Category: Support Units

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.

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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.

Exhibition by the first year students of photography at EKA Billboard Gallery is open from September 11.

This exhibition presents a selection of works completed during the studio photography course of the first year students of the photography department of the Estonian Academy of Arts.

Artists: Denise Damaso, Kristjan Glück, Irma Holm, Mari Karjus, Taavet Kirja, Elias Kuulmann, Karlotta Lainväe, Anna Urakhchina

Supervisor: Madis Kurss

Taavet Jansen, Liis Vares „Held in Human“
21.08–13.09.2023, Tue-Sat, at 12.00–18.00
Opening: 21.08, at 18.00
EKA Gallery, Kotzebue 1

Join us for the exhibition “Held in Human” opening on August 21 at 18.00! The exhibition and accompanying events are part of SAAL Biennaal programme.

“Held in Human” is a performative installation where one tiny idea is made to sprout and can be fed with everything that one freshly born should know and experience. This growing idea is safe and warm in the gallery, like in a mother’s womb. The audience can manipulate the concept during its growing period, visit it at EKA Gallery, participate in the tours and virtual ultrasound examinations, and see traces of other people’s interventions.

The authors delve into how meaning is created, and responsibilities are assumed within a transient community, exemplified by a collective art project. The team constructs a metaphorical tunnel, likened to an umbilical cord, bridging the gap between the virtual and the tangible realms. Once the mist of artistic creation clears, this conduit enables everyone, irrespective of their geographic position or connection to ‘reality,’ to interact and connect with each other.

“You enter the exhibition hall like a body cave; the actions only express treachery. One and all-determining meaning is sought in the entrails.” – Ene Mihkelson

Events:
21.08, at 18.00 – exhibition opening
24.08, at 18.00 – exhibition tour
25.08, at 22.00 – Liisbeth Kala, Germo Toonikus “Making Sense”
30.08, at 16.00 – “Bodystorming”

Language is not a problem. More information: https://saal.ee/en/performance/held-in-human-1823/

Liis Vares is a choreographer and artist. At the center of her practice is the contemporary body. Attention is her ‘dancer’ with whom she dances in the black box, white cube, and on the grayscale online platform. She plays with borderlines between physical and mental, between personal and social. By following her research question: how does it feel/what does it mean to be in a body, she is diving more and more into transmedial spheres of art and being.

Taavet Jansen is an innovative artist and creative researcher specializing in digital and experimental performing arts. He co-founded the art collective e⁻lektron, is a lecturer at the UT Viljandi Culture Academy, and is a doctoral student at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Traditionally working within the confines of black box theater, Jansen’s recent work has expanded into diverse digital platforms, reflecting his evolving interest in the intersection of art and technology.

Authors, directors: Taavet Jansen, Liis Vares
Light designer: Jari Matsi
Sound and video designer: Taavet Jansen
Dramaturgs, choreographers: Liis Vares, AI
Performers: Germo Toonikus, Liisbeth Kala
Software developer, web designer: Kristjan Jansen
Producer: Kati Saarits
Co-producers: EKA, e⁻lektron, ACuTe (co-funded by the European Union)

Persuading Hard Matter

Sophia Hallmann, Loora Kaubi, Mattias Veller, Oliver Wellmann

15.07–10.08.2023

Opening 14.07 at 6 pm

Join us for the exhibition Persuading Hard Matter opening on 14.07, 6 pm at EKA Gallery! The entrance to the exhibition is via Kotzebue street.

The metaphor of “softening stones” (kive pehmeks rääkida) conveys the idea that a person is able to affect or manipulate even the most resistant and solid objects, much like speaking can lead to an emotional breakthrough or change.

In this exhibition, the artists found common ground in dealing with what is larger than themselves: be it phenomena that go far back in time or those that are situated in the minds of groups. Stones can be viewed as the embodiments of still-enduring old ideas. Some of them have since eroded into the dust of prehistory, others still stand like monuments. As time has passed, many have become burdens, but they are often too heavy to cast off of our collective shoulders. Systems of belief have learned to resist change by cultivating delusions in the minds of their believers.

In Sophia Hallmann’s work “Hyperstimuli”, sugar has been transformed into glass-like thorns. Her installation juxtaposes the fragility and sweetness of the material with the prickliness of the thorn shape. These contrasting aspects evoke the concept of sweet pain. Appealing also to the senses of taste and touch, the work deals with the complex relationship between pleasure and discomfort. Isomalt sugar has been transformed into a seemingly luxurious glass-like object. Because both the branches and sugar are organic, they will eventually decompose, breaking the illusion of eternal security that luxury creates.

Persuasion is a tool for shaping reality. It can be used to create an illusion of safety, which is a delusive contentment. Loora Kaubi’s work addresses the domination of a patriarchal system through violent architecture. In her installation, Kaubi performs a contorted body walking in bridge position towards the viewer, suggesting the mental damage done by conforming to oppression. In “Mind and hand follow an evil path” objects combined with choreography are used to reflect on feelings of hostility and discomfort. Is it the outside world that one must be protected from or should we protect the outside from the world within? The fences come across as material representations of the fear that is omnipresent for anyone not standing safely at the top of the power hierarchy.

On the topic of domination, the practice of storytelling can be seen as a tool that liberates from the burden of having no voice. It encourages us to claim the right to be heard and express things as we desire them to be, under the guise of objectivity. Oliver Wellmann’s work circulates around mythic traditions, exploring their controversiality. The work „Raunen (Fires)“ stems from the ongoing performance cycle “Raunen” (ger. ‘whispering the truth’), in which dark rural worlds blend with elements of the auto-fictional. Hay is a material that often self-ignites, eventually causing major fires.

Another grand story is the mythic narrative of the nation, which looms over the individual like a massive rock. Mattias Veller expresses frustration at having to accept it and all of its inconsistencies. Individually, he is unable to coax the rigid national mythos to soften, so he decides to turn the tables. In “The Donkey in Estonia” he demonstrates the absurdity of the ways in which collective identity is shaped. He is interested in how belief works and how to fool the gullible.

The works in “Persuading Hard Matter” can be seen as the artists’ interpretations of the tensions between themselves and overwhelming forces. Be it acceptance, toleration, protest or domination, some kind of persuasion always occurs. Its effectiveness can never be known in advance.

​​Sophia Hallmann (b. 1995) lives and works in Berlin, where she studies sculpture and installation at the Berlin University of Arts. In her work she deals with different moulding techniques and casting processes, where the relationship between the depicted object and the material used plays an important role. Often her works evoke a sense of tension with the human body. During her Erasmus exchange at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Sophia Hallmann participated in the Young Sculptor Award Exhibition 2023 at the ARS Project Space and won the 3rd prize. In addition, she has participated in several group exhibitions in Berlin and received a scholarship from the Tutsek Foundation.

Oliver Wellmann (b. 1991) is an artist living and working in Berlin who is currently studying at the University of Arts Berlin. His artistic practice interlocks internal sources with external ones or those that have frequently been abandoned. The imagery in his work distinctly revolves around rural areas, folkloric traditions and spiritual empowerment such as witchcraft. Oliver’s artistic exploration of witchcraft in a contemporary context raises questions in a society that thirsts for meaning and spirituality, but where both are simultaneously classified as vanishing phenomena. In 2023 he exhibited extracts of the performance cycle „Raunen“ in Iceland and will continue to do so in Estonia, followed by Denmark in the fall.

Loora Kaubi (b. 1998) is an artist working in Tallinn. She holds a BA degree from the Estonian Academy of Arts’ Fine Arts department and did part of her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. She has also attended Casa Lü residency in Mexico City. Kaubi’s practice revolves around the (female) body and the societal relations and power structures that are involved with it. Wandering between the real and the imaginary, in her work she approaches life as a spectacle and focuses on creating a scene through which to perform intense emotions. Kaubi has been awarded the Artist of the Week Award of the Estonian Young Contemporary Art Union and has participated in exhibitions and performances in Tallinn, Narva, Haapsalu, Valga, Põlva, Vienna and Mexico City.

The recurring topics in Mattias Veller’s (b. 1998) artistic practices are physical labour and the relationship between human and material. Conceptually, he is rather minimalistic and technically he is precise, often applying time-consuming manual approaches. Veller is currently most interested in collective consciousness and history. He has been awarded the Artist of the Week Award of the Estonian Young Contemporary Art Union. His works have been shown in group projects in the ARS Project Space and Uus Rada Gallery (2023), EKA Gallery (2022) and in a duo exhibition in Infinite Life Gallery (2021).

Supported by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Student Council of UdK Berlin, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Tallinn

The artists would like to thank: Ulvar Kaubi, Saara Liis Jõerand, Elss Raidmets, Patrick Zavadskis, Mirje Veller, Riina Veller, Karl Linnasmägi (OÜ NovaElement), Valge Kuup OÜ

Each year, the Estonian Academy of Arts Research and Development Office, in conjunction with the Tallinn Strategic Management Office, holds an applied research and development projects competition to motivate the Academy’s members to apply to a greater extent the results of their academic and research work in the public, business and third sectors; to increase the quality and extent of knowledge services provided by the Academy to society and businesses and to raise public awareness of the application of the Academy’s know-how in the economy and society.

The author(s) of the best project are awarded 1000€. If numerous outstanding works are submitted for the competition, additional work(s) will be awarded.

The competition is open for EKA’s students, whose course or graduation project has reached the stage of developing an applied output, i.e. the results of the work can be applied in businesses or other organisations. The competition welcomes applied research or projects by all employees and researchers.

The works must be completed between 01.09.2022–31.08.2023.
To submit a project to the competition a completed form together with additional materials must be sent to koostoo@artun.ee no later than 14 September 2023. The e-mail addresses of all authors of the work must be included among the e-mail recipients.

See last year’s winners HERE.

Materials for applying:

Procedure for Competition of Applied Research and Development Works

Submission form

On Friday, the 16th of June, at 17:30, MARTYN ROBERTS, the founder of Fashion Scout, will be giving a lecture at EKA (room A 501). The lecture is part of the Transform4Europe Week program.

Over the past 17 years, Martyn has developed Fashion Scout into one of the world’s most recognised and acclaimed independent platforms for international fashion designers, and the largest independent platform at London Fashion week under Martyn’s direction, Fashion Scout has also delivered showcasing events and Business Accelerator Programmes in UK, France, Estonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Armenia, Kenya, Sri Lanka and China.

The masterclass, titled BRAND POSITIONING AND IDENTITY, BUILDING VALUE AND BRAND COMMUNICATIONS, will explore how emerging fashion and accessories brands can build their brand identity, creating value for their clients and communicating this in crowded media scene. Martyn will delve into how emerging brands have successfully developed their brand positioning, how to identify target markets and how to price their designs. This is a subject he has delivered and discussed at leading universities and fashion weeks around the world.

The panel discussion “Reflections on the Act of Improvement in the Context of Sustainability” within the Transform4Europe week will be conducted by Marta Konovalov, Maris Taul and Anna-Maria Saar.

The open discussion focuses on how remediation can promote sustainability and circularity.

In the discussion round, the audience is invited to discuss their role in the relationship with textiles and clothing — are we consumers, owners and wearers or are we in a nurturing relationship?

The discussion round will take place in EKA room B511, on June 15 from 15:00 to 17:00.