Master of Contemporary Art

Sophie Durand's installation "[A Bridled White-Eye nest from Agrihan, Northern Mariana Island made from found materials from Agrihan and feathers from a cygnet found dead on the shore of Paljassaare, Estonia on the 18th of March 2021] and other objects" at TASE '22 graduation show. Photo: Joosep Kivimäe

MACA – MA Contemporary Art

MACA is a two-year international program for emerging contemporary artists of different backgrounds intended to guide them during the development of their artistic position. The main focus is on the individual artistic practice, supported by collaborative moments in the curriculum as well as masterclasses and courses introducing a range of artistic methods and platforms for research and critical reflection.

 

In addition to intensive work in the studios, exhibiting in Estonia and abroad, and working in close collaboration with peers and tutors, students are encouraged to make use of the different facilities at EKA: professional photography and sound studios, workshops for wood- and metalworking, 3D modelling, textile, glass, ceramics, printmaking and many more.

 

The MACA program is meant for artists and practitioners who already have an active practice and – while diving deeper into their fields of interest – wish to engage in collaboration, critical exchange and local context. Tallinn has a vibrant contemporary art scene with a number of art institutions and artist-run initiatives, including Vent Space that the students co-run with peers from EKA’s other programs and Uus Rada, an artist-run space initiated by the MACA students at the Raja street studio building. These spaces offer an opportunity to connect with the local art scene, providing an audience and supporting collaboration between colleagues and disciplines.

What does the MACA program offer?

  • Opportunity to assemble your curriculum within a diverse programme that offers theoretical tools and practical training
  • Individual tutoring for contemporary artists by contemporary artists
  • Access to professional studios of sound art, lens-based art, installation and sculpture and graphic art
  • Collaboration with local and international artists, curators, theorists
  • A programme of off-site events, study trips, exhibitions, and collaboration with different art institutions
  • Student exchange (KUNO, DAMA, ERASMUS)
  • Access to and experience of running the student-run Vent Space for all possible forms of art presentation and development
  • A critical discursive environment for discussions about making, displaying and thinking about contemporary art and contemporary society

Visit us on Facebook and Instagram to get to know our students!

Find out more about the Estonian art scene in this article by Kate Brown, and this interview with Margit Säde. MA Contemporary Art program was initiated by Kirke Kangro, Dean of Fine Arts; 2017–2020 the curriculum was lead by Margit Säde; 2020–2022 by Mark Dunhill and Kristaps Ancāns. From 2022, the head of the programme is Anu Vahtra, in 2023 she was joined by Maris Karjatse.

Do not hesitate to apply for MACA if…

… you value the development of your artistic practice; if you’re open for collaboration and critical discussion; if the processes in society matter to you and you are passionate about your surroundings; if you like to think, imagine, create and dream; if you are motivated and ambitious, dedicated and enthusiastic, have creative confidence and critical thinking.

News and events

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From Breaking Illusions to Becoming a Unicorn. Artist talk by Mare Tralla

Mare Tralla’s first public solo performance, Breaking Illusions (1993), and her most recent performative video work, Becoming a Unicorn, exhibited last month in Edinburgh, represent two significant milestones in her artistic journey. In her first performance, Tralla began with a quiet, symbolic action of destroying the perceived notion of a (young) woman / herself. In many ways, Becoming a ...
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Artist talk: Family Connection

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Eleftheria Irene Kofidou in Uus Rada Gallery

You are warmly invited to "A little bit calmer than before" by Eleftheria Irene Kofidou Opening and a performance: 18.09 18:00 Exhibition opening times: 19.09-02.10 on the weekdays 14:00-18:00; 21.-22.09 14:00-16:00; 28.09-29.09 closed A little bit calmer than before, is an additional instructional comment by composer J. Strauss for his musical piece Don Quixote op. 35 variation VII – The ...
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ENKKL’s “Last Award” at EKA Billboard Gallery 29.08.–08.12.2024

ENKKL's “Last Award” EKA Billboard Gallery 29.08.–08.12.2024 Open 24/7, free Opening: 29.08.24 at 6 pm The legendary Weekly Award of the Estonian Young Contemporary Art Union (ENKKL) will have its symbolic end at the EKA Billboard Gallery. The group work was made during ENKKL’s summer school at Muhu. We invite all visitors and other passers-by to put their hands on it. Now you too have the ...
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“Translucent Dreams” at EKA Gallery 8.08.–08.09.2024

“Translucent Dreams” EKA Gallery 8.08.–08.09.2024 Open Tue–Sun 12–6 pm, free entry Opening: 15.08.2024 at 6 pm Participating artists: Chloé Geinoz, Rose Magee, Vitor Pascale, KitKit Para, Syed Sachal Rizvi In today's interconnected world, the notion of identity has progressively become more complex and multifaceted. Gender, geography, and social/political beliefs, to name but a few shape the ...
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With Love and Fortitude

With Love and Fortitude ARS Project Space & Showroom & Studio 53 Exhibition open: May 25 – June 14, Mon–Sun 12.00–18.00 Opening: Friday, May 24, 18.00 With Love and Fortitude is a joint exhibition by the 1st year MA Contemporary Art students of EKA, taking place in ARS Project Space, Showroom and Studio 53. The exhibition brings together a variety of practices and features works ...
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Assessment Marathon at EKA Gallery 29.04.–20.05.2024

May brings an opportunity to experience, in an exhibition format, works produced by students in the Faculty of Fine Arts as their term projects: every day there will be a fresh crop of university students’ works on display in the gallery. Works in animation, contemporary art, installation and sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, scenography curricula will be on display. On each ...
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Denisa Štefanigová at Tütar Gallery

On April 18, at 7:00 p.m., Denisa Štefanigová will open her personal exhibition "Look at the Clouds" at the Tütar gallery. The exhibition is designed by the artist Johannes Luik. In the opening exhibition, Štefanigová's recent works are on display, bringing to the viewers hybrid creatures and fantastic animals executed in an expressive-dynamic handwriting. It is an imaginative, dreamlike or ...