TASE ’16 at the Rauaniidi building,
Kotzebue 1 / Põhja pst 7 in Tallinn

The main exhibition of TASE ’16, the annual graduation works festival of the Estonian Academy of Arts, has been extended until Saturday, June 18. Don’t be conspicuous by your absence!

True, real, fake or imagined? Does reality exist outside of our imagination and ability to perceive it? Do photos reflect the past better than our memories? These are all questions posed by the work of photographer Sohvi Viik, one of the many talented young artists whose work will remain on display now for a couple of more days.

Her answer seems to be simple: what is real is imagined.

But is it really so simple? Or is this simplicity merely an imagination? Well, I think you should see it by yourself.

Philosophical questions as such, however, are not the only things that concern the people involved. There are many practical applications of art as well that arise from the deeper understanding of the daily reality we are all living in.

What do you make of, just by example, the biodegradable materials from coffee? Is it a great idea? Or should we just skip to tea? I think it’s fancy, but not in an unrealistic way. We should recycle coffee as much as we can.

This is not a question to be taken lightly. So I am very grateful to Annika Kaldoja for opening a new frontier in the investigation and solution of one of the core problems of our modern coffee-addicted society: what to do with the waste?

“There are many problems in the world, and one of the few tools people possess to make a change is activism,” stresses Sandra Kosorotova, a young fashion designer. “Fashion activism can’t solve the world’s problems, but it can focus on solving one – hyper-consumerism.”

This kind on realistic idealism is precisely what the Estonian society needs and wants from the graduates of the Estonian Academy of Arts. It is so good to see that they are living up to our great expectations.