Photo: Arp Karm
The Estonian National Museum features several exciting new exhibitions
Tuesday, 29. oct 2024
*
Both the Estonian National Museum in Tartu and the Heimtali Museum in Viljandi County feature several new exhibitions that speak through symbolic or poetic language, tell stories about Estonians, recycling practices, or national attire, or are presented in a unique audiovisual format.
In Tartu, the permanent exhibition Encounters is always worth a visit, as it is regularly updated and offers the continuous joy of (re)discovery. In the cinema hall, the exhibition Still Lifes on National Motifs by Jaanus Samma is open until mid-March 2025, exploring the use of national patterns and motifs in Estonian applied art and prints between the 1930s and 1950s.
The exhibition Chiming Shadows. A Musical Sleepwalk with Alliksaar’s Poetry is an experiential hall of the Estonian National Museum that is part of the major night exhibition, allowing visitors to wander with their eyes wide open and interact with fragments they would otherwise miss when asleep at night. This work was selected from the 2024 participatory exhibition competition, and the display opened on 27 September.
Fascinating stories of miners from Ida-Viru County have been added to the ‘Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives’ section of the permanent exhibition Encounters, which explores post-World War II narratives.
From 1 October, visitors in the museum’s A lobby can compare how newspaper recycling practices in Estonia differ from those in Chile on the other side of the world. The exhibition Daily Use explores the almost limitless ways in which newspapers can be repurposed at home.
In contrast, the Heimtali Museum of the Estonian National Museum is showcasing traditional folk costume shirts. This offers an excellent opportunity to examine shirt decorations up close and learn about the wearing and making of these shirts. On 15 October, an exhibition of rope rugs by artist Anu Raud and other textile artists, students of Heimtali basic school, participants of the student corporation Filiae Patriae’s children’s camp and other interested people was opened in the community centre of the Heimtali Museum.
The highlight of the second half of 2024 and the closing event of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 will be the solo exhibition of the world-renowned Japanese audiovisual artist and composer Ryoji Ikeda, which is set to open in the grand exhibition hall of the Estonian National Museum on 2 November. On the same day, the world premiere of a collaborative musical piece by Ryoji Ikeda and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, will be performed at the Estonian National Museum.
‘Through art inspired by Estonian bio-data and a piece created for the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Ikeda showcases to the world what Estonia excels in: science and culture. We are proud that this takes place in Tartu and at the Estonian National Museum. There is no doubt that such collaboration will attract significant international interest, which is why we anticipate a large influx of visitors from both Estonia and abroad,’ said Kertu Saks, Director of the Estonian National Museum.
Ryoji Ikeda’s solo exhibition is open at the Estonian National Museum from 2 November 2024 until 2 March 2025. The exhibition and concert are part of the main programme of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024.