Author: A-galerii

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The best VAULT exhibition of A-Gallery in 2022 is FINDINGS by Irene Jürna

Estonian jewellery artists have chosen the best A-Gallery VAULT exhibition of 2022. As the principal local exhibition space for jewellery, the A-Gallery VAULT has focused for many years on introducing new works by professional jewellery artists and blacksmiths. Last year the vault hosted 11 various exhibitions, of which Irene Jürna’s FINDINGS was chosen as the best.

The exhibition showed familiar and worn patterns, torn and breaking surfaces and edges – crochet lace in metal. Random thoughts found by chance in the interaction of lace fabric and metal. Irene Jürna (1952) is an Estonian jewellery artist. In 1976, she graduated from the Estonian Art Academy in metalwork. She has participated in exhibitions in Tallinn and elsewhere since 1974. She has had several personal exhibitions in A-Gallery.

Since 2007, the A-Gallery has been selecting the best vault exhibition every year. The aim of the competition is to appreciate the outstanding achievements of artists in their work. A-Gallery represents works by professional jewelry artists and among other activities also holds exhibitions in the historical VAULT space. The VAULT acts as a historic touching point between the building’s original function, that was built by Joseph Kopf for his goldsmith’s shop in the 1920’s and the exhibition space. Exhibitions in the VAULT began in 2005. 

LIST OF ANNUAL BEST VAULT EXHIBITION COMPETITION WINNERS

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EGLE SITKAUSKAITE / KAIA ANSIP

On Friday, 3rd of March 2023 at 18:00, A-Gallery will open two new exhibitions on our WINDOWS: Kaia Ansip’s BROKEN FORESTS and Egle Sitkauskaite’s MIGRATING IDENTITY. The exhibitions will stay open until April 23.

Kaia Ansip BROKEN FORESTS

BROKEN FORESTS tells a story about the before and after of a deadly wildfire in Pedrogão Grande eucalyptus plantation. It analyses the relation to land which seems to have started acting dangerously and unpredictably. The work is an answer to a trauma that comes from living on the Anthropocene post-apocalyptic landscape. It expresses worry, love and fear for a place which has been changed by eucalyptus plantations. 

The works are casted into the first harvest of cork from Quercus Suber aka cork oak. Quercus Suber, unlike the introduced eucalyptus is native to Portugal and is one of the most resilient trees to the fire thanks to its bark. The hot melted metal puts the cork to yet another test.

Kaia Ansip is an Estonian jewellery artist who graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts  with a master’s degree in jewelry and blacksmithing in 2022. In addition to her studies, Kaia Ansip has completed internships at ArCo art school in Lisbon and with jewellery artist Catarina Silva. Kaia Ansip has participated in exhibitions in Portugal, New Zealand and Estonia, including the Portalegre Biennale of Jewellery in Portugal; in the exhibition “Balance” at Kristie Debbs’ gallery and in the group exhibition “Phantasmagoria”. In a collaboration with Claudia Lepik and Ljubov Kedrina, Kaia Ansip has created the project “Domestic jewelry”, within which the artists shared photos of jewellery made from everyday objects on Instagram for 365 days.

Egle Sitkauskaite MIGRATING IDENTITY 

Egle Sitkauskaite’s exhibition MIGRATING IDENTITY revolves around the feeling of  belonging when moving from one place to another; longing for what is left behind, adapting to the new culture, new language and yet staying somewhere in between. Based on her personal history and stories of people with similar experiences, the exhibition reflects on the emotional core of the concept of home which is not something grounded in a particular place or person, but rather as something that is flexible, transportable and constantly changing.

Using a tree as a metaphor, the artist wants to capture the ideas of places and identity transformation through materiality. By bending the wood the artist draws a parallel to the human ability to adapt. In this new form of identity construction flexibility and solidity come together. 

Egle Sitkauskaite comes from a background of textile and jewellery. She uses jewellery as a method: her objects are interactive, performative and strive to question traditional wearable adornments. Egle’s work revolves around her personal history, memories and the left behind traces of the materiality and its relation to places. These connections are the key subject explored in her work, which is poetic and atmospheric, inviting the audience to experience a spatial universe.

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OSCAR WIPPERMANN / TATIANA IAKOVLEVA / SILLE LUIGA

Opening of the 2023 season in A-Gallery

On Friday, 6th of January 2023 at 18:00, A-Gallery will open their 2023 season with three new exhibitions on our WINDOWS: Sille Luiga’s LUUSER POETRY, Tatiana Iakovleva’s MESSAGES and Oscar Wippermann’s exhibition. The exhibitions will remain open until February 26.

Sille Luiga LOSER POETRY

The works in this exhibition are inspired by Sille Luiga’s love for manual typesetting in typography. In particular, she really likes the wooden and tin blocks of equal sizes used in manual typesetting, which give the letters their peculiar square shapes. Due to the interesting source of inspiration, the artist dedicates the series to the most influential person in the history of culture, who was, among other things, a goldsmith. He is responsible for what a lot of graphic design, graffiti art, and BLING culture looks like. Of course, we are talking about Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, a loser who went bankrupt many times in his life.

Sille Luiga (1994) is a jewellery art alumnus of the Estonian Academy of Arts and has also studied in Italy and Belgium. Sille works as a freelance designer under the pseudonym Sile Luik and produces original jewellery series. Among the latter are the popular Two Cents earrings. Sille has participated in exhibitions both in Estonia and abroad, most recently in Valencia, at the Second Chance exhibition organised by the Estonian Association of Designers. The exhibition LOSER POETRY presents a new, previously unpublished jewellery series of the Sile Luik brand, where the material used are cutting words, irony and silver.

Tatiana Iakovleva MESSAGES

In the modern world, we are constantly in a hurry and we often lose contact with ourselves in the chaos. It is important to know how to find peace for a while and listen to the voice of your heart. The exhibition “Messages” is dedicated to this quiet voice, which has a difficult time breaking through the noise of our reality. Inspired by the beauty of both European and Old Slavic calligraphy and the rich legacy of the great calligraphers of the past, professional calligrapher Tatiana Iakovleva combines her love for calligraphy, jewellery and nature in her jewellery and transforms calligraphic compositions into silver jewellery with precious and semi-precious stones. They contain words and phrases that offer support during difficult times, inspire, give strength, restore balance and a state of love. These are prayers; motivating, inspiring words – these are values that are worth immortalising in precious metals and wearing on your body. Tatiana’s main source of inspiration while creating designs is nature. Tatiana’s metal letters turn into flowers, leaves, blades of grass or reeds in the wind and become barely legible to the untrained eye. This style is similar to the Chinese calligraphy style “Cao – Shu” (grass script), where the emphasis is primarily on emotion and conveying a certain energy rather than clear and easy legibility.

Tatiana Iakovleva is a calligrapher, jewellery artist and the head of the Tallinn School of Calligraphy as well as an instructor. She graduated from the painting and restoration department of the Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design in 2009. Since 2011, she has studied calligraphy with master Heino Kivihall in Tallinn. Since 2010, after arriving in Tallinn, she immersed herself in the study of the ancient art of calligraphy.

Since then, studying and getting to know European and Old Slavic calligraphy, she continues to admire the rich and precious heritage left by the great masters of the past. This is one of the most beautiful and powerful parts of our cultural heritage that should not be forgotten. 

Oscar Wippermann PYTHAGORAS AT THE BEACH

In his artistic work, Oscar Wippermann deals with natural materials – cattle bones, ebony, silk and cotton – and how they can be brought into new forms with traditional techniques. When he works with cattle bones, a lot depends on the shape and texture of the material. The natural form is organic and curved. He gives the material a shape that has geometry and order. He doesn’t want the bone to be immediately recognisable as such. He saws the bones into rough shape and works on them further with files. Depending on the desired shape and the possibilities the bone allows him, he creates straight surfaces. Holes are drilled to create apertures that open up the form and make it possible to connect the individual pieces with the help of textiles. He uses silk to connect the elements which is a very durable textile and has a noble sheen and offers a variety of colours. Combining these colours with bone objects results in something visually joyful. It is the contrast between the rather geometrically strict bone elements and the colourful movable elements made of silk.

Oscar Wippermann is an emerging German jewellery artist who has studied in Goldschmiedeschule mit Uhrmacherschule Pforzheim. He has a Bachelor’s degree from HS Düsseldorf Applied Art and Design, and Master’s degree from HS Trier Campus Idar-Oberstein. In his work he loves to use natural materials: bone, wood, silk and cotton, especially cattle bones together with colourful silk.