Category: Departments

Tallinn, October 3-5, 2023

Organisers: Kumu Art Museum and Estonian Academy of Arts in collaboration with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art

With the support of the Nordic Culture Point 

Venues: Estonian Academy of Arts, Kumu Art Museum

The climate crisis has developed into the defining crisis of our time, interlinked with the military, socio-political, and humanitarian conflicts and inequalities across the globe. The artworld must inevitably reevaluate its priorities. A major part of rethinking art in the age of the anthropocene centers around creating and adapting more sustainable practices. The global lack of resources, issues of environmental justice – and possibly also careful visions of post-extractivist futures – make art workers think through circularity and sustainability.

This workshop calls to discuss the art world’s green transition in a creative and at the same time critical manner and explore it across disciplines – inviting professionals and students from art and design, conservation, curating and museology and related fields.

How to make art institutions, art and exhibition production more sustainable? What are the other ways in which arts and culture can contribute to transforming the extractivist mindset? What is the role of artists, designers and other art workers in fulfilling the climate aims set by governments and politicians? What is the relationship between an artwork and its carbon footprint? How to avoid greenwashing? How to make space for time and effort that goes into experimenting with more sustainable practices and avoid burnout?

Valuing learning from different perspectives, skills and knowledge, the teaching staff includes experts from various fields. The event is designed for art workers, as well as students across disciplines (MA and doctoral, but also motivated BA students).

Organisers:

Linda Kaljundi (Estonian Academy of Arts)

Karin Vicente (Art Museum of Estonia)

How to apply?

Participation is free of charge. Please register here: https://form.jotform.com/231972683642060

Deadline: September 15

In case you need study credits, you can gain 2 ECTS credits by attending all the talks and visits and completing a conference report in the format of a visual essay.

Workshop programme

Day 1 / October 3

Where on earth to begin?

Kumu Art Museum

11:00–11:15

Welcome, introductions and coffee

11:15–12:15

Karin Vicente (Art Museum of Estonia): High Impressions, Low Impact: Reducing the Emissions of an Art Exhibition

12:15–13:15

Group work: How to make a difference? Moderators: Linda Kaljundi and Karin Vicente

13:15–14:15

Lunch

14:15–15:15

Kārlis Melzobs (GAISS architects): Decolonial ecologies

15:30–17:00

Guided tour at the exhibition Art in the Age of the Anthropocene by Laura Linsi and Roland Reemaa and Maria Muuk, designers of the exhibition

Day 2 / October 4

Theory into practice

Estonian Academy of Art. Meeting point: 5th floor

10:00–11:00

Laura Linsi and Roland Reemaa (LLRRLLRR): Working with material flows

11:00–12:00

Maria Muuk (graphic designer): Sustainable developments in exhibition graphic design

12:00–12:30

Lunch

12:30–13:30

Grete Arro (Tallinn University): How to fit the environment into one’s Umwelt?

13:30–14:30

Siim Preimann (Tallinn Art Hall): Keeping on keeping on: in pursuit of a curatorial approach fitting the times

15:00–17:00

Meeting point: Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (EKKM).

Meeting with curator and a project manager Maria Helen Känd and visiting Jaanus Samma’s exhibition “Iron men”

Day 3 / October 5

Fields in dialogue: from contemporary art to collection to conservation

Kumu Art Museum.

10:00–11:00

Meeting point: painting collections of Art Museum of Estonia;

Darja Jefimova (Art Museum of Estonia): Sustainable practices in collections management

Discussant: Varje Õunapuu (Estonian Academy of Arts)

11:00–12:00

Meeting point: permanent exhibition of Estonian Art in the 1990s (4th floor, B wing)

Hilkka Hiiop (Estonian Academy of Arts): Sustainability in collecting contemporary art: does it exist?

12:00–13:00

Lunch

13:00–14:00

Meeting point: Kumu educational centre

Margit Keller (University of Tartu): Sustainability transitions: complexity and hope

14:30–15:30

Meeting point: Kadriorg Art museum, lobby

Tour at the exhibition “The Art of Adapting” with Triin Metsla and Madli Ehasalu

15:30–16:30

Concluding panel: How to build and sustain dialogues between fields?

Mari-Leen Kiipli (artist), Marju Niinemaa (National Heritage Board), Kaisa-Piia Pedajas (Art Museum of Estonia), Laura Põld (Estonian Academy of Arts)

Moderators: Linda Kaljundi, Karin Vicente

17:00

Presentation of the Model for sustainable exhibition at Kumu (in Estonian)

“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

On Wednesday, September 6 at 18.00, Keiu Maasik‘s exhibition Meadows of Change, A Place Called Home will open in Hobusepea gallery.

“For the past few years, I had buried myself in the world of computer games and preferred to spend my free time in virtuality. It seemed to be an acceptable thought exercise that in the future human life will move to the virtual world. One of the games I immersed myself in for several months was Red Dead Redemption 2. I felt like there was no other place I’d 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 changes bound to arrive. I was very frightened last year when I encountered a herd of wild horses. A rumble could be heard in the distance, and the ground beneath 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.” Keiu Maasik

Keiu Maasik has 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 EAA Young Artist Award. In 2018, she received the Wiiralt scholarship and was the laureate of the competition Young Tartu of Tartu Art Museum. In her work, she has discussed the impact of documentation on memory, identity and relationships between people. In her latest projects, Maasik has focused on the virtual world, using computer game recordings or aesthetics in her videos and installations to unveil personal stories of people.

The artist’s gratitude to: Madis Kurss, Kaisa Maasik.

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

On September 6, 2023 at 18.00, the co-exhibition of Kelli Gedvil and Kristen Rästas Wake Me Up, When It’s All Over will open in Draakon Gallery.

Wake Me Up, When It’s All Over, the co-exhibition of Kelli Gedvili and Kristen Rästas, poetically reflects on the introverted urge to find shelter from everyday sensitivities and encapsulate in the digital world. The artists are focused on creating an atmosphere in which they explore the contemporary condition of humans living through one crisis after another.