The 2021 programme of the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art has begun with different activities. The CCA is among the initiators of the development plan for the arts sector and has begun preparations for the exposition of the Estonian pavilion at next the Venice Biennale. Additionally, several local and international art projects have already taken place or will be realised in the near future.
Even though at the moment the CCA is operating out of home offices and larger public events have been postponed until the second half of the year, we are still able to continue a variety of activities stipulated in our statute, including collecting and disseminating information about Estonian contemporary art and collaboration with international institutions and art professionals. This year, the CCA focuses on evaluating the impact of the corona virus pandemic on the art field and facilitating new ways of working.
Establishing the development plan for the art sector
In collaboration with the Estonian Artists Association and the Estonian Contemporary Art Development Center the CCA initiated the development plan for the art sector early this year. Despite a long-standing need for it, this is the first time a development plan is being established – it was initiated from within the art field and is being developed in close collaboration between art institutions and freelancers. Experts in fields discussed in the development plan are involved in the process and suggestions from everyone interested in contributing are welcome. Open discussions began in February and are held on a monthly basis.
Raising awareness about art and distributing relevant information
In 2020, alongside the new website, the former contemporary art newsletter re-launched as the CCA’s online magazine. In 2021, the event recommendations section in the magazine is accompanied by visuals by a different artist each month. So far artists Johanna Mudist, Roven Jõekäär and Tanja Muravskaja (in March) have been featured. The magazine continues collaborating with the Finnish publication EDIT and working with monthly themes: in January the focus was on family, in February on alternative art spaces and in March on women artists.
To make artists’ voices better heard also outside the field of art, the CCA teamed up with the newspaper Postimees to publish a series of interviews titled “Kunst sinu ümber” (Art Around You) every other week. Similarly, TV show “Reporter” (channel Kanal2) records short TV-clips in artists’ studios.
For the first time, the CCA in collaboration with the Estonian Society of Art Historians and Curators announced two art critic stipends, which in 2021 were awarded to Kaisa Eiche and Maria Helen Känd. Each stipend is 2000€ and both are awarded to two critics for six months (the first stipend for February–July, the other for July–December).
The CCA continues developing the artist database and adding new artist profiles. The goal is to expand the list to include 75 names by the end of 2021 and in addition to artists, curators’ profiles will be gradually added as well. At the end of 2020, the database project was joined by Brigit Arop, compiling artist biographies and acquiring visual material.
We are also continuing collecting art publications that fall outside the collecting policies of larger libraries (such as the National Library of Estonia, the Tallinn University Academic Library, the University of Tartu Library) and support the CCA’s goal of mediating Estonian artists and documenting the Estonian art field.
Exhibitions and other public projects in Estonia
The CCA initiated the series of public art exhibition “Nocturnal visions”, presented on the wall of the Explorer commercial building with the aim of bringing contemporary art into public space. Since January, the LED walls of the Explorer building have displayed artworks by Kristi Kongi, Flo Kasearu and Norman Orro, whose “Black swan pattern” is on view until 1 April. The collaboration with the owner of the Explorer building, Estmak Capital continues – a vision competition to find an artistic solution for the playground in the Kanuti Garden Park has been announced. The deadline for submissions is 2 May, 2021.
The project to open the CCA’s art historically significant video archive to the public continues in collaboration with the Estonian Academy of Arts and Kai Art Center.
This summer an exhibition curated by Sten Ojavee (CCA) and Siim Preiman (Tallinn Art Hall) with the working title “Wearing a Hundred Shirts” will be opened at the Tallinn Art Hall. The curators focus on the T-shirt as the convergence point of an array of contemporary issues. This autumn in collaboration with the Narva Museum gallery the CCA presents a travelling exhibition of contemporary fashion, originally shown during the VI artishok biennale in 2018 at the Baltic railway station. The exhibition continues working with themes discussed by the nine artists and eight writers, brings these issues into the public space and critically looks at the questions of belonging, identity, the coexistence of cultural particularities, interwoven histories and the multiple languages spoken in Estonia.
International projects outside Estonia
In January, the Goswell Road gallery in Paris opened Mare Vint‘s exhibition “Nothing But Time”, curated by Francesco Tenaglia and produced in collaboration with the CCA. The exhibition showcased a cross-section of Mare Vint’s prints from the 1970s to the new century. The exhibition was accompanied by an English-language artist book. Our other international exhibitions include Paul Kuimet’s solo show at the project space of the WIELS Art Centre at the end of 2021.
We are also continuing the collaboration with the WIELS Art Residency and a new open call will be announced in summer. This year, Eva Mustonen and Ingel Vaikla were selected to work in Brussels.
Since travelling and bringing international guests to Estonia is restricted, we are developing a programme of international visits based on new principles together with the region’s expert institutions.
We are working on the exposition of the Estonian pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale, opening in April 2022 in the historic Dutch pavilion in Giardini. At the 59th Venice Biennale Estonian pavilion exhibits a project by Kristina Norman and Bita Razavi titled “Orchidelirium. An Appetite for Abundance“ (curated by Corina L. Apostol) inspired by Emilie Rosalie Saal‘s watercolours and paintings of tropical plants. With this exhibition the artists combine historic and new artworks to propose a multifaceted view on colonial history and its problematics. Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is the most extensive and significant international art project for Estonia, produced by CCA since 1999.
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