Drawing back the curtain

As Tallinn enjoys its year in the spotlight as a 2011 European Capital of Culture, Artmag takes a look at the art scene in Estonia two decades after the country regained independence from the Soviet Union. Ian Sclater reports.

Kumu

Visitors to Tallinn will be charmed by its main attraction, the chocolate box pretty Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They can also enjoy some of the best accommodation deals in Europe after a hotel building boom lasting until the late 2000s was followed by the current recession. Result: Tallinn has been left seriously overstocked in hotel rooms and prices have plummeted.

Locals hope the Capital of Culture year will help to kick-start the Estonian art market, which is in something of a limbo. After a surge in new and, by Eastern European standards, radical art in the immediate post-Soviet years (the country regained its independence in 1991), few collectors are now buying contemporary art. One gallery owner claims they number no more than four or five in the whole country.

Ernst Jõesaar, Farewell, 1969, oxidised plaster (Kadriorg Art Museum)

Maarin Ektermann curates the graduate show at the Estonian Academy of the Arts and runs an art blog (http://artishok.blogspot.com/). She explains: “In the 1990s new art concepts were imported which had no roots in Estonia. This alienated the public, which could not follow all the changes. The art market in Estonia is now about conservative, safe choices and older, established artists. Contemporary art has a poor public image here. Nobody understands it.”

As with other areas of commerce, Estonian art is also coming to terms with capitalism. Piia Ausman is director of Haus Gallerii, the top private gallery in Estonia and which plays an important role in educating the nascent Estonian art-buying market. She says: “An artist's life was easier during the Soviet years. There were no marketing problems. The government bought art for the Moscow salons. Before 1997, there was no connection between art and money in Estonia. We bring art and money together in a nice way.”

Art Hall Gallery

Artmag visited Tallinn recently and did the rounds of some of its galleries, starting in the picturesque Old Town.

Opened in 1997, Haus Gallerii specialises in Modernist work from the 19th century to the present day. Exhibitions change monthly. The gallery also acts as art consultants and holds auctions in spring and autumn, with most of the bidding occurring online. Prices average €2-3,000. Check the website for works for sale. www.haus.ee

Representing mainly emerging Estonian artists, the Hobusepea (Horse's Head) Gallerii changes its displays every two weeks, with nearly 130 projects planned for 2011. Described by curator Elin Kard as “a starting point for young artists”, it shows a variety of media, including video works and installations. www.eaa.ee/hobusepea

Jüri Arrak, In memory of Valgre, 1970, oil on canvas, 65 x 90cm (Haus Gallerii)

Next door is A-Gallerii, an artist-owned business specialising in original Estonian contemporary jewellery by nearly 70 designers, many them using natural materials found in Estonia, such as limestone. Many of Tallinn's buildings are also made from it. http://ehted.agalerii.ee/

Nearby is the Draakoni Galerii, a small contemporary gallery named for the giant dragons on its magnificent Art Deco building. There is also a well stocked shop with a wide variety of prints, posters and postcards. www.eaa.ee/draakoni

Round the corner from one another in an imposing 1930s building off Vabaduse (Freedom) Square are the Tallinna Kunstihoone (Tallinn Art Hall) and Kunstihoone Gallerii (Art Hall Gallery), both run by boards of artists and art administrators. www.kunstihoone.ee

Peeter Laurits, The Final Snack Remix, 2003, digital print on canvas, 100.5 x 187.5cm (ArtDepoo)

Located in a modern, industrial-type building near the ferry port, ArtDepoo promotes contemporary artists. Exhibitions change monthly, and in spring and autumn there are 'Best of' group shows featuring the most prominent artists and current trends on the local art scene. At least two shows a year are dedicated to non-Estonian artists, giving visitors an opportunity to draw comparisons in cultural and artistic approaches. Some events also encompass literature, theatre, film and music. All past shows are archived on the gallery's website, which is its main driver of sales. www.artdepoo.com

A few tram stops from the city centre and built into a limestone cliff overlooking Kadriorg Park is Kumu (pronounced 'koomoo' and short for 'kunstimuuseum', or art museum), the largest in the Baltics. The striking limestone and glass building was named European Museum of the Year in 2008. As an overview of Estonian art from the 18th century to the 1990s, Kumu, which celebrates its fifth birthday this year, is essential viewing. The permanent collection is augmented by a series of special exhibitions and there is also an extensive public education programme. www.ekm.ee

Kristi Kongi, Transformer (Draakoni Gallerii)

Nearby, the Kadriorg Art Museum houses 16th to 20th century Dutch, Italian, Russian and German paintings as well as collections of sculpture, graphic art and applied art, such as furniture, porcelain and glass - some 10,000 works in all. Housed in a magnificent Baroque palace built by Peter the Great for his Estonian wife, Catherine ('Kadriorg' means Catherine's Valley), it is the only museum in Estonia dedicated to foreign art. Many of the works used to decorate the interiors of manor houses in Estonia, and some found their way to the museum after the Russian Revolution of 1917. During the post-WWII period Russian art from Moscow and Leningrad was added. www.ekm.ee/eng/kadriorg.php

ALSO WORTH CHECKING OUT

Dénes Farkas, Let's play, the game is over (Hobusepea Gallerii)

Operating from the semi-derelict former office building of a power station (the chimney stills towers over it) where it “squatted” for three years until recently, the EKKM (Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia) is a grassroots initiative by four artists and curators led by Anders Härm, an art historian and curator at the Art Hall Gallery. The three-floor, 700-capacity venue has now secured a three-month rolling contract with the city, making it eligible to apply for EU funds. There are plans to turn the power station into a huge cultural centre. http://ekkm-came.blogspot.com

The Vabaduse Galerii has a picture window overlooking Freedom Square and is flooded with natural light…Outside the Old Town in the business district the Aedvilja Tänava Galerii is a small rental gallery showcasing local artists in monthly exhibitions. The gallery also supplies several local hotels. www.aedvilja.ee/art

The Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design (ETDM) is located in a 17th century storehouse in the Old Town. The collection of some 15 000 exhibits includes textile art, ceramics, porcelain, leather, glass, jewellery, metalwork, furniture and product design. There is also a rare collection of photographs, negatives and slides. Together they offer the largest and most comprehensive overview of Estonian applied art and design. www.etdm.ee

Located in the Zelluloos Center in a former paper mill, Vaal (Whale) Gallerii features both Estonian modern and classical art, including paintings, graphic art, drawings, photography and sculpture. It often gives young artists, many of them art students, their first exhibition. In addition to Estonian art, Vaal has also showcased the works of world famous artists such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Jean Miró and Paul Delvaux. There is an auction every spring and autumn. www.vaal.ee

Bracelet by Virve Pedari (A-Gallerii) PHOTO: KATRIN VEEGEN

HOW TO GET THERE

Ryanair flies on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays between Edinburgh and Tallinn. Fares from £16.99 one-way, incl. all taxes and charges. www.ryanair.com

WHERE TO STAY

The Meriton Grand Conference and Spa Hotel is located a short walk from the Old Town. Art is displayed on the first and second floors, provided by Aedvilja Tänava Galerii, and it has the city's biggest hotel gym. www.meritonhotels.com/conference-spa-hotel-tallinn