Category: Recommendations

May 1st – Spring Day, International Workers’ Day

May 6th – 90th birth anniversary of Estonian literary scholar Ülo Tonts

May 9th – Mother’s Day, Saint Nicholas’ day, Europe day. Jubilee: actor and director Toomas Suuman 70.

May 15th – Tallinn’s Day. 100th birth anniversary of director Vello Rummo

May 18th – International Museum Day

May 21st – Jubilee: writer Ira Lember 95

May 24th – Saint Urban’s Day

All month

Tallink Maijooks 

The largest spring-time movement event, Tallink Maijooks, which was supposed to take place on 22 May at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds unfortunately cannot happen this year in a normal format.

Everyone who has already signed up and want to keep the spring-time tradition alive can support the organisers by participating in the Tallink Maijooks virtual race that takes place 1-31 May.

Where: online/ participant’s choice

When: whenever

Ticket: 10 – 20 €

May 3rd until May 30th

Estonian Artists’ Association’s Spring Exhibition 2021

The long-awaited Spring Exhibition 2021 of the Estonian Artists’ Association is returning to its roots: approached from different angles, artworks completed in 2020/2021 will be exhibited at three exhibition venues of Tallinn Art Hall. The main exhibition of works selected by the jury will be displayed at Tallinn Art Hall, while two curated satellite exhibitions will be on view nearby at Tallinn City Gallery and the Art Hall Gallery. 

Where: Vabaduse väljak 8 and Harju 13

When: Until May 23rd and May 30th

Ticket: Free admission or 4-12 €

From May 3rd

An exhibition of Bruno Linneberg, an Estonian navy and intelligence officer in Seaplane Harbour

Bruno Aleksander Linneberg joined the Navy during the Estonian War of Independence. Being only 19 years old but growing into one of the most gifted and bright officers in Estonian naval forces granted with both the gift and a curse to live in a historically complicated era.

The personal exhibition “UMUK UDŽD OTB. An exhibition of Bruno Linneberg, an Estonian navy and intelligence Officer” in the Seaplane Harbour, based on research by the Estonian Maritime Museum. The exhibition explores the life and choices of an extraordinary Estonian man during the most hectic decades of the 20th century that shaped Estonia’s destiny and the entire world. Through the career of Bruno Linneberg, we get to know the story of the Estonian Navy between the two world wars and witness the destruction of an extraordinary life’s work.

Where: Vesilennuki 6

When: From May 3rd onward

Tickets: Ticket information

May 4th until May 16th

A rescripted visit to EKKM’s collections 

The opening project of the 2021 season, A rescripted visit to EKKM’s collections turns the exhibition space into a series of art storage spaces and invites visitors to take part in guided tours, conducted by the production platform RESKRIPT (Maarin Mürk and Henri Hütt). Invited by EKKM, Reskript has taken stock of EKKM’s collections, retrieved from garages and storage and gathered folklore related to the artworks and what has been left behind. This research has resulted in restructuring of EKKM’s collections, establishing of several new collections and developing suggestions for new future-oriented collecting principles.

Tours are held in Estonian, the video work and publication will be translated into English.

Tour schedule and booking: https://fienta.com/et/s/reskript-ekkm

Where: Põhja pst. 35 / Rumbi 3, Tallinn, 10415

When: May 4th until May 16th

May 13th

Opening of the exhibition Janis Rozentāls: The Dance of Life

From folk life scenes to Symbolistic visions, in an exhibition of the most popular and versatile Latvian artist of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Janis Rozentāls (1866–1916), the spirit of the era merges with his own “dance of life”. The first ever Janis Rozentāls’ exhibition in Estonia has been organised in cooperation with the Latvian National Museum of Art and marks the 155th anniversary of the birth of the artist.

Kumu Art Museum has the honour to open the exhibition Janis Rozentāls: The Dance of Life, organised in cooperation with Latvian National Museum of Art. For this summer, the exhibition brings to Tallinn the greatest masterpieces of the beloved Latvian artist and one of the symbols of Latvian culture – Janis Rozentāls (1866-1916).

The exhibition is opened by Sirje Helme, CEO of the Art Museum of Estonia, Sirje Helme; H.E. Mr Raimonds Jansons, the Ambassador of Latvia to Estonia; Māra Lāce, the Director of Latvian National Museum of Art; Kadi Polli, the Director of Kumu Art Museum, and the curator of the exhibition, Aija Brasliņa. Music is played by the ensemble Una Corda.

Where: online on Facebook live

When: May 13th at 6 p.m.

From May 13th

The Contemporary Performance Festival CPPM Manifestal

On May 13th, the new contemporary performance festival CPPM Manifestal will be launched, celebrating the development of our two-year MA in Contemporary Physical Performance Making (CPPM) students at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Looking back at their 99-hour production “Where Do We Go From Here”, which received widespread international attention last September, there is certainly reason to expect exciting experiences, a surprising creative approach and bubbling innovation from them. All these 13 new productions presented at the festival result from their artistic research projects undertaken to complete their master studies.

Where: Different locations

When: From My 13th until June 17th

Tickets: Ticket information

May 15th 

Tallinn Day

Traditionally, Tallinn Day is celebrated on May 15, this year the events take place on May 10-16.

The tradition of celebrating Tallinn Day was founded in 2002. This marks the granting of the Lübeck Law to Tallinn in 1248, which associated Tallinn with the Hanseatic League, a confederation of trading cities around the Baltic Sea.

The purpose of celebrating Tallinn Day is to value the history of the hometown and being a Tallinner, and also to introduce the history and present of the city.

Where: many places in Tallinn

When: May 15th all day

Exhibition Isolation dialogues

PHOTOGRAPHER’S HOLD ISOLATION DIALOGUES IN PICTURES

More than 120 Estonian photographers are participating in Isolation Dialogues – a large-scale project of the Tallinn Museum of Photography.

In order to provide creative output during the quarantine period and record the sense of the weird situation we are in at the moment, the Museum of Photography invited photographers and photo artists to hold photographic dialogues between themselves. The project that will run until the end of the emergency situation (17 May) is a constantly updated wordless dialogic reflection of isolation available at dialoogid.fotomuuseum.ee/. Time and again, the viewers can come back to the Isolation Dialogues and see how the emotions in seclusion have developed.

Where: Online, from 21st of May in Jaani Seegi Gallery at Rävala 2/Väike-Pääsukese 5, Tallinn

Estonian Institute’s Culture Step volunteer Annisa Monoarfa Laasma brings out 5 interesting cultural events for the upcoming weeks of September.

1. 22 September  Ülemiste City Community Day (from 11 to 3pm). The Community Day is about meeting neighbours, getting to know their businesses and making steps towards a greener future.  

2. 21 to 27 September  Tartu Student Days 2020. The festival will last for a week and contains about a hundred events, so both the freshmen and experienced students will find an event that interests them.

3. 25 and 26 September  Pärnu Light Festival ÖÖvalgel. The festival presents light performances to the audience, where stories are told through light and video projection.

4. 26 September  Silmufestival 2020 in Narva-Jõesuu. During the traditional Lamprey Festival, a fish market is open for fishermen as well as those who simply love fish. Here you can buy fresh fish as well as various fish products or try different dishes made of lampreys. 

5. 27 September  Historic Walk in Kassisaba (Falgi Park at 4pm). A free city tour in English will take place in Kassisaba with an experienced guide who will tell exciting stories about the history of Kassisaba.

Since the culture scene as we know it is being withheld for a while The Estonian Institute has gathered a variety of possibilities for enjoying Estonian culture in English from the comfort of home – a context that might be novel for many.

 1. Take the time to experience Estonian art from the new angle. There’s a variety of Estonian galleries and exhibition spaces that offer virtual tours in English. Start your journey with a visit to KUMU. Move on to a 360 degree view of the Estonian Pavilion at the 57th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia,visit Temnikova & Kasela gallery exhibition archive, take a look at Konstanet online gallery, NOAR, Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art database and Tallinn art hall digital guide.

2. Dive into articles about the Estonian literary (Estonian Literary Magazine) and art (Estonian Art) scene. Borrow books digitally from the National Library Estonia by ordering them to the Book Dispenser which is located outside of the library. The National Library also has digital channels digar.ee (digitised materials), dea.digar.ee (newspapers and magazines) and portaal.nlib.ee (our Search Portal) to discover during the stay-at-home period.

3. Gain knowledge about Estonian film industry on Estonian Film Institute website and enjoy loved Estonian movies with English subtitles on Netikino.

4.Take the much needed free time to learn the Estonian language. There are several online platforms such as Keeleklikk and Speakly that spark up the learning experience!

5. Eesti Kontsert has created several music playlists inspired by the planned concerts that have been cancelled due to the emergency situation. You can access the playlist easily via Spotify here, here and here.  Also, tune in for the well-known Estonian folk band Duo Ruut contactless concert-live on the 20th of March at 7pm and folk metal band Metsatöll live-stream on the 21st of March at 1am. Since public gatherings are not allowed, many artists are starting to discover the possibilities of online performances and a lot more will most likely start popping up.

6. Many Estonian museums have made it possible to pay them a visit online.  Take this opportunity to discover virtual museums from the Museums Public Portal, take a virtual tour in Open Air Museum, visit the History Museums exhibition “The Baltic way 25”, or University of Tartu Museum virtual exhibitions. Take a look at Estonian War Museum online exhibitions, Virtual Kuressaare Castle, Virtual University of Tartu and Tallinn City Museum virtual exhibition.

7. Even sports organizers have now gathered online. With advanced digital solution and GPS tracking you are able to participate in competitions such as 38th Tartu Forest Marathon even if you’re located in Tallinn.

What’s mentioned here is only a fraction of Estonian culture that is already available online and with times like these there are more and more initiatives from the local artists and activists to bring valuable experiences to our homes. So keep your eyes open and let’s make the most of our time at home.

Estonian Institutes schooling program “Culture step” is organized for people whose native tongue is not Estonian and who are interested in learning more about Estonian culture, nature, history and everyday life. The program consists of lectures, discussions, study trips and visits. The program is free for the participants and each participant completes 25 academic hours worth of activities. The program is held in Tallinn and Harju County (Russian and English groups) as well as in Narva and Ida-Viru County (Russian groups).

All the information including how to register is available on a freshly launched Culture Step website www.kultuurisamm.ee. 

2020 spring program events start in the first week of March and last until May. Further information regarding the program will be sent to everyone who has registered.

The program is open for everyone who isn’t a native Estonian speaker and is at least 16 years old.

Estonian Institute started the “Culture step” program in autumn 2018. In the first year 252 participants completed the program. In august 2019 a new group was opened for people living in Ida-Viru County. During autumn 2019 181 participants completed the program in Harju county and 124 in Ida-Viru county.