SEMINAR DAY: HOW TO COMMEMORATE THE TARTU CONCENTRATION CAMP? Tartu City Museum September 25, 2026 The seminar day raises the question of how to commemorate the concentration camp and its victims in today’s Estonian urban space. During the German occupation, 3,500–4,000 people were executed in the Tartu concentration camp. Among them were individuals who had … Seminar Day: How to commemorate the Tartu concentration camp?
English Translation August 28, 2026 | ERR Journalist Mari Peegel reports: The fate of the Väike-Linnape memorial to victims of fascism, removed from Kuressaare a year ago, remains unclear because no party is interested in preserving it or erecting it in a new location. According to both the municipality and military museums, dealing with the … ERR: Relocated Kuressaare monument at risk of being turned into land fill
English Translation The August 26 edition of Vikerraadio’s show Reporteritund (Reporter’s Hour) discussed the removal of Soviet-era monuments from urban spaces. Listen to the broadcast in the archive: https://vikerraadio.err.ee/1610108927/reporteritund-noukogulik-sumboolika-linnaruumis The removal of the USSR state emblem from Tallinn’s Mere Cultural Center and the covering of a ceiling painting featuring Red symbols—occurring in the 35th year … On Monuments in Reporteritund: Soviet Symbolism in the Urban Space
We invite everyone on Saturday, August 29, to Ida-Viru County for the finissage of the exhibition “Excursion” (Väljasõit). The day begins at 1:30 PM at the Kohtla-Järve Central Square outdoor exhibition “How to Reframe Monuments: The Past as Artistic Material,” which examines the ways contemporary art can engage with Soviet heritage and associated memory conflicts. … Day trip to Ida-Viru County: exhibitions, (industrial) heritage, concert
Riin Alatalu, Associate Professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) and Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage Studies, introduces a conference held in Bulgaria in April 2026, where she presented the project Monumendi Uued Raamid (How to Reframe Monuments / MUR). Buzludzha MUR Perched on a high mountain peak in the heart … Riin Alatalu: MUR at the Buzludzha Forum in Bulgaria
Here is the English translation of the article: ERR journalist Mirjam Mäekivi writes (29.07.2026): The City of Tallinn has begun relocating two monuments located in the city center, a move connected to the completion of the Tallinn Real School extension. The 1790 Battle of Tallinn memorial “Anchor and Cannon” will be moved to the island … ERR reports: Tallinn has begun relocating monuments in the city center
On July 20, 2026, the Russian-language Postimees reports: https://rus.postimees.ee/8512137/galereya-v-centre-kultury-mere-zamaskirovali-vsyu-sovetskuyu-simvolikuFrom July 1 to 14, interior renovation work took place in the main hall of the Mere Cultural Centre (formerly the Russian Cultural Centre). During the renovation, Soviet Estonian-era symbolism, which had been part of the hall’s design for decades, was removed or covered up.
On July 23, 2026, Rus.Postimees.ee reports: In Estonian: The building of Tallinn University of Applied Sciences is partially surrounded by scaffolding, and certain facade details are being dismantled, among which are symbols from the period of Soviet occupation.
July 18, 2026 — Delfi reports on the aftermath of the removal of the Jõgeveste monument. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presented a protest to Estonia’s Chargé d’Affaires in Russia, condemning the removal of a Soviet monument located in Jõgeveste, Valga County. The Estonian War Museum, which is responsible … Delfi: Russia’s Foreign Ministry Protests the Relocation of the Red Monument in Jõgeveste, Which Took Place a Few Weeks Ago
Everyone is invited to Paide for the closing event of the summer field trip organized as part of the joint EKA (Estonian Academy of Arts) and TLÜ (Tallinn University) course “Monumental Hunt” (Monumentaaljaht), where students will present the results of a nationwide inventory of monumental art. During the last week of July, students will be … The Monumental Hunt: EKA and TLÜ Present Estonia’s Monumental Art Inventory
On Thursday, July 16 at 17:00, the outdoor exhibition How to Reframe Monuments: The Past as Art Material will open on the central square of Kohtla-Järve. The exhibition explores contemporary art’s capacity to address Soviet heritage and its associated memory conflicts. Developed as part of the joint research project New Frames for the Monument by … Outdoor exhibition “How to Reframe Monuments: The Past as Art Material” in Kohtla-Järve
Literary scholar Maarja Vaino’s opinion piece on ERR. *** Covering or removing a Soviet-era decoration is not destruction. Placing it in a museum is not destruction either, writes Maarja Vaino. Last week, work began to cover the ceiling painting and Stalinist stucco décor in the hall of the Mere Cultural Center. The building, long known … Maarja Vaino on ERR: Covering Soviet propaganda is cleaning up our public space
On July 5, 2026, ERR journalist Rene Kundla covers the topic of the removal of Soviet-era monuments. Due to inadequate legislation, a large number of red symbols have not been removed from public spaces. Some building managers have sought solutions to cover up the symbols, but according to Minister of Justice Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200), … ERR: Due to an incomplete law, a large number of red signs remain in public spaces
On May 28–30, 2026, the AABS conference on Baltic studies, titled “Diasporas: Building Bridges Across Nations,” took place on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign-Urbana, United States. On the final day of the conference, Linda Kaljundi, Kirke Kangro, and Gregor Taul—members of the project “How to Reframe Monuments”—presented a joint panel discussion. The title … Panel Discussion on the “How to Reframe Monuments” Project at the Baltic Studies Conference in the United States
On June 30, during Vikerraadio’s morning program, journalists Kirke Ert and Taavi Libe interviewed Linda Kaljund, the director of the project “New Frames for Monuments,” on topics related to complex heritage. According to art historian Linda Kaljundi, removing works of art with a complex history from public spaces does not consign them to the past. … Linda Kaljundi: Removing Art Does Not Erase a Complex History
ERR reporter Maria-Ann Rohemäe reports on the decision reached between the Mere Cultural Center and the National Heritage Board. *** The ceiling painting and Stalinist stucco decorations in the hall of the Mere Cultural Center will be covered up during renovation work. The coat of arms featuring a hammer and sickle will also be removed … ERR: The National Heritage Board Approved the Covering of the Mere Cultural Center’s Ceiling Painting
ERR reporter Mari Peegel reports: The Tallinn City Foundation Tallinna Kultuurikatel is covering the ceiling mural and Stalinist stucco decorations in the hall of the Mere Cultural Center with fabric. According to the center’s administrator, the hall is ideologically charged, which has prevented the space from being rented out. A reversible solution agreed upon with … ERR: The operator of the Tallinn Maritime Cultural Center is covering up a Stalinist ceiling painting
On May 12, 2026, on Vikerraadio’s talk show “Teise mätta otsast,” semiotician Lona Päll and geographer Taavi Pae discussed the changing meanings of landmarks over time. *** Landmarks that are important to people in their daily lives and sites of national significance often clash in urban planning. At the same time, the meaning of landmarks … “From a Different Perspective”: A Mature Society Knows How to Resolve Landmark Disputes
Monumental art and heritage researcher Anu Soojärv’s opinion on the subject of Linnahall on 01.04.2026 in kultuur.err: The debate over the fate of Tallinn’s Linnahall shows the paradox of a complex heritage: the building intertwines the Soviet ideological background and the modern spatial experience, which is why there is no simple solution to its future, … Anu Soojärv in kultuur.err: The problem with Linnahall lies in the clash of spatial experiences
Err reports on 26.03.2026: The giant tapestry by Enn Põldroosi located in Tallinn’s Linnahall is very dusty and has loosened its seams and may become moldy in the stuffy and cool hall. Now conservators are starting to restore the work and hope to have the preliminary work completed by the summer and start working on … Enn Põldroos’ giant tapestry in the Linnahall is undergoing restoration
Guided tours part of the last week of the exhibition “Image Is for Illustrative Purposes Only” at EKA Gallery: – on Thursday, March 19 at 5.30 pm, led by the curators Linda Kaljundi and Kirke Kangro and guest lecturers Victoria Donovan and Vlada Vazheyevskyy, in English– on Friday, March 20 at 4.30 pm, led by … Guided tours of the exhibition “Image Is for Illustrative Purposes Only” at EKA Gallery
February 21, 2026 At the Ministry of Arts, Kirke Kangro introduced the EKA Gallery exhibition “The Image is Illustrative. Interventions in the Monumental Paintings of the Old Tallinn Airport Terminal”. The Ministry of Arts traces the paths of marginal notes and monuments. The exhibition “The Image is Illustrative. Interventions in the Monumental Paintings of the … Kunstiministeerium radio show on the exhibition “Image Is for Illustrative Purposes Only”
“Image Is for Illustrative Purposes Only. Interventions in the Monumental Murals of the Old Airport Terminal’s Central Waiting Hall at Tallinn Airport”EKA Gallery 21.02.–22.03.2026Open Tue–Sat 12–6 pm Sun 12–4 pm, free entry (NB! EKA Gallery is closed on February 24.)Opening: Friday, February 20 at 1 pmCuratorial tour: Thursday, February 26 at 3.30 pm What should … “Image Is for Illustrative Purposes Only” at EKA Gallery 21.02.–22.03.2026
Enn Põldroos’s mural “The Joy of Life” was completed in 1961 on the wall of the lobby of the new building of the then Tallinn 46th Secondary School. The artist used an author’s technique to create the panel: he mixed dammar resin, beeswax and sand and modeled the figures and other objects depicted in the … Enn Põldroos’ mural “The Joy of Life” restored at Pelgulinna High School
On December 10, 2026, a mini-symposium on the topic of preserving Soviet-era public art will be held in Vilnius, initiated by the Lithuanian Design Foundation. The speakers will be glass artist and associate professor at the Vilnius Academy of Arts Žydrūnas Mirinavičius, and Gregor Taul, a collaborator of the How to Reframe Monuments project. Event … Symposion “Experimental preservation” in Vilnius
ERR has published an interview with artist and “How to Reframe Monuments” project partner Kirke Kangro. Available in Estonian.
On December 8, at 5:00 p.m., a discussion on the exhibition “The Scream of Kalevipoeg. Dream of a Monument” will take place, with Linda Kaljundi, Taavi Hallimäe, Hasso Krull, Maarja Kangro and Gregor Taul participating. The discussion will be introduced by Kirke Kangro. Through the statue of Kalevipoeg, the need for a symbol of national … Public talk at the exhibition “The Scream of Kalevipoeg. Dream of a Monument”
From 1 to 15 December, the pop-up exhibition Monument and Fairy Tale will be open in the foyer of the Estonian Academy of Arts (Põhja pst 7). The six virtual works created under the subtitle Monument and Fairy Tale relate to Olavi Männi’s sculpture group “Vjatško and Meelis in the Defense of Tartu”, which was … EKA lobby short exhibition “Monument and Fairy Tale”
“How to Reframe Monuments”EKA Outdoor Gallery 1.12.2025–15.02.2026Open 24/7, free The past as art material We live in a time when monuments cannot be ignored. There is debate all over the world about their meaning, as well as whether and how controversial monuments should be displayed in public spaces. Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine has brought … Exhibition “How to Reframe Monuments” at the EKA Outdoor Gallery
On Tuesday, December 2, the Estonian Academy of Arts will host the opening of two exhibitions and a discussion evening, focusing on the ability of contemporary art to rethink complex history and heritage. At 5 pm, the exhibition “New Frames of Monuments: The Past as Art Material” (02.12.2025–25.01.2026) will open in the EKA Outdoor Gallery, … Research Café “Contemporary Art and Complex Heritage: How to Work with Dissonances?” and the opening of the exhibition “The Past as an Art Material” on December 2
13 November 2025 ERR News English section informs: Saved from a crumbling local building, fragments of a massive 1980s mural by Estonian artist Andrus Kasemaa are now on view in a pop-up exhibition in Peri. Thirty-seven pieces of Kasemaa’s 60-square-meter “Mahtra War” were preserved by a team of students from the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) and … ERR News: Rescued Soviet-era mural fragments on display in Southeastern Estonia
On Thursday, 20 November at 18:00, Kirke Kangro’s solo exhibition The Scream of Kalevipoeg. Dream of a Monument opens at Draakon Gallery. The exhibition will remain open until December 14. Kalevipoeg is an epic hero who perishes by his own sword. As he wades through the River Kääpa, the blade cuts off his legs. According to … Kirke Kangro resurrects Kalevipoeg at Draakoni Gallery
14.11.2025 ERR broadcasts the unveiling of Elmar Kits’s mural in the premises of the Estonian National Museum: Since November 14, the large sgraffito panel created by Elmar Kits in 1965, which was originally made for the interior of the Tarvas restaurant in Tartu, has been on public display again in the café on the B … A mural by Elmar Kits, rescued from restaurant Tarvas with a special solution, was unveiled at the Estonian National Museum
15 November 2025 Estonian Public Broadcasting: The Tehumardi Soviet propaganda monument has become Estonia’s first monumental heritage site to be artistically reinterpreted. For three years, debate has surrounded the future of the 21-meter concrete sword-shaped monument erected in honor of the Red Army at the 1944 Tehumardi battlefield. Now, a solution approved by three parties … ERR: Tehumardi Memorial becomes first reinterpreted monument in Estonia
On Friday, November 14, starting at 1:00 p.m., interested parties are invited to Tehumardi, where a rethinking of the Tehumardi memorial will be presented. This is the first newly framed Soviet-era memorial in Estonia. The artistic and spatial solution has been completed in cooperation with the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn University and the Estonian … New frames for the Tehumardi monument: opening on November 14
ERR Radio News on November 12th reports on the rescue of Andrus Kasemaa’s mural: Art students from the Estonian Academy of Arts and Pallas saved Andrus Kasemaa’s mural “The War of Mahtra” in the Peri village center in Põlva County. The work was in danger of being destroyed by time on the wall of a … ERR Radio News: Art students saved Kasemaa’s mural in Peri village center
The presentations from the symposium held on October 10, 2025 can be viewed on the Tartu University Television (UTTV) website: https://www.uttv.ee/embed?id=38418
Estonian Public Broadcasting reports from Peri as students remove Andrus Kasemaa’s mural from the walls of the Peri community house: https://kultuur.err.ee/1609770792/fotod-kunstitudengid-paastavad-peril-erilist-seinamaali “During the Soviet era, a lot of monumental art was created, which is now in danger of destruction along with depreciating buildings. Since the beginning of this week, art students have been saving Andrus … ERR covers the removal of the Peri mural
As a solution, I propose some visual overwriting techniques that allow the original artwork created in a specific interior to continue to exist in its place and at the same time to essentially fit into today. The visual image of all the proposed overwriting techniques is similar, resulting from the desire to remove the power … Sigrid Viir. Suggestions for reframing Viktor Karrus’ painting View of Moscow
1. The red flag on the tall Hermann Tower should be painted over in blue-black-white, directly onto the canvas. 2. In front of the red flag on the tall Hermann Tower, hang the work Waiting Room Improvisation, which is a black and white photograph of a cloud. Waiting Room Improvisation is a work I created … Sigrid Viir. Proposal for reframing Richard Sagrits’ painting Old Tallinn
Physical removal of human figures from paintings using the cut-out technique. Justification of the solution: The removal of historical subjects or human figures from paintings semantically nullifies the meaning and relevance of so-called historical objects (e.g. flags, symbols of power, architecture, environment, etc.). By taking away the metaphysical position of power through the cut-outs or … Jevgeni Zolotko – Invasive. Reframing of the paintings in the old terminal of Tallinn Airport
The idea of the design addresses the layering and temporality of paintings, using interventions embroidered in the patchwork motif as symbolic ways to rethink the historical context of the works. The interventions in the material are made of textiles embroidered with threads in a black and white color scheme, creating a conscious contrast between the … Kati Saarits – Patch. Conceptual design proposal for the monumental paintings of the old Tallinn airport building
In front of the painting, frosted glass clouds and a sheet metal rippling sea hang at different distances. The glass clouds are gently translucent and the metal wave pattern is partially visible. The materials bring shadows and reflections into the entire space. The painting is no longer fully visible, but it can still be seen … Hanna Piksarv – Changes in Weather. A proposal for reframing Richard Sagrits’ painting View of Tallinn
Frosted glass clouds and sheet metal-shimmering brush loom in front of Viktor Karrus’s View of Moscow. They do not alter or cover the painting, but depending on the viewer’s position in the space, they obscure the view and reduce visibility. Just as when moving in the air or on the ground, clouds and overgrown brush … Hanna Piksarv. Proposal for reframing Viktor Karrus’ painting View of Moscow
I would suggest to make a new physical frame for this painting, with vertical strips (panels) that would partially cover the original painting. This frame would turn the painting into a tricenorama. Triscenorama is a technique that merges three images into one, revealing different visuals depending on the viewing angle. Common in 19th-century religious art, … Anna Škodenko. A proposal for reframing Viktor Karrus’ painting View of Moscow
The proposal is to cover both paintings with UV-protected acrylic glass, add new visual elements and install LED text screens under the paintings. I suggest that the red flag be covered with gold leaf. On the symbolic side, this makes the flag ambivalent. On the one hand, gold has an imperialist connotation, signifying the achievement … Anna Škodenko. Proposal for reframing Richard Sagrits’ painting Old Tallinn
MockumentationLVLup!, National Library of Estonia A previously unknown and unpublished video game prototype has been uncovered in the archives of the National Library of Estonia. Titled Meelis and Vyachko, the game was developed for the Dendy console—a Russian video game system and regarded as an unofficial clone of Nintendo’s first console. Unfortunately, the prototype no … Camille Laurelli – Chanson de Geste: Meelis and Vyachko 1992–2025
Animation, 202530 sec (looped) The Bronze Pinocchio is a video work where fairy-tale figures converge— the noble statue of Prince Vyachko grows a Pinocchio-like nose that stretches toward a pointing finger. The piece plays with the themes of truth and deceit, questioning how we can distinguish fact from fiction, or reality from distortion. Created in … Ülo Pikkov – The Bronze Pinocchio
Water is life. The old well masters knew how to find it — but do we? Meelis and Vyachko are strangers seeking to solve the riddle of coexistence in today’s world. Yet they are opposites, and so the solution brings an unexpected revelation to them both.
From ancient times to the present day, human societies have always sought idols. At times, they were embraced with unwavering faith; at others, they were met with doubt. Yet the vessel of the idol has never stopped transforming — from the wicker figures of folk rituals to the terracotta warriors buried beneath the earth, from … Yiyang Sun – The Vessel of Idols
4K video with sound20 sec (looped) Vitrine is a 4K CGI video that explores themes of time and the symbolic power of statues. At the center of the work is a 3D scan of the controversial sculpture Vyachko and Meelis defending Tartu (1950), enclosed in a rectangular glass case and set within a pine forest … Bob Bicknell-Knight Vitrine
Samuel LehikoinenWinter PatrolAnimation, 2025 A digital animation depicts a scene from a fictional video game, in which time-traveling medieval heroes Vyachko and Meelis find themselves in present-day Estonia, frightened by a local delivery robot. Blending national myth and technological modernity, the piece juxtaposes the spirit of ancient heroism against Estonia’s contemporary identity as a digital … Samuel Lehikoinen Winter Patrol
In August 2025, Andrus Kasemaa’s (1941–2016) secco-technique mural “Mahtra War” (1984) was dismantled from the wall of the Peri village centre (former office-club of the E. Vilde collective farm) near Põlva. The removal of the large-scale work was inevitable: the depreciated building is scheduled for demolition and the mural, which was in a dilapidated state, … Andrus Kasemaa’s mural Mahtra War – A New Life in Fragments. Exhibition and seminar at the Peri village center
Tartu Postimees reports the story of the model found in the shed on Kastani Street: https://tartu.postimees.ee/8339834/kuurinurgast-tuli-valja-vaidlusaluse-meelise-ja-vjatsko-kavand
Author of the text: Rasmus Kristofer Randla, October 2025 In August 2025, the mural “The War of Mahtra” painted by Andrus Kasemaa was dismantled from the wall of the hall of the former collective farm center, today’s village center, in the village of Peri, located near Põlva. The work took place as part of the … Removal of the Andrus Kasemaa mural as part of the summer internship of the Estonian Academy of Arts’ Cultural Heritage & Conservation Department and the Pallas students of the Pallas University of Applied Sciences
On October 10, 2025, the University of Tartu Museum will host a symposium “Meelis and Vjatško: Anatomy of a Myth”, which will give meaning to the controversial story of this ideological monument. The exhibition “Invisible Tartu. 800 years since the city’s beginnings” at the University of Tartu Museum has once again brought to light the … Symposium “Meelis and Vyachko: Anatomy of a Myth”
August 15, 2025 Lõuna-Eesti Postimees reports (article is behind a paywall): Only the last part of the Andrus Kasemaa mural “The War of Mahtra” that was in the hall of the Peri Library and Village Center remained on Thursday afternoon, but Hilkka Hiiop, the rector of the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), who came to … Lõuna-Eesti Postimees: The rector of the Estonian Academy of Arts visited to plan the future of the giant Kasemaa painting
On the 25th of April Estonian War Museum reported: The Estonian War Museum today unveiled a public database of all known Soviet war monuments and graves on Estonian territory from 1944-1991. The database is based on material compiled in 2022 by the Working Group for the Mapping of Soviet Occupation Memorials at the Government Office, and includes … Estonian War Museum has compiled Soviet war monuments and graves into a public database
21 April 2025 ERR reports about the removal of the Soviet coat of arms from the facade of the Tallinn Russian Cultural Centre. The City of Tallinn started on Monday to remove the Soviet-era sculpture from the facade of the Russian Cultural Centre on Mere puieste. The work is based on a coalition agreement and … The Soviet coat of arms disappears from the facade of the Tallinn Russian Cultural Centre – ERR
2 April 2025 Saarte Hääl published an article about the Tehumardi monument by Counsellor of the Saaremaa Heritage Board Liis Koppel: One who does not remember the past lives without a future. “With these lines from Juhan Liiv, one could characterise the events at Tehumardi that unfolded this weekend. The Tehumardi monument was again the … Liis Koppel of the Saaremaa Heritage Board about the Tehumardi monument in Saarte Hääl
30 March 2025 Delfi reports of vandalism towards Tehumardi memorial: Saaremaa municipality is still looking for a solution to modernise the Tehumard red monument. On Thursday, red graffiti was spray-painted on the Tehumardi monument in Saaremaa with the poem: “Call, Saaremaa! Let’s take down the red pillars of the patriots! Let’s knock out their teeth!”. … Delfi on the vandalism towards Tehumardi memorial
27 March 2025 ERR reports on the co-operation between Saaremaa Municipality, Cultural Heritage Board and the project Reframing Monuments in terms of the Tehumardi memorial. The Saaremaa municipality, which covered the red emblem of the Tehumard monument last Friday and is planning to modernise the memorial field, needs an extra €5,000 from the state. The … Saaremaa municipality asks state for money for Tehumard monument – ERR
21 March 2025 ERR reports from Saaremaa in terms of Tehumardi memorial: The municipality of Saaremaa covered the propaganda texts and the red emblem of the Tehumardi memorial monument on its own initiative on Friday morning before the start of the tourist season. The heritage authority confirmed that they were aware of the municipality’s wish … Saaremaa municipality covered the Tehumardi pillar with red symbolic tiles – ERR
ERR continues to report on the Tehumardi monument: After the Tehumardi war graves were buried last year, Saaremaa municipality also wanted to remove propagandistic symbols and texts from the Tehumardi sword. However, the texts on the monument are still there today, because the heritage protection authority and the Estonian Academy of Arts wanted to reinterpret … Saaremaa municipality cannot remove red emblem from Tehumardi monument – ERR
Peri is a village in Põlva County, Põlva Municipality, where 312 people live in as of 2019. The village of Peri was first mentioned in written sources in 1554 (Perris), and the manor of Peri, which belonged to various Baltic German families over the centuries, dates back to that time. In 1919, the manor lands … Andrus Kasemaa’s mural “The Mahtra War” in Peri Village Centre
In December 2024, the documentary “Monuments and Oranges” by director Ken Saan, about Soviet monuments and their removal, was shown on ETV. The film focuses on monuments in Tehumardi and Ida-Viru County. The documentary can be viewed on Jupiter: https://jupiter.err.ee/1609535813/monumendid-ja-apelsinid Introduction: In 2024, an unprecedented number of alleged Soviet war graves and monuments were reburied … New documentary on Soviet war graves and monuments
In the 1970s and 1980s, the façade of the Auvere power plant was decorated with a giant metal panel representing either a star or a sparkle. The project team has not yet been able to identify the author. The work was assembled from several pieces and mounted on the façade using two identical metal frames … Auvere power plant metal panel
Sculpture “Vyachko and Meelis defending Tartu” (full title “Prince Vyachko of Polotsk and Meelis, son of Lembit, defending Tartu in 1224. “) is a memorial to the characters of the story “Meelis” by the writer Enn Kippel (1901-1942). Meelis, the son of Lembitu, the elder of Sakala, and Vyachko, the former prince of Koknes, who, … Vyachko and Meelis defending Tartu
A book on war monuments in Russian-occupied Ukraine by historians Mischa Gabowitsch and Mykola Homanyuk was recently published by the Central European University Press. Professor Mischa Gabowitsch of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz presented the working version of the book at the Summer School “Disentangling Eurasia” at Tallinn University in the summer of 2023. … Open access ebook: Monuments and Territory. War Memorials in Russian-Occupied Ukraine
Maaleht writes that Tapa will be the last town in Estonia to receive a downtown Freedom Monument. The future monument will replace the statue of Kalevipoeg in Kirikupark (Kalju Reitel, 1991), which has been accused of being depressive. The competition for the new monument was won by young architects Henri Kopra and Iiris Tähti Toom. … Maaleht writes about the Freedom Monument in Tapa (29.10.2024)
We invite all interested parties to participate in the public discussion, which will take place on 7 October at 18.00 in Saaremaa, in the large hall of the Salme community centre. We will discuss the future of the Tehumardi Memorial and the surrounding area, in order to jointly consider the best possible solutions. The event … Public discussion on the Tehumardi Memorial and surrounding area
Delfi writes about the so-called “Red Monuments Act”: “In March last year, Alar Karis did not promulgate the Red Monuments Act, as the Head of State considered it unconstitutional. Alar Karis said that the removal of the so-called Red Monuments Act had not been a priority for the committee. The chairman of the Riigikogu’s economic … Delfi: There is no rush to adopt the “Red Monuments Act” (19.09.2024)
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sparked debates and conflicts over Russian and Soviet monuments in the former Eastern Bloc and has also revitalized global discussions about dissonant heritage. This has created a new need and a new framework for comparisons – for comparing monuments, as well as their toppling and rebuilding in different parts … Presentation of the results of the international workshop “How to Reframe Monuments: Case Studies for Thinking Through Dissonant Heritage” on September 6 at EKA and EKA TV.
Team members: Diāna Meldere, Natali Käsk-Nõgisto, Gytis Dovydaitis, Alberto Governo, Eglė Jasaitytė, Kora Równicka. Mentor: Triinu Väikmeri Case study overview by Triinu Väikmeri: Narva Kreenholm 1872 Streik Monument Year of completion: 1972 Address: Ida-Viru county, Narva, Joala 17A Sculptor Kalju Reitel, architect Boris Kalakin Not protected as a monument Kreenholm Manufactory The construction of the … Monument to the Kreenholm Strike of 1872
Students Andrijana Vansevičiūtė, Mariia Chudna, Siiri-Liis Huttunen, Paolo Zacchigna, Birkan Argün. Mentor. Oksana Denisenko. Case study description by Any Soojärv: Ornament in 2012, still attached. EVM F 455:898 Background: With the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Soviet heritage fell under scrutiny in Estonia. The metal spark was removed from the facade of … Sparkle ornament on the facade of the Auvere power plant
Students: Kristīne Santa Zariņa (University of Latvia, Research and Protection of Cultural and Environmental Heritage); Dovilė Joneliūkštė (Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Cultural Heritage and Tourism); Elisabetta Romano (University of Trieste, History); Danielė Buterlevičienė (Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Creative Industries); Rafał Lizak (University of Silesia in Katowice, Art education) Mentors: Riin Alatalu and Anu … Monuments in Sillamäe as an example of dissonant heritage
Students Daria Tarasenko (Institute of Art History in Leipzig, Art History and Digital Humanities, BA), Myriam Helena Raich (Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Art History, BA),Natalia Czapla (University of Silesia in Katowice, Game and Virtual Space Design, MA), Nikolay Petroussenko (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Graphic Design, PhD), Skaistė Balkytė (Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Art … Reframing the Lenin monument in Narva
At the end of August, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) confiscated a copy of the Lihula monument from a van transporting it from Tallinn to Lihula. The monument had been planned to be taken to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the dismantling of the former memorial, according to the PPA. According … Media outlet Delfi on the position of the Minister of Interior: “I do not want to see the bust of any occupying power in Estonia”
During the workshop, students from Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Bulgarian and Albanian universities Katariina Kesküla, Rūta Zemīte, Jovita Ambrazaitytė, Ugnė Žaleniakaitė, Yoskan Mehmedov, Fatjon Mlloja and their supervisor Gregor Taul focused on the industrial landscape of Ida-Viru County and discussed the Püssi ash heap as a monumental heritage that deserves to be re-framed. In a situation … Rethinking the ash heaps: the Püssi ash heap case study
An anti-war sticker on the defaced sign of the Lenin Park in Helsinki, 2022. Photo: Hannu Häkkinen, Finnish Heritage Agency. Pavel Petrov, a Master’s student in History and Eastern European Studies at the University of Helsinki, wrote this text as part of his internship at How to Reframe Monuments (July-September 2024) project. Besides publishing this … The statue that never was – the persisting and vanishing Lenin Park of Helsinki
Pavel Petrov, a Master’s student in History and Eastern European Studies at the University of Helsinki, wrote this text as part of his internship at How to Reframe Monuments (July-September 2024) project. Besides publishing this and other texts on our blog, Pavel assists at the international workshop at Narva Art Residency. In 1979, the town … Failed reframing of the Lenin monument in Kotka
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 … An exhibition dedicated to the Tehumardi Memorial was opened in Kuivastu Harbour
During the Soviet era, the Battle of Tehumardi and the monument were the subject of official, ideologically “correct” stories constructed by the political leaders of the party and the army. Estonian Red Army soldiers were portrayed as convinced Bolsheviks. However, to approach the monument and the experience of the rifle corps solely in terms of … The value of the Tehumardi as a historic site today
The myth of the Tehumardi was cast in concrete in 1967 – the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution – when the current memorial was built near the battle site to replace the modest monument. Later, a field of memorial stones was added. The monument was unveiled on the 25th anniversary of the founding of … Tehumardi as a place of memory of Soviet Estonia
The special issue of the magazine kunsttexte.de, War on Monuments: Documenting the Debates over Russian and Soviet Heritage in Eastern and Central Europe. Documenting the Debates on Russian and Soviet Heritage in Eastern and Central Europe, edited by Kristina Jõekalda. This issue of the open access online journal kunsttexte.de (https://doi.org/10.48633/ksttx.2024.1) contains 14 articles on the … Special issue of Kunsttexte.de War on Monuments: Documenting the Debates over Russian and Soviet Heritage in Eastern and Central Europe
The night battle of Tehumardi between units of the Red Army’s Estonian Rifle Corps and a retreating German battalion in the late evening of 8 October 1944 was a casual and strategically insignificant encounter – it was bloody, but without major military results. The battle took place in the final phase of the war here, … Battle of Tehumardi
At the end of June, the removal of the grave markers of the Red Army soldiers buried in Tehumardi in Saaremaa began. A sword-shaped obelisk remains, but some of the text on it will be covered up. Broadcast on ERR: https://www.err.ee/1609385786/galerii-tehumardil-algas-punaarmee-sodurite-hauatahiste-eemaldamine On Monday, the removal of the grave markers of the Red Army soldiers buried … Removal of grave markers of Red Army soldiers in Tehumardi began
Location:Narva Art Residency (NART) Start Date:31.08.2024 Start Time:10:00 End Date:06.09.2024 Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sparked debates and conflicts over Russian and Soviet monuments in the former Eastern Bloc and has also revitalized global discussions about dissonant heritage. This has created a new need and a new framework for comparisons – for comparing monuments, … International workshop “How to reframe monuments: case studies for thinking through dissonant heritage”
Antanas Kmieliauskas, Hope, 1982. Fresco. Pharmacy Vilties (Hope) in Kaunas. Courtesy of Gregor Taul. Photo from 2020. On 1 July at 11:00 Gregor Taul will defend his thesis “Monumentality Trouble. Monumental-Decorative Art in Late Soviet Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania” (“Sekeldused monumentaalsusega. Monumentaal-dekoratiivkunst hilisnõukogude Eestis, Lätis ja Leedus”) The public defence will be held in EKA … PhD Thesis Defence of Gregor Taul
Uncontactable Gustav. Intervention of an anonymous art student from the course Art and Public Space, Spring 2024. I teach a course at EKA on Art and Public Space which on the one hand deals with monuments, interventions and street art in urban space, and on the other hand looks more broadly at the position of … Monumental Disputes
The conference “Cultural heterologies and democracy II” will take place at the Estonian Academy of Arts (Põhja puiestee 7, Tallinn, Estonia). Confirmed keynote speakers and their abstracts:Marju Lauristin (professor emeritus, University of Tartu, Estonia)Dorota Kołodziejczyk (University of Wrocław, Poland)Gulnaz Sharafutdinova (King’s College London, UK) The conference will be held in English. To register, please fill out this form. Registration deadline June 10, 2024. … Cultural Heterologies and Democracy II. Transitions and Transformations in Post-Socialist Cultures in the 1980s and 1990s
We publish Karin Paulus’s review of the debate on the Tehumardi Monument, published in the weekly journal Sirp on 24 May 2024. The Tehumardi monumental ensemble (Allan Murdmaa, Riho Kuld, Matti Varik, the pillar was completed in 1966, the second phase of the cemetery was completed in 1975) is protected as an artistically complete memorial … Adaptation or surrender?
On March 4, 2024, an annual event called PhD Vitamin took place at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EAA). It is a conference and meetings where artists and designers who are interested in doctoral studies gather. At EKA, doctoral studies take place in four disciplines: art science and visual culture studies, heritage protection and conservation, … Monumental Vitamin
Discussion of the research project “How to Reframe Monuments” at the Estonian Academy of Arts On 7 May at 18.00, the Department of Heritage Conservation and Conservation and the Department of Installation and Sculpture of the EAA invite you to a discussion on the research project “How to Reframe Monuments” on the Tehumardi Monument in … How to Reframe Monuments – Tehumardi debate
How can this monument be less Soviet, but instead more contemporary, and become so without the reluctant feeling that we are censoring/decimating something? The form of the gravestones is inserted between the existing rows in such a way that there is no (walking) space left. The new, ‘white sheet’ keyed wreaths will be without inscriptions … Taavi Piibemann. A further development of the Tehumardi Monument
A research project by the Estonian Academy of Arts and Tallinn University explores how to deal with complex heritage while creating new qualities in public space and preserving the important role of controversial heritage as a carrier of history. The first case study of the project is the Tehumardi Memorial in Saaremaa. Dedicated to the … Tehumardi memorial
Straws The design concept entitled “Straws”, proposes a solution to preserve the integrity of the memorial by covering the grave markers with dolomite slabs. In turn, bronze/brass lines inspired by the windswept landscape surrounding the memorial, in particular the red rhododendrons that grow there, are attached to the slabs. In this way, the grave markers … Anna Mari Liivrand. Tehumardi Night Battle Memorial. Design Concept “Straws”
The thirty slabs of the Tehumardi memorial will be covered with tiles similar to the existing ones. Instead of Soviet symbolism, the tiles will carry new visual information – a graphic novel chronicling what happened at Tehumardi. In a comic-style creation, the viewer can see the tragic story of the Battle of Tehumardi, the subsequent … Kirke Kangro. Tehumardi – Alternative Information Space
If the elements referring to the Soviets are neutralised, the memorial should either remove the textual part in its entirety or retain the dates 1941 and 1945. A sketch of this solution is presented in the accompanying photograph “The memorial”. Consideration could also be given to installing a smaller viewing platform on the seaward side … Johannes Säre. Proposal for the revamping of the Tehumardi Night Battle Memorial
On March 4th and 5th, the PhD Vitamin event will once again be hosted at the Estonian Academy of Arts. PhD Vitamin aims to support and pave the way – and inspire artists with a research approach on their way to doctoral studies. The goal is to introduce artistic research and advise potential candidates for … PhD Vitamin 2024
In 2024, the three-year research project How to Reframe Monuments was launched, with the aim of creating new solutions for reinterpreting monuments and other dissonant heritage. The interdisciplinary project received funding from the Ministry of Culture’s new research and development programme. It is led by the Estonian Academy of Arts in cooperation with Tallinn University, and partners … Research project creates new solutions for reinterpreting monuments