PhD VITAMIN 2025 – OPEN LECTURES AND CONSULTATIONS FOR DOCTORAL ASPIRANTS

The annual PhD Vitamin conference returns to the Estonian Academy of Arts on March 14, offering a day of inspiration, guidance and discussion for artists and designers considering doctoral studies.

PhD Vitamin is designed to support artists and creative practitioners with a research-driven approach, providing insight into artistic research as a methodology and helping potential candidates in planning on their doctoral thesis proposals. Through a series of public lectures, discussions and one-on-one consultations, experts in the field will share their work and experiences.

This year, the conference will focus on one of the key topics of the art doctoral program – Ecological Critique in Contemporary Art, exploring environmental and ecological perspectives within creative research. Speakers will reflect on how contemporary artistic practices engage with pressing ecological questions, fostering dialogue between artistic inquiry, sustainability, and environmental awareness.

For those considering doctoral studies, PhD Vitamin offers individual consultation sessions with invited experts and researchers. These 30-minute consultations provide feedback and guidance for finishing up a doctoral research proposal. Consultations will be scheduled in time slots following the conference. 

The event is open to artists, designers, EKA alumni, graduate students and creative practitioners interested in artistic research methods and postgraduate studies.

Please register through the following LINK.

To participate in individual consultation to discuss your PhD proposal, please fill out the FORM. A detailed consultation schedule will be sent to your email after registration. 

PROGRAMME

10:00 -10:30  Gathering, coffee and welcome words

10:30 -11:15   Keynote by Taru Elfving “Site-sensitive research on the shifting shorelines”

11:20 – 11:40  Presentation by John Grzinich “Serious play, experimentation or research? Stories from the field”

Lunch break

12:30 -12:50 Presentation by Britta Benno  “Of Becoming a Land(scape). Abstract Geology as a Way of Thinking”

12:55 -13:40 Keynote by Pascal Marcel Dreier “Activist Aesthetic Research”

Coffee break

13:50 -14:15 Discussion and Q&A, moderator Kirke Kangro.

SPEAKERS:

Taru Elfving, PhD, is a curator and writer focused on nurturing undisciplinary and site-sensitive enquiries at the intersections of ecological, feminist and decolonial practices. As artistic director of CAA Contemporary Art Archipelago she currently leads a research residency programme on the island of Seili in the Baltic Sea. Her curatorial projects include Research Pavilion (Uniarts, Helsinki, 2023); Hours, Years, Aeons (Finnish Pavilion, Venice, 2015); Frontiers in Retreat (HIAP, Helsinki, 2013-18); Towards a Future Present (LIAF, Lofoten, 2008). She has co-edited publications such as Contemporary Artist Residencies (Valiz 2019) and Altern Ecologies (Frame 2016). Elfving lives and works in Helsinki.

https://contemporaryartarchipelago.org/about/

Britta Benno is a drawing and printmaking artist living in Tallinn. Benno is constantly extending the fields and combining conventional media with unexpected layers. Benno defended her doctoral thesis Thinking in Layers, Worlding in Layers: Posthuman Landscapes in the Expanded Field of Printmaking and Drawing in 2023.  Benno is working as a lecturer in the Estonian Academy of Arts. Her artworks have been exhibited throughout Europe, also in Australia and Canada.

www.brittabenno.com

Pascal Marcel Dreier listens to and narrates more-than-human stories. They combine aspects of aesthetic research with activist, forensic, and ethnographic methods, employing a multitude of media such as 3D laser measurement data, bones, game engines, video, sound, and music. Pascal co-founded the non profit research group TRACES Studio for Creative Investigation (Berlin) and is a member of Minding Animals Germany. They studied Media and Fine Arts with a focus on Artistic Research at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne and hold an MA in Art & Ecology from Goldsmiths, University of London. Currently, Pascal is assistant professor of Multispecies Storytelling at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne and teaches, talks, and holds workshops at universities and art institutions internationally, among them the University of Cambridge, University of Western Australia, University of Siegen, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Karlstad University, and Köln International School of Design (KISD).

www.pascaldreier.com
multispecies.studio
traces.studio

John Grzinich (b. 1970 in United States) is an audio-visual artist based in Estonia. His work integrates sound, moving images and site-specific installations to explore perceptions of sound and space, seeking resonances between people and places. Grzinich’s recent focus questions our anthropocentric views through performative and fixed media works by combining earthly agencies, expanded listening practices and participatory engagement.

www.maaheli.ee/main/

For more information contact kati.saarits@artun.ee

Dear EKA members!

I invite you all to the celebrations of the 107th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia on Friday, February 21st at 13.00 on the lobby steps.

The keynote speaker will be Signe Kivi, EKA’s Rector Emerita, textile artist and member of the Riigikogu. Among many other activities, Signe Kivi has a solo exhibition “Signature” running until the first Sunday in March at the Estonian Museum of Applied Arts and Design.

The event will end as tradition dictates with a shot of vodka, kissel and sprat sandwich.

Long live Estonia!

Mart Kalm
Rector

Pirjo Kääriäinen

19.02.2025

A-501 kell 16:30

Weaving textile design with material innovation

Pirjo Kääriäinen is a material enthusiast and textile specialist, working as an Associate Professor in Design and Materialities at the Aalto University, Finland. She operates between research and practice, and she is involved in several material research projects focusing on bio-based materials. Since 2011 she has been developing interdisciplinary CHEMARTS collaboration between the School of Arts, Design and Architecture (ARTS) and the School of Chemical Engineering (CHEM).  CHEMARTS is aiming to inspire Aalto University students and researchers to explore bio-based materials together, and to create new concepts for their sustainable use. Before her career in academia, Pirjo Kääriäinen worked over decade in the Finnish textile industry, and gained experience also as an entrepreneur and consultant for creative industries.

chemarts.aalto.fi
aalto.fi/en/aalto-university-bioinnovation-center

Supported by the Research Fund of EKA and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia

You are invited to the opening of Karlotta Lainväe’s exhibition “Where do I go when I follow the thread?” on February 20th at 18:00 at Uus Rada Gallery.

In the exhibition “Where do I go when I follow the thread?” I invite you to join me on my journey to unravel the secrets of the place I call home. The sea, the forest, the fields and the rocks, they all hold mystery and knowledge deep within. What parts of my family and ancestors are woven into this place and what do I carry forward? The sense of security shining from there is always with me, yet it is fragile and comes with the weight of responsibility to protect it all.

Karlotta Lainväe is an artist studying photography in EKA, in her work she focuses on the human search for security and belonging. She also examines how connections to history, nature, and rituals create a sense of safety that protects us yet remains fragile and easily lost. To bring her ideas to life, she uses photography, handcrafts and installations to create a visual world where viewers can reflect on their own internal and external sense of security.

Opening: 20.02 at 18:00

Exhibition open: 21.02 – 27.02 at 16:00 – 19:00

Uus Rada Gallery

London-based art critic Orit Gat will be giving an open lecture on 12 February at 18.00 at the Estonian Academy of Arts (room A202) on the subject of being personal in (art) writing. She will be exploring different ways of bringing personal experiences to writing and making space for experiences that are often not reflected in culture. Gat also considers the importance of developing a writing practice as a social space and writing with others in mind.
The lecture will be followed by a discussion led by art critic and educator Maarin Ektermann.
Orit Gat is a British writer and art critic living in London. She has written about
contemporary art, books, digital culture, and football for numerous magazines including The White Review, frieze, e-flux journal and e-flux criticism, ArtReview, Jacobin, Texte zur Kunst, Paper Visual Art, Art Monthly, the Times Literary Supplement, the LA Review of Books, The World Policy Journal, Camera Austria, and Cultured, among others.

Orit Gat’s lecture in Tallinn is organized jointly by the Estonian Centre of Contemporary Art and the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
The lecture will be held in English.

DANCING WITH THE STARS!
EKA Billboard Gallery 3.02.–2.03.2025
Open 24/7, free
Opening: 3.02.25 at 5 pm

Dancing with the Stars! exhibition showcases the designed letters and the process of the class Typography I. During 14 weeks several exercises and experimentations were carried out, drawing was done both by hand and on the computer, using toilet paper, towels, foam and even a metal engraver.

While the first seven weeks were dedicated to experimentation and playing, the last seven focused on creating an entire alphabet and going through the letter design process. Vectorised letters were created, several of which were also made into working font files.

Students:
Simon Janson, Ryan Kaabel, Anni Kangur, Riste Sofie Käär, Jan-Markus Maasepp, Alina Maškina, Elisabeth Mägi, Berit Raun, Mattias Erik Tiik, Rasmus Tikerpe, Katariina Tõnismäe, Mark Albert Villand, Artjom Ševtšenko, Kätriin Reinart, Eline Cremers, Mira Keygnaert, Dennis Vugts

Supervisor:
Agnes Isabelle Veevo

The fonts can be downloaded for free from the SUVA Type Foundry website: suvatypefoundry.ee

We warmly invite you to the opening of the exhibition “This time, my client is Nature” on February 7 at 18:00 at Uus Rada.

What if nature were not just an inspiration but a client—one we must listen to, understand, and collaborate with? This exhibition brings together three artists—Phoebe , Wen Lin Wang and Andrea Gudiño —who each explore the connection between humans and nature through illustration, printing, animation and so on.

Moving from silent observation to active engagement, the exhibition invites visitors to tune into nature’s presence and consider how art can translate their messages. Through their works, the artists create a space where landscapes, flowers, beetles and natural elements are not just subjects but voices in a larger conversation.

Opening 07.02 18:00

Exhibition open: 07.-14.02 14:00-18:00

We look forward to seeing you!

The Estonian Academy of Arts (Associate Prof. Kristina Jõekalda) together with Yale University (Prof. Bradley Woodworth) is organizing a history seminar on the Baltic Germans on February 7-8 2025:

“Bulwark against the East or Imperial Outpost? Baltic Germans in the Russian Empire“.

Among the speakers is also EKA’s junior researcher Ragne Soosalu.

The seminar takes place at Yale University in USA, but can be followed via Zoom. For an overview see the recap.

EKA Experimental Forms Exhibition “Foam Futures” at Viru Keskus

“Foam Futures” is an experimental fashion forms exhibition by the fashion, textile, and accessory design students of the Estonian Academy of Arts. Under the guidance of fashion designer Liisi Eesmaa and artist Flo Kasearu, futuristic foam plastic characters have come to life and will take over the Viru Keskus Atrium starting February 4th.

The exhibition “Foam Futures” at Viru Keskus Atrium invites visitors to reflect on the impact of human-made synthetic materials on the environment. This artistic display, created by students of Estonian Academy of Arts , focuses on the journey of foam plastic – from industrial waste to a nature-hostile “life form” that poisons the environment and gains strength, creating post-apocalyptic landscapes.

The pieces on display were created during a month-long workshop, where packaging industry waste was transformed into unique sculptures. The students manipulated materials using cutting, bubbling, and molding techniques to create both futuristic and organic shapes. Their inspiration was drawn from nature – plants, fungal networks, and strange life forms – reflecting the conflict between human creation and the natural world.

“This exhibition is raw energy and an endless amount of work hours, resulting in these haunting, bubbling, and foaming creations. Like a shadowy-black colony of beings, drawn from the students’ subconscious and rosy dreams,” commented one of the workshop mentors, fashion designer Liisi Eesmaa. “Our goal is to shock just enough and test the boundaries – how large and how colorful does packaging waste in the urban landscape need to be for people to clearly realize that the only way forward is through material recycling. We are thrilled to do this in collaboration with the emerging generation – the talented students of the Estonian Academy of Arts,” said Kristel Martis, Marketing and Communications Manager of Viru Keskus.

“Foam Futures” does not offer answers, but urges visitors to ask: what happens to the waste we create? Do we only notice it when it directly disrupts our lives, or does it silently blend into nature, causing irreversible harm?

The exhibition’s interactive elements – touch walls and sound experiences – take visitors to the heart of the foam plastic and its transformed environment, helping them better understand the impact and longevity of materials in nature.

“The students created incredibly juicy and voluminous accessories! The raw material was delightfully fascinating, and while the process was as always challenging and labor-intensive, the final transformations of the material were incredibly rewarding!” said mentor Flo Kasearu.

The exhibition “Foam Futures” will be open at the Viru Keskus Atrium from February 4th to February 19th.

Admission is free.

*The synthetic PE (polyethylene foam) material widely used in the exhibition is recyclable with modern technology. After its “artistic life,” it can be shredded and converted back into granules, 70% of which can be reused to create new materials.

Event Supporters: VIRU, EKA, Viva-color, Digiprint, Reval Kondiiter, ETTeam Baltic OÜ, AS Norma, Põhjala, WÕLU, Kadrioru Park

Artists: Allan Suomalainen, Anete Aurelie Aas, Halyna Yaroshenko, Hedi Leppik, Helen Tambla, Katriin Raudsepp, Kertu Seestrand, Linda Teemägi, Lucille Gonzalez, Maksim Kapustin, Mihhail Zaytsev, Oskar Tammäe, Pihla Alina Teder, Roosi Mändmaa, Sofia Robbe, Tereza Bláhová

Interior Architects: Airi Anderson, Brigita Praks, Carmen Pikknurm, Helena-Liisa Moks, Janet Kljuzin, Karl Oskar Palo, Kertu Bachmann, Madli Bulgarin, Raigo Tšetšin, Reigo Raal

Form Supervisors: Liisi Eesmaa, Flo Kasearu

Space Creation Supervisor: Annika Kaldoja

Production: Piret Puppart, Cristopher Siniväli, Marion Laev

Graphic Design: Anete Ots, Mariliis Tarja

Artistic Direction of Photos: Liisi Eesmaa

Photographer: Riina Varol

Photographer’s assistant: Karmel Kull

MUAH: Eliise Brigita Mõisamaa

Models: Merzeede (Agency Icon), Sam (E.M.A. Model Management)

Additional Information: piret.puppart@artun.ee

Event Facebook: Event – Vahu Vahel

Photo Link: To be added later

Doctoral School invites candidates interested in applying to the creative research PhD at EKA to participate in a preparatory course.

Creative research (artistic and practice-based research) is rooted in the professional practice of artists, designers, and/or architects, generating new knowledge that takes shape both in creative practice (artwork, creative process, product, service, etc.) and in a written dissertation.

The course focuses on designing and developing a creative research project, introducing completed and ongoing doctoral dissertations. It also helps participants clarify how to connect their research problem, methods, and creative practice.

The course consists of four seminars and individual consultations, providing participants with personalized feedback on their projects. It is led by Dr. Jaana Päeva, head of the art and design PhD program, and Dr. Liina Unt. Additionally, Dr. Kristi Kuusk and Dr. Siim Tuksam will join for consultations.

During the course period, participants will also have the opportunity to attend the Faculty of Fine Arts’ traditional “PhD Vitamin” event, which brings together creative research experts and prospective doctoral students through public lectures and consultations.

NB! The course takes place on-site at EKA.

Preparatory course schedule:

18.02, 17.00-18.30   Introduction to artistic and practice-based research. A501

19.02, 17.00-18.30   Research problem and framework. Example of a practice-based research (Nesli Oktay). A302

25.02, 17.00-18.30   Integrating theory and practice. Example of a practice-based research (Tõnis Jürgens). A403

26.02, 17.00-18.30   Research question and methods. Example of a practice-based research (Taavet Jansen). A501

14.03, 10.00   PhD Vitamin. Lectures, discussion, consultations. A501

11.03   Submitting research proposal drafts for consultations.

18.03   Individual consultations.

To participate, please send a short introduction (max 1.5 pages) to irene.hutsi@artun.ee by 11.02. The text should address your motivation, previous experience and the potential topic of your research. The number of places is limited, the acceptance will be confirmed by 14.02.

The course will be held in English.

Additional info:

Online info session: doctoral studies at EKA, 04.02.2025

Conditions for admission to doctoral studies

Estonian Artistic Research Framework Agreement