The CCA was founded in 1992 as the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts, Estonia, with the aim of strengthening the international visibility of Estonian art by supporting curatorial and art-historical knowledge production on East European art and shaping the local canon. As a result of its long-standing activities and its role as a cultural mediator between international and local stakeholders, the centre has accumulated archival material – both physical and digital. Although the CCA is not a memory institution per se, it has accumulated a collection of art historical materials that merit preservation, research, and mediation.
Relying on its history, the archive of the CCA operates as a dynamic, generative space that not only preserves the history of Estonian contemporary art but also contributes to ongoing conversations about identity, technology, and the role of art in society. Through a combination of inward reflection and outward engagement – through continuous acts of recontextualization – the centre’s archive has evolved into a valuable resource for both artists and researchers.
The archive of the CCA includes online artists’ database, videos, photos and printed matter. It is continuously developing to be used by art professionals and students of higher education. It has been used in the following events:
2026
Conference – Screening │ Estonian Contemporary Art from the 1990s to the Present Day. Merilin Talumaa, Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris
Video program “CLUB CLASSICS: VIDEO ART”, curated by Teresa Vieira. 71st Sõprus Cinema birthday
2025
Martin Pedanik: Man Behind the Scenes. Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design
Scaled Views. Details from CCA Archive. – Andrew Hill. Estonian Academy of Arts
Video program “CLUB CLASSICS: VIDEO ART”, curated by Teresa Vieira. 25th New Horizons International Film Festival, Poland.
2024
Video program “CLUB CLASSICS: VIDEO ART”, curated by Teresa Vieira. BEAST International Film Festival, Portugal.
Exhibition “in a maze”, curated by Marija Repšytė. Klaipėda Cultural Communication Centre, Lithuania.
2023
“VENEZIA – Queen of the Seas“. Estonian Maritime Museum, Seaplane Harbour
2022
Von Krahli Kino: Nööri mööda
Von Krahli Kino: Silmale nähtamatu
Von Krahli Kino: Audiovisual Compost
Von Krahli Kino: Spiral Bound
Art in the Comfort Zone? The 2000s in Estonian Art. Art Museum of Estonia
Estonian Energies. The Power of Practice. Tartu Art Museum
Videokunsti kursus Eesti Kunstiakadeemias koostöös KKEKiga
2020
Exhibition “Impression on Paper. Publications from the CCA’s archive”. Lugemik bookshop
2019
The X-Files [Registry of the Nineties]. Kumu Art Museum
CCA video screenings #1: Monika Lipšic
CCA video screenings #2: Vanina Saracino
CCA video screenings #3: Sepake Angiama
2018
Crazy Love. Valitud teosed KKEKi arhiivist. Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (EKKM)