On 23 July, a pop-up exhibition “New frames for the monument: the Tehumardi Memorial” was opened in the dock area of Kuivastu harbour. The exhibition, a collaboration between artists, historians and heritage conservationists, invites the public to reflect on the meaning of the Tehumardi monument and the possibilities for reinterpreting it. To this end, five contemporary artists have been invited to propose their own solution.
The exhibition explores: Why and how did the night battle of Tehumardi on 8 October 1944 become an important event in the history of the Estonian Infantry? What are the origins of the memorial erected in 1966 as a joint creation of the sculptors Riho Kulla and Matti Varik and the architect Allan Murdmaa, and of the cemetery next to the memorial in 1975? What are the stories behind the construction of the memorial? How has the significance of the battle and the monument changed over the decades? What could be the best solution for the transformation of the memorial, which is now partly removed?
The exhibition, a collaboration between the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn University, the Estonian Heritage Protection Board and AS Saarte Liinid, is part of the project “New Frames for Monuments”, funded by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, which seeks new ways to reinterpret monuments and heritage. The artists involved are Kirke Kangro, Anna Mari Liivrand, Kristina Norman, Taavi Piibemann and Johannes Säre.