Layers – exhibition of Baltic glass art
Gallery Arka, Vilnius, Lithuania,  August 21 – Sept 26, 2026

On Friday, August 21, at 6 p.m., Arka Gallery invites you to the opening of a unique exhibition featuring contemporary glass art from the Baltic countries.

The exhibition features 25 artists from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. A similar exhibition was held in 2025 at the Riga Museum of Applied Art and Design and was voted the most-visited exhibition of the year in Latvia. The exhibition is scheduled to continue in Estonia in 2027 and in Japan in 2029.

This is one of the rare occasions when a group exhibition showcases the work of glass artists currently active in the Baltic countries, each with their own distinct experiences and artistic trends. The works presented in the exhibition are united by a metaphorical and physical theme of layering, through which the fragility of glass accentuates its capriciousness and unpredictability. The exhibition features artistic glass objects, sculptures, and installations created using various techniques, with a particular focus on materiality and the unique properties of glass.

The themes of the exhibition echo prevailing issues of our time—ecological sustainability, personal and collective memory, identity, the search for self, and reflections on the (in)finiteness of the relationship between humanity and nature, time and space. This underscores glass’s claim to be a distinct art form—one rooted in technological and material foundations yet thriving within a contemporary context. Glass art is a rather niche field due to the high cost of materials and tools, the need for specialized equipment and studios, the complexity of working with the material, and, ultimately, its fragility—not only during creation but also during transportation, storage, and installation. Consequently, such exhibitions are rare, and the diversity of the works offers an opportunity to explore the characteristics of form and visuality in the Baltic region and to examine the naturally evolving expression and nature of glass art.

The exhibition aims to reveal the multi-layered nature, dynamism, and craftsmanship of contemporary glass art, to capture and present the trends in contemporary glass art that enhance the impact of the viewing experience, and to reexamine the connections between technology, visuality, and conceptuality that are relevant today.

The exhibition at the “Arka” Gallery will run until September 26.

Authors: Danas Aleksa, Sofi Aršas, Ieva Birģele, Kārlis Bogustovs, Piret Ellamaa, Nerijus Erminas, Marta Frėjutė, Marta Ģibiete, Bārbala Gulbe, Domas Ignatavičius, IRMA Collaborative (Inguna Audere, Michael Rogers), Erki Kannus, Merle Kannus, Kati Kerstna, Kai Kiudsoo, Remigijus Kriukas, Rūta Lipaitė, Karlīna Mežecka, Anda Munkevica, Kairi Orgusaar, Irina Peleckienė, Julija Pociūtė, Tiina Sarapu, Dalia Truskaitė.
Kuratorės | Curators:Marta Ģibiete, Bārbala Gulbe, dr. Evelina Januškaitė, Kati Kerstna, Dalia Truskaitė.

Architect:Renata Valčik
Composer:Tomoo Nagai
Design:Lukas Stanionis
Partners:Lietuvos dailininkų sąjunga (Lithuanian Artists’ Association), Estonian Glass Artists Association, A. Sūnas mākslas galerija, MaBaDaKa, LDS galerija „Meno parkas“
Sponsors:Lietuvos kultūros taryba (Lithuanian Council for Culture), Vilniaus miesto savivaldybė (City of Vilnius), Cultural Endowment of Estonia, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia.

On July 25, the Puhu Studio in Viljandi welcomed glassblowers with a festival for makers of hot glass, and a workshop by John Moran.

At Valga’s central square, Maret Sarapu’s mosaic was opened on July 21, 2026 – a work that will hopefully bring joy to passersby for a long time to come.

Maret writes about her work:
“Arriving in Valga, I wanted to create a mosaic that reflects something essential about the town. I thought about the kinds of plants that might grow in local gardens. I also wanted to use as much leftover material as possible and to show both simplicity and beauty within the materials themselves. During the first weeks, I cycled around a lot, searching for both the location and the content of the piece. At the same time, I was discovering the town itself.
My first impression of Valga was unexpectedly bright and joyful. The Pedeli River, blooming gardens with pruned apple trees – yes, many empty buildings, but some of them grand and beautiful, like monuments. Later, I also noticed the emptiness, sadness, and uncertainty that exist in the urban space, but I chose to create the mosaic based on that first encounter – a moment when the world felt generous.

I captured this mood in two short poems:

Lilac
Apple blossom
Warm wind from behind the hill
How lucky I am
Again

When
Was the last time
You felt euphoric about the weather
The bicycle rolls downhill
On its own

The mosaic is an attempt to preserve that initial sense of wonder – the moment when a city opens itself through light, blossoms, and movement. The work incorporates old ceramic tiles, fragments of brick and asphalt, and colored glass.”

Many thanks to Kaarel Narro for assistance with the installation!
Photos by Nika Gabiskiria.
The project was supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture and the Estonian Cultural Endowment.
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The Lette Glass Museum will celebrate three anniversaries in 2026 with a special exhibition.

With the exhibition “DEVELOPMENTS 50 – 30 – 20,” the Lette Glass Museum will celebrate three significant anniversaries in 2026: 50 years of passionate collecting of contemporary glass art, 30 years of the Lette Glass Museum, and 20 years of the Glass Depot.

The exhibition focuses on 30 international artists whose works are already part of the collection. They were invited to select current works and juxtapose each with an earlier work from the collection. This creates exciting dialogues between past and present, between artistic beginnings and current positions.

The exhibition brings together different generations of artists and showcases the extraordinary range of technical and artistic expressions within the international glass art scene. Some artists have consistently refined their visual language over decades, while others have continually broken new ground. The works on display highlight these individual artistic journeys while offering a glimpse into the diversity of contemporary art.

The starting point of this story is the passion for collecting of Lilly Ernsting (1930–2023). Together with her husband Kurt Ernsting (1929–2011), she laid the foundation for one of the world’s most significant and, in its diversity, unique collections of contemporary glass art. Over the course of 50 years, a collection of international stature emerged, one that continues to be expanded to this day.

Driven by a desire to share their enthusiasm for contemporary glass art with a broad audience, the Ernstings founded the Glasmuseum Lette in 1996. Ten years later, the Glasdepot followed, offering a comprehensive view of the ever-growing collection since 2006. The founders were initially supported by gallery owner Jaap de Harder, and later by Dutch artist Mieke Groot as well as art historian and long-time executive director of the Ernsting Foundation, Dr. Ulrike Hoppe-Oehl.

For 30 years now, the Glasmuseum Lette has served as a place for the discovery, presentation, and promotion of contemporary glass art. For the past 20 years, the Glasdepot has made the entire collection accessible to visitors. Today, it comprises nearly 3,000 objects and documents the development of international artists from the 1970s to the present who use glass as an artistic medium.

“DEVELOPMENTS 50 – 30 – 20” draws attention to the diverse paths of artistic development, the continuous growth of a unique collection, and the creative possibilities of a material that continually inspires artists worldwide.

The exhibition was curated by Wilhelm Vernim, artist, curator, and lecturer, who has served as director of the Lette Glass Museum since 2026.

ARTISTS: Klára Horácková (Tschechische Republik), Karin Hubert (†, Deutschland), Jack Ink (Österreich + USA), Anja Isphording/ (Kanada + Deutschland), Menno Jonkers (Niederlande), Micha Karlslund (Dänemark), Runa Kosogawa (Japan), Louise Lang (Deutschland), Silvia Levenson (Italien + Argentinien), Markus Marschmann (Deutschland), Katrin Maurer (Niederlande + Österreich), Rasmus Nossbring (Schweden), Momoo Omuro (Japan), Sibylle Peretti (USA + Deutschland) + Stephen Paul Day (USA), Rony Plesl (Tschechische Republik), Rini Ronckers (Niederlande), Tiina Sarapu (Estland), Verena Schatz (Österreich), Lada Semecka (Tschechische Republik), Korbinian Stöckle (Deutschland), Ilse Van Roy (Belgien), Nataliya Vladychko (Niederlande + Ukraine), Emma Woffenden (Großbritannien)

Info: https://www.glasmuseum-lette.de/en/exhibition/current/#accordion-item-accordion-item-4354-title

On 18 June at 6 PM, Maarja Mäemets and Evelina Lindström opened their joint exhibition Through at the Hobusepea Gallery.

The exhibition brings together two different approaches to memory that have taken form as delicate ceramic and glass art pieces. Evelina Lindström addresses memory through Henri Bergson’s concept of duration (durée), while Maarja Mäemets views it as a spatial structure.

According to Bergson, time in lived experience does not flow linearly or evenly, instead it moves in different rhythms and intensities. Memory is not an archive of the past, but a continuously active and ongoing variable. In Lindström’s works, this idea is expressed in recurring pearl shapes, implying how an irritation or a foreign body, such as a grain of sand, can over time develop into something enduring and coherent.

In the works of Mäemets, memory appears as a space where remembrances have been stored, relocated or partially lost. The viewer encounters stairs that lead nowhere, empty containers and objects raised above eye level and hand’s reach, turning memory into something fragmented and only partially accessible. In her installations, Mäemets draws on the ancient Greek method of loci or the memory palace technique, which means that memories are placed at different locations within an imaginary architecture. While this technique is traditionally used to organise knowledge and memorise complex information, Mäemets uses it to map emotions, memories and personal experiences.

Together, the works of Lindström and Mäemets form two complementary approaches to memory: seeing it on the one hand, as a lasting and continuous experience, and on the other, as a spatial structure in which some memories will always remain inaccessible.

Maarja Mäemets (b. 1991) is an Estonian artist based in Stockholm whose work explores manual practices through narrative objects, working primarily with glass, as well as with installation and text. Through material-based storytelling, her practice investigates gaps and uncertainties in personal memory, searching for traces of hope and courage within what remains. She holds BA and MA degrees in glass art from the Estonian Academy of Arts and is currently pursuing an MFA in CRAFT! at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. Her work has been presented internationally, including at major European design and craft platforms, such as the Milan Design Week and the Venice Glass Week. Since 2025, she has been the main organiser of the next Tallinn Applied Art Triennial.

Evelina Lindström (b. 1990) is a Swedish, Stockholm-based artist working primarily with sculpture and image-making in clay/ceramics. She holds an MFA from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm and a BFA from the art academies of Umeå and Vienna.
Through her artistic practice, Lindström explores impermanence and the fragility of life. Her works give form to the emotional landscapes embedded within experiences of transience, addressing themes of melancholy, grief and consolation. Working with materials that carry both vulnerability and resilience, she creates sculptures and images that evoke the fragile balance between loss, memory and care.

Curator:
Lilian Hiob-Küttis
The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Maret Sarapu, Julia Valtanen
FLUID.FRAGILE
Punctum Gallery
April 9 – May 24, 2026

The exhibition brings together the artistic practices of Julia Valtanen and Maret Sarapu, based on an understanding of the world not as a collection of separate objects, but as a system of interconnections constantly in the process of change. Here, form is not fixed but emerges through process, through becoming, through the relationships between elements.

In Julia Valtanen’s works, forms are fluid, they flow into one another, creating hybrid, organic structures. The composition has no center, and its elements are not subordinated to hierarchy; the viewer’s attention is distributed across the surface, as if in an ecosystem where everything is intertwined and interconnected. In her new works, the pictorial layer remains dynamic: she allows the paint to flow, giving the material greater agency. There is also more air, more pauses, more breathing space in her recent pieces.

Julia’s collages become an important transition within the exhibition. Unlike painting, where form emerges through flow, here it is cut out and defined by a clear edge. The fragment appears, along with the layering of different planes, while the empty spaces become traces of absence, equal parts of the composition. Collage introduces a principle of assembly that is then continued in the practice of Maret Sarapu.

In Maret’s works, form is also unstable, but for a different reason: it depends on perception. Glass, reflections, and light create situations in which the image changes as the viewer moves. The angle of view, as well as the intensity and quality of light, determine what becomes visible. The layers here are not painterly but optical – they are shadows and refractions that generate multiple versions of the same image.

A special place is given to the amphora – an archetypal form known as a symbol of wholeness and stability. In Maret’s work, it is covered with a fragile mosaic, turning into a surface assembled from fragments. Here, the unified form is sustained by a multitude of individual elements, each retaining its autonomy. The whole emerges not in spite of the fragment, but because of it.
In the artistic practices of both artists, fragmentation does not mean destruction. On the contrary, the fragment becomes a way of assembling a world that is layered and ever-changing.

“Fluid, Fragile” is a space where fluidity and fragility are not opposed but complement one another. Matter, form, and perception exist in a state of continuous transformation, where interconnections prove more important than the objects themselves.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Kai Kiudsoo-Värv has completed a new stained glass piece this Easter for the Holy Cross Church of Paide. The piece fills a blank spot left in the stained glass window by Ernst Friedrich Tode from 1913.

The author would like to thank Eve Koha for her research work, and Ain Alle (Aindhooven OÜ) for technical assistance.

A record number of glass artists were selected for this year’s Estonian Artistsä Association Spring Show: Rait Prääts, Tiina Sarapu, Maret Sarapu, Malle Karik-Hallimäe, Kati Kerstna, Maarja Mäemets, Mare Saare, Kairi Orgusaar, Kai Kiudsoo-Värv and Sofi Aršas. Congratulations!