Category Archives: News

2024 Appreciated Glass Artist 2022-2023 is Sofi Aršas!

2024 Appreciated Glass Artist 2022-2023 is Sofi Aršas!

The jury (Kati Kerstna, Tiiu Kirsipuu, Lembe Ruben, Kai Lobjakas, Kerly Ritval) made its choice from 5 nominees: Sofi Aršas, Aleksandra Ehrensvärd, Maarja Mäemets, Maret Sarapu and Eili Soon.

The award was handed over on November 12 at the Okapi Gallery, together with the opening of the nominees’ exhibition “Explorers.”

Curators: Birgit Pählapuu, Merle Kannus
Photos: Mati Hiis
Thanks to: Klaasissepa OÜ, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Okapi Gallery.

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2024 glass artists at the Tartu Light Festival

Several members of the EGAU participated at solo and group shows at the Tartu Festival of Light:

Birgit Pählapuu with her solo exhibition “Rebellion of the Flies” at the Botanical Garden

Group exhibition “Flying” at the Botanical Garden-  Kati Kerstna, Kairi Orgusaar, Sofi Aršas

Group exhibition “Inherited Light” at the Pallas Gallery – Rait Prääts

2024 Eili Soon and Elo Sein TRIACA

Eili Soon and Elo Sein
TRIACA
Design and Architecture Gallery, Tallinn
11 – 23.11.2024

TRIACA – the force of glassblowing. A mental and emotional antidote to daily pressures and challenges. Glass is more than amaterial; it is a medium to express human dreams, collisions and amendments. Each object becomes a symbol to a journey, a quest for balance. We invite the audience to find their own activities and moments which purify the soul, bring you back to your essence. This exhibition reminds us that everyone is capable of creating their personal antidote.

2024 Eve Koha presented her book about glass painting

At the 110th anniversary of the Estonian Academy of Arts, EVe Koha presented her newly printed book “Glass Painting – Painting with Light.”

Eve Koha’s book presents an overview of the history of glass painting and its methods. Glass painting methods and materials have undergone great development over time. Eve Koha’s book is primarily intended as educational material, but it is also suitable for anyone who wants to get to know the glass painting more closely.

Author and compiler: Eve Koha
Editor and illustrator: Kai Kiudsoo-Värv
Design: Anneliis Aunapuu
Language editor: Triin Truuvert
Technical editor: Heige Peets
Print: GRANO

152 pages, in Estonian
Glass Department of the Estonian Academy of Arts, 2024

2024 Rait Prääts FOSSILS

Rait Prääts
FOSSILS
Okapi Gallery, 15.10- 8.11 2024

The sculptural series of fossils evoked geological processes and the evolution of life. The artist strives for creating new fossils, both durable in time and timeless. In Prääts’ works, constructive features of layers, deposits, erosion, processes, people’s characters, social paradoxes and the passing of time can be seen.

2024 Tiina Sarapu DARK GROUND

On Thursday, October 3, 2024, at 5 PM, Tiina Sarapu’s exhibition Dark Ground will open at HOP Gallery. The curator of the exhibition is Maarja Mäemets. Dark Ground will be open until October 29, 2024.

Through furrows, layers, ditches, and veins the Dark ground runs across the horizon like an empty field. It is a transitional space, holding within it all possibilities. A realm that extends deeper than three-dimensionality. The exhibition Dark Ground is the materialization of a year-long conversation between artist Tiina Sarapu and curator Maarja Mäemets. Their shared discussions, sparked by an interest in the possibilities and significance of physical space in artistic practices, led to a search for deeper roots. The Earth is the foundation, the unnoticed bearer whose limits are constantly tested by human hands. It is the fertile ground for rooting possibilities and hope. With Sarapu’s characteristic precision and boldness, she peers with an X-ray gaze through this multi-layered complexity, trusting her creations to carry herself into unknown places.

Tiina Sarapu (b. 1971) is an Estonian conceptual glass artist whose work is characterised by minimalist form language and refined execution. In recent years, she has primarily focused on installations, creating pieces that explore the possibilities of space and expand the viewer’s perception. Sarapu obtained her master’s degree in glass art from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 1996 and has worked for many years as a lecturer and associate professor. Her works have received international recognition and are included in the collections of several museums and private collectors. Sarapu has been awarded the Kristjan Raud Prize (2007, 2023) and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Annual Prize (2019). From 2021 to 2023, Tiina Sarapu was a recipient of the Artist laureate salary.

Maarja Mäemets (b. 1991) is an Estonian artist and curator whose work reflects themes of strength and hope. She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a degree in glass art (BA 2015, MA 2018) and is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in the Craft Studies program. Mäemets focuses primarily on site-specific installations, where material choices are made intuitively and carry dense narratives and symbols. The artist has received several significant awards and has been participating in international exhibitions since 2015. She made her curatorial debut in 2020 as the main organiser of the Estonian Glass Artists Association’s annual exhibition “Colour – Red.”

The exhibition Dark Ground is part of the Tallinn Applied Art Triennial satellite program.
Special thanks to: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, MUSHEEZ, MIRON Violetglass, Klaasissepa OÜ, ECCOM OÜ
Graphic design: Meelis Mikker
Exhibitions in HOP gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko Ltd.
Additional information:
Maria Valdma-Härm
+372 511 2350
HOP Gallery
Hobusepea 2, 10133 Tallinn
Wed–Thu 11:00–18:00

2024 Biological Idiosyncrasies

On Tuesday, September 17th at 18:00, exhibition “Biological Idiosyncrasies” by Kati Kerstna and Kairi Orgusaar will be opened at the Okapi Gallery as part of Design Night.

Botanical forms and structures display infinite variation. On one hand, there is the admirable, architectural orderliness, while elsewhere, one finds zany, inspiring chaos. Yet, neither is without purpose – even unknown to us, every detail, every biome has a reason for being the way it is.
In our new light objects, we hope to achieve something similar – to set predefined patterns of light, build glass structures and supportive framework that the light can play off of, then enliven them with wacky, quasi-biological constructs whose inner logic remains undeciphered.

2024 Kalli Sein and Anne-Liis Leht at the New York Fashion Week

We’re excited to announce that we’re heading back to New York for an extraordinary week of fashion and sustainability during New York Fashion Week (@nyfw)
From September 12-14, we will be part of @thecanvasnyc x @estoniandesignhouse collaboration, bringing 16 innovative Estonian brands to the heart of the Big Apple:

Reet Aus
​Iris Janvier
​Xenia Joost
​Studio August
​Karlotta
​Piret Loog
​Kalli Sein (Ideeklaas)
​EGG Laura Saks
​Sile Luik
Killud
Anne-Liis Leht (​HYTI)
​Igor Volkov
Sandra Luks
​Juhan Soomets
​Tarmo Luisk
​Kairi Lentsius
A Week of Events at The Canvas 3.0 @thecanvas3.0
This collaboration with The Canvas 3.0, located in The Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center, is more than just a showcase of cutting-edge design. It’s a celebration of sustainable fashion, where innovation meets responsibility, and tradition meets forward-thinking.
We’re thrilled to return to New York and share our journey in sustainable fashion
12th September, 2024 NYFW Launch Party – Fashion & Design Diplomacy
Join us for an evening of fashion diplomacy, celebrating the intersection of Estonian design and global fashion trends. This launch party will kick off our exciting week at The Canvas with an evening dedicated to the future of fashion.
13th September, 2024 All Day: Open House at The Canvas 3.0. Explore the world of Estonian design throughout the day.
At 6 pm, there will be a special screening and talk featuring the documentary “Out of Fashion,” by Reet Aus, a pioneer in sustainable fashion. This is a unique opportunity to engage with thought leaders and creatives who are shaping the future of the industry.
14th September, 2024 Sustainability Talk with Reet Aus
Don’t miss this insightful discussion on sustainability in fashion. Reet Aus will share her expertise on UPMADE®, Digital Product Passports, and other groundbreaking initiatives that are setting new standards in the fashion industry.
RSVP https://lu.ma/calendar/cal-8pBzUbxu1rqFgsw
Kajastusi:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nadjasayej/2024/09/11/the-canvas-nyc-celebrate-sustainable-fashion-design-from-estonia/

 

2024 glass and print: IMAGINE

IMAGINE
Glass and print exhibition
ARS Project Space, Pärnu mnt. 154, Tallinn
13.09. – 4.10. 2024 Mon-Fri 12-18
Opening Sept. 12. at 17.00
Artists: Sofi Aršas, Britta Benno, Sirje Eelma, Maria Erikson, Anu Juurak, Erki Kannus, Merle Kannus, Kati Kerstna, Kai Kiudsoo-Värv, Maarja Mäemets, Pilvi Ojamaa, Kairi Orgusaar, Rait Prääts, Kerttu Rannik, Lembe Ruben, Torsten Rötzch, Maret Sarapu, Tiina Sarapu, Liina Siib, Eili Soon, Andres Tali, Helen Tago, Kadri Toom, Mirjam Varik

The ARS Project Space will become a venue for an experiment in which masters of glass art and printmaking will join forces to search for common ground. We can observe ways in which an image takes shape in either medium, and ask ourselves whether a pipe can sometimes be just that – a pipe. Some of the more daring participants have crossed the divide between disciplines and ventured out into unknown territory.
The two fields appear to have a lot in common. Glass and print get along just as a label sticks to a bottle. Both are mediated by complex technological practices – physical and chemical forces become co-authors in the creative process. Fire and water, sand,
sunshine, light and shadow, melting and etching, happy accidents and Nature’s intervention can all overturn the artist’s initial plans. Do we have free will or are we led by the inevitable?
Glass is a chameleon, smoothly transitioning from being the star of the show to modestly framing a masterpiece to underlying an image as an invisible canvas. Glass objects and framed prints reflect the viewers’ own images back to them while they search for their own metaphors in the artwork.
Imagination, formless at first, eventually takes shape, becoming visible through the artist’s hand. At some point, imagination crystallizes into a fixed entity but its final form comes about through the reflection of the state of the world upon it. Where then is the artist and what is their image?

Curators: Merle Kannus, Lembe Ruben
Exhibition Design: Merle Kannus
Graphic Design: Lembe Ruben
Lighting: Kati Kerstna
Installation Work: Ian Simon Märjama, Erki Kannus
Initial Idea: Rait Prääts, Sirje Eelma
Thanks to: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Glass Artists’ Union, Association of Estonian Printmakers, Estonian Artists’ Association

2024 Kai Kiudsoo-Värv’s monumental work in Rome

On August 9, 2024, Kai Kiudsoo-Värv displayed her recent stained glass work created for the Dominican Santa Sabina convent at Rome, Italy.

The paintings depict eleven notable figures of the Dominican order, including some saints and martyres.