We welcome You to A-Gallery on Thursday September 15 at 6 p.m, to an inspiring artist talk with Ketli Tiitsar and Flora Vagi.
The two artists opened their exhibition DIALOGIES OF LONGING in the VAULT of A-Gallery on September 2.
On September 15 You will have an extraordinary opportunity to experience the exhibition together with the artists!
Ketli Tiitsar and Flora Vagi talk to cultural journalist and artist Urmas Lüüs about their exhibition, collaboration and creative paths.
The exhibition, rooted in heartfelt and personal discussions, looks at the state of longing, that can be associated with melancholy, nostalgia, loneliness and heartache. However, while talking to each other, the two artists noticed that longing can also be something recognisable, connecting, tangible, material and fragmented which is accompanied by an overwhelming longing for time.
The artist talk will be held in English. Free entry.
Open Call for exhibitions at the A-Gallery VAULT and WINDOWS
The most notable exhibition space for jewellery and blacksmithing in Estonia announces an open call for the exhibition programme of 2023 at the A-Gallery VAULT and WINDOWS. We welcome applications from jewellery artists as well as boldly experimenting exhibition projects that combine jewellery and blacksmithing with other art fields. Submission deadline: Monday, 17th October 2022.
In 2022, A-Gallery’s abundant exhibition programme in VAULT and on the WINDOWS featured 30 different shows by professional jewellery artists and blacksmiths from Estonia and abroad, including France, China, Taiwan, Norway and Israel.
EXHIBITION SPACES
The VAULT is A-Gallery’s exhibition space, focusing on showcasing new work by professional jewellery artists and blacksmiths. The VAULT acts as a historic touching point between the original and the contemporary functions of the building – that of a former goldsmith’s shop and of the most notable exhibition space for contemporary jewellery and blacksmithing in Tallinn. The VAULT welcomes artists, writers and researchers whose work stems from contemporary jewellery and craft practices and their context in broader visual culture.
The height of the vault is 315 cm and size 5.2 m². It is possible to exhibit works by using cables and magnets. Painting and drilling within the space is not possible. The exhibition space of the VAULT extends to one of the windows facing Hobusepea street.
The approximate duration of an exhibition in the VAULT is 6 weeks.
WINDOWS is A-Gallery’s platform for micro exhibitions, established in 2019 with the aim of showcasing both new and previously exhibited work of practitioners in the field of contemporary jewellery in a compact format. WINDOWS has found a home in the display windows of a former goldsmith’s shop established in 1891 and extends the gallery’s exhibition space into public space.
WINDOWS welcomes both solo projects and collectively created expositions engaging with contemporary jewellery and craft practices within the field of visual culture. Very welcome are applications by curators, who together with different artists would create a comprehensive and well-thought-out exhibition for the WINDOWS as a whole. WINDOWS also welcomes conceptual projects that can be combined with other artists’ input to form exhibitions with the help of the gallery, therefore when submitting an application, one does not need to fill all the windows.
WINDOWS invites a two-directional gaze, to look both in and out. As such, the space can also accommodate works stemming from the field of jewellery but developed in collaboration with fields concerned with other creative fields – such as design, sound, video, fashion, visual and performance art and architecture.
There are five WINDOWS located in the Tallinn Old Town, on the corner of Hobusepea Street and Pikk Street. One large window (220x300x85 cm) and four smaller windows (220x140x48 cm). The window spaces include ceiling hooks for hanging, lighting fixtures and electrical sockets. We don’t have anything on the back of the windows, so the applying artist should think about the exhibition background as well.
The approximate duration of an exhibition at WINDOWS is 8 weeks.
Costs of installing, production and exhibition opening are to be covered by the artist(s). A-Gallery provides a letter of confirmation for funding applications, if necessary.
To apply, please submit the following information: – name – contact information – names of all participants – description of the project (2000-2500 characters) – description of artworks – visual material relevant to the project (up to 5 images) – list of equipment and/ or special requirements for exhibiting works – CV(s) and portfolio(s) of participant(s) – preferred exhibition period (month / quarter)
Please clarify in your application, if you are applying for the VAULT or WINDOWS exhibition space. Please inform us beforehand if you’re able to come to Estonia to install your exhibition and if not, please attach a complete installation plan to your application.
Submission deadline is Monday, 17th October 2022.
Please send your application to info@agalerii.ee with all relevant materials attached in one zip-file or via mail to A-Galerii, Hobusepea 2, 10133, Tallinn.
Application is accepted only if it is submitted on time and includes required information and materials.
Submissions to the VAULT and WINDOWS open call are evaluated by a jury. Exhibition programme is approved by the board of A-Gallery and curator Helle Ly Tomberg.
Artists chosen for the programme will be notified in November 2022.
Ilona Treiman is a jewellery and metal artist and teacher, who uses different materials and techniques in her work, characterised by a sculptural approach. She has graduated from metalworking at the Estonian Academy of Arts (1984), is a member of the Estonian Artists Association, Ornamo Art and Design Finland and The Union of Finnish Art Associations. She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, most notably at Limoges (1990, -92, -94), Cincinnati USA (1989, -91), Moscow and Tallinn (1985 -1990), Tokio (1992), Denmark, Beijing (2004) and Berlin (2005, -16), She has taken part of the nomadic exhibition Baltic and Nordic Jewellery Art (Denmark-Finland-Sweden, 1991) and the exhibition in Seoul South Korea (2011). She had a solo exhibition in the Art Museum of Hyvinkää (2012). In 2019, she received the Ede Kurrel prize of the The Estonian Association of Jewellery and Blacksmiths. Her works are part of the collection of the Estonian Museum of Applied Art And Design, Nordic Museum in Vaasa and private collections in France, USA, England, Finland, Denmark, Italy.
Ilona Treiman’s exhibition “Fire” was in the A-Gallery VAULT 28.05–29.06.2021.
The exhibition was part of the 8th Tallinn Applied Art Triennal satellite programme.
The artist talk was conducted by jewellery artist Marita Lumi, filmed and edited by Liina Lõõbas.
A-Gallery’s artist talks are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
On July 6, 2022, we had the pleasure to open the group exhibition ICE COLD of the Norwegian collective ARKIVET on A-Gallery WINDOWS, which was also visited by the Norwegian ambassador Else Berit Eikeland. On the opening night, Camilla Luihn and Putte H. Dal were interviewed by the artist Urmas Lüüs and they introduced the behind-the-scenes of the group’s working process.
ARKIVET is a Norwegian artist group formed in 2014 and consisting of Putte H. Dal, Hilde Dramstad, Camilla Luihn and Ella Heidi Sand. Four jewellery artists, each with their own artistic character. Together they have a material understanding, craftsmanship, artistic perception and a conceptual theme-based approach to the subject that materializes in contemporary jewellery – shown in both national and international arenas.
Filmed and edited by Valdek Laur.
In 2019, we started artist talks with Estonian jewellery artists and artists who come from abroad to show their work in our gallery in order to bring this extraordinary field and the people working in it to a wider audience.
A-Gallery debuts at Munich Jewellery Week 2022 with 40 Estonian jewellery artists.
The annual Munich Jewellery Week showcases innovative contemporary jewellery by both established and up-and-coming designers from around the world. It is the most significant event for the contemporary jewellery community, and it sets the pace for the entire field.
Amongst the 40 artists exhibited in Munich by A-Gallery’s are Ivar Kaasik, Marita Lumi, Urmas Lüüs, Nils Hint and the Kapsta family, where the tradition of jewellery art runs through three generations. Sculptures, contemporary art jewellery as well as classic filigree are presented.
“The absolute best gather to show in Munich. As the home of Estonian jewellery art, it is important for us that the outstanding Estonian jewellery scene is represented in the international arena, and there is no better platform for this than the Munich Jewellery Week,” says Marita Lumi, a member of the board and jewellery artist of A-Gallery.
Estonian jewellery artists that have gathered attention at the MJW over the years include Kadri Mälk, Tanel Veenre and Darja Popolitova. You can visit A-Gallery’s display at Handwerksmesse hall B5 in Munich on 6.–10. July.
In June 2022, Katja Toporski’s solo exhibition WELL BEING was shown in A-Gallery’s VAULT.
Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Katja Toporski is a jewellery maker, professor and writer with an MFA from Towson University, living just outside of Washington DC. She also holds a medical degree and had been a practising anesthesiologist prior to her career in jewellery.
The artist talk was conducted by journalist and culture editor of Müürileht Sanna Kartau. Filmed and edited by Liina Lõõbas.
In 2019, we started artist talks with Estonian jewellery artists and artists who come from abroad to show their work in our gallery in order to bring this extraordinary field and the people working in it to a wider audience.
On Tuesday, 10th of May, A-Gallery will celebrate its 28th birthday!
It is a great pleasure for A-Gallery that we have been able to bring together jewellery and it’s admireres for 28 years and to be a unique meeting place where the story of jewellery art through different generations, forms and ideas opens up.
On the birthday, we offer our guests a glass of bubble drink for the whole day! From 4 pm we eat cake and clink glasses together with all our friends and artists. Everyone is very welcome to participate in the celebrations! In addition, during the birthday week, all jewellery in the gallery on site and in the e-shop is 10% cheaper if you use the code AGALERII28.
See you on Tuesday, May 10 at A-Gallery!
Maiasmokk Cafe, Nautimus and A. Le Coq are our big helpers to celebrate A-Gallery’s birthday.
A-Gallery is busy changing windows. Only to make it more pleasant to explore the exhibitions in our window gallery. Therefore, we announce that we are closed during 28-30.04.22.
Helen Clara Hemsley’s and Therese Mørch’s artist talk is now up on our website! Their exhibition TRACES IN TIME was up on A-Gallery’s WINDOWS 14.01–26.02.2022.
During the exhibition we sat down with Helen and Therese for an artist talk, which was conducted by Urmas Lüüs. The talk is in English.
Helen Clara Hemsley is originally from South Africa, but currently lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Helen studied at Oxford Brookes University and the Institute for Precious Metals in Copenhagen and she holds a BA in Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art. Her work has been exhibited, among other countries, in Denmark, China, Portugal, Australia, Germany and the US.
Therese Mørch is from Denmark and studied in London. She now lives and works in Copenhagen. Therese graduated from Cass School of art & Design and in Royal College of Art, both in London. Her work has been exhibited in Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, France, Germany and in the UK.
The artist talk is filmed and edited by Liina Lõõbas.
