters into their own hands with the imagery of popular culture, movies and music. The performance rises from pure enjoyment. One of the kindles for the piece is the many incidents when the artist’s work has been criticized for showing boobs on stage.
CW: sexual movement, childbirth, death, tattoo needles, nudity
Vent Space: Miradonna Sirkka and Sofi Häkkinen
Friday 27 October, 2023
“The Life and Death”
Miradonna Sirkka and Sofi Häkkinen have worked together for 8 years – and counting. The pair has created the artistic world of Recover Laboratory, a Finnish pioneer of immersive performances. Sirkka hails from experimental contemporary circus and Häkkinen from fine arts; together they explore the space of performance art with their signature way of looking at the world, where the mundane becomes surreal, and humor and vulnerability are present simultaneously.
Sirkka and Häkkinen’s performance “the Life and Death” brings together elements of performance art, DJ & VJ gigs, and having grown up in the 00’s. The performance can be seen as criticism of hetero- and mono-normativity, along with capitalistic perfectionism. Queerdos Häkkinen and Sirkka build a shared moment of fun, weirdness, horror, play, love and tears, while probing around the space they occupy right now both mentally and physically.
In the performance, the hypersexualization afab bodies are subjected to in everyday life is made visible and reclaimed. The duo takes matters into their own hands with the imagery of popular culture, movies and music. The performance rises from pure enjoyment. One of the kindles for the piece is the many incidents when the artist’s work has been criticized for showing boobs on stage.
CW: sexual movement, childbirth, death, tattoo needles, nudity
26.10.2023 — 30.10.2023
Vent Space: Sofi Häkkinen “Pasta Baby”
Visual artist Sofi Häkkinen (b 1990, Oulu, Finland) brings an assortment of sculptures and video works to Vent Space project space.
Häkkinen is a Master of Arts from Aalto University, and has a very multi-artistic approach to her work. The sculptures Häkkinen shows in Vent Space are mostly made out of dry pasta. The video pieces also explore the theme of food – along with death, the body, the Internet, humor, pop and doom scrolling.
Vent Space: Sofi Häkkinen “Pasta Baby”
Thursday 26 October, 2023 — Monday 30 October, 2023
Visual artist Sofi Häkkinen (b 1990, Oulu, Finland) brings an assortment of sculptures and video works to Vent Space project space.
Häkkinen is a Master of Arts from Aalto University, and has a very multi-artistic approach to her work. The sculptures Häkkinen shows in Vent Space are mostly made out of dry pasta. The video pieces also explore the theme of food – along with death, the body, the Internet, humor, pop and doom scrolling.