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Uncertain Territories

Keiu Krikmann is the editor of A Shade Colder.

Keiu Krikmann

The 2025 spring issue, Uncertain Territories, looks at how both physical and mental territories around us are in constant flux – be it due to political or economic uncertainty, both of which often have dire consequences for art and culture, not to mention the well-being of people forced to navigate these circumstances.



The issue opens with Maria Kapajeva’s poems, written during the months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, detailing the difficulties of seeing both physical and mental realities shift during the war. Approaching the less-explored terrain of art history, Katrin Kivimaa writes about the artist Terje Ojaver, whose sculptural work spanning decades and often featuring the themes of feminism and animalist female figures, is long-deserving of renewed perspectives and audiences.



In a similar vein, Sten Ojavee looks into the history of the network of Soros Centers for Contemporary Art that were established throughout the former Eastern Bloc in the 1990s and have now provoked a re-evaluation of their legacy even involving conspiracy theories. Ojavee’s research is expanded on by three artists, Jaan Toomik, Kai Kaljo and Anu Juurak, who were actively reshaping their practices around the time the centres were created – they share their memories of how the art scene in Estonia changed in the 1990s and 2000s.



Exploring tensions in contemporary landscapes, Johanna Rannula writes about the joys and struggles at NART residency, located in the city of Narva at the border between Estonia and Russia. Addressing territorial struggles on a different scale, Cathrin Mayer interviews Flo Kasearu on how the current political climate has shaped the Estonian landscape through new energy policies, real estate developments and people’s understanding of the public and private space.



The borders of young Estonian fashion are also in a process of being redefined – Olivia Soans speaks to five young designers to get an insight into the Estonian fashion scene in 2025.



Last but not least, Kaarin Kivirähk asked six art professionals from the Nordic and Baltic region how they would like to see language re-map the territory of contemporary art – and which words they never want to see circulating again.



As always, our Events Guide highlights the most fascinating art events in the Baltics and the Nordics in the coming months.



The sticker sheet for this print issue has been created by Bohdan Bunchak, a Ukrainian artist, who after being wounded on the frontline is now actively advocating for veterans’ needs. A Shade Colder continues to donate to the Ukrainian Emergency Art Fund.



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-scaled.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-300x211.jpg 300w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-1024x722.jpg 1024w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-1118x788.jpg 1118w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-1437x1013.jpg 1437w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-1596x1125.jpg 1596w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-1916x1350.jpg 1916w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-2554x1800.jpg 2554w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-2794x1969.jpg 2794w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/illu-veeb-copy-scaled.jpg 2560w" data-sizes="auto" width="2560" height="1804" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption>Illustration: Martina Gofman, Uncertain Territories, 2025</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>

illu veeb copy

Editorial. Uncertain Territories

Maria Kapajeva is an artist working between the UK and Estonia and exhibiting internationally. Through her artistic practice, Kapajeva looks at the identity questions of peoples being in-between or in-transition, often bringing peripheral stories to the visible centre. Kapajeva practice is multidisciplinary: she works with found and vernacular photographic images, video installations, textile and embroidery and participatory practices.

Maria Kapajeva

Visuals

<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-details-block details">The poems were originally published in the book a year-long scream (2024, OPA! Publishing). The book is published in three languages: Estonian, English and Russian.</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">24.05.2022</h2>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignleft"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-scaled.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-165x300.jpg 165w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-565x1024.jpg 565w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-435x788.jpg 435w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-559x1013.jpg 559w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-620x1125.jpg 620w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-745x1350.jpg 745w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-993x1800.jpg 993w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-1086x1969.jpg 1086w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample3-copy-scaled.jpg 1412w" data-sizes="auto" width="1412" height="2560" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption>Maria Kapajeva, Fluid Borders, 2023.</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



anastasia



her parents are 75 and 82



were moved from mariupol



she was meeting them in narva



she happened to be in paris with her family



they went there on holiday



and stayed there



her parents wanted to go back to ukraine



and her children studied under the french system



so in france they were placed in a public school



the parents were coming



from mariupol



they will be sent to wherever the train goes



taganrog



otradniy near samara



in samara they asked a camp manager



to get them a ticket to petersburg



he did



everyone wants to get to



the filtration camp where he works



he is humane



two nights in a train



petersburg



an acquaintance drove them to ivangorod



narva-tallinn



tallinn-warsaw by plane



warsaw-budapest by plane



crossing the border by car in beregovo



then to kyiv



more than 6000 km



from ukraine to ukraine



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">11.07.2022</h2>



you need a human being



especially during the war time



not somewhere faraway and all-understanding



but near by



close by



skin to skin



so that no words are necessary



so she could decide for both of us



about holidays



about rest



where to how and when



some impossible decisions



for me now



so she could hug me



when we both need it



even after the war



really need



for the war to stop



and a human being



needs another human being



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-scaled.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-300x150.jpg 300w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-1800x900.jpg 1800w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-2000x1000.jpg 2000w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-2400x1200.jpg 2400w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-3000x1500.jpg 3000w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-3500x1750.jpg 3500w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample-scaled.jpg 2560w" data-sizes="auto" width="2560" height="1280" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption>Maria Kapajeva, Fluid Borders, 2023.</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">16.09.2022</h2>



just yesterday



i sent a message



to a family from izyum



that now lives in estonia



congratulating them



with the liberation of their town



but today



i have heard the news



about more than 400 bodies found there…



my greetings now



sound like a curse



and facebook continues



to edit my text



by highlighting the word ‘greetings’



so you see the balloons flying while reading it



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-scaled.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-300x55.jpg 300w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-1024x189.jpg 1024w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-1400x258.jpg 1400w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-1800x331.jpg 1800w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-2000x368.jpg 2000w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-2400x442.jpg 2400w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-3000x552.jpg 3000w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-3500x645.jpg 3500w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/luule-punane-pikk-1-scaled.jpg 2560w" data-sizes="auto" width="2560" height="471" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption>Maria Kapajeva, Fluid Borders, 2023.</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">22.09.2022</h2>



yesterday in the euronews



one man at the protest in belgium said



it is all because of the war



the prices for gas and energy raised



he refuses to accept it as his issue also



i am angry



yesterday i saw



brave women



brave people



in iran



fighting for their rights



to be as they want to be



hundreds got arrested



i am crying



today i am writing to my nephew



in petersburg



that he heeds to hide



to wait out



to go out



otherwise he won&#8217;t escape



the mobilisation



it’s not even clear



if bribes will help



if there will be a chance



to offer them



the law doesn’t work there anymore



i am worrying



azov soldiers were freed



but not all of them



but these ones are alive



a friend is going back



to ukraine



she cannot bear anymore



to live away from her home



she’d rather be in her native land



even if it’s not safe



i am anxious



i am making art



and it loses its meaning



right away



it doesn’t even help me



losing any sense



of why art is needed



if i cannot fully express with it



what i feel



all i want is to scream



i got a call from a dentist



tomorrow finally i get my tooth fixed



maybe the pain will subside then



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">22.09.2022</h2>



the world is going more and more mad



it’s late to say goodbye to the old one



too late for sure







<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-scaled.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-300x150.jpg 300w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-1400x700.jpg 1400w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-1800x900.jpg 1800w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-2000x1000.jpg 2000w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-2400x1200.jpg 2400w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-3000x1500.jpg 3000w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-3500x1750.jpg 3500w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fluid-Borders-150x300-sample2-scaled.jpg 2560w" data-sizes="auto" width="2560" height="1280" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption>Maria Kapajeva, Fluid Borders, 2023.</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>

Fluid Borders-150×300-sample3 copy

a year-long-scream. Four poems

Katrin Kivimaa is an independent art historian, cultural critic, and translator. In addition to publishing current criticism, she writes and holds lectures on various topics, including feminist art history, modern and contemporary Estonian art, feminist curating, and others. From 2006 to 2023, she worked as a senior researcher and professor at the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture in the Estonian Academy of Arts.

Katrin Kivimaa

MG_4015_Meduusa_naer_EKKM_2023_photo_Paul_Kuimet

Women, animals and other creatures: The soft feminism of Terje Ojaver

Sten Ojavee is a curator based in Tallinn, working at the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art since 2017. His curatorial interests lie in fashion and clothing, with an emphasis on cultural sociology. Most recently, he co-curated the 11th Sequences Festival, titled Can’t See (2023) in Iceland.

Sten Ojavee

Tiina Tammetalu, Untitled. 1995. Third annual exhibition of the Soros Center of Contemporary Arts, Estonia. Biotopia copy2

Eastern European spectacle in a distorting mirror

Kaarin Kivirähk is the editor-in-chief of A Shade Colder.

Kaarin Kivirähk

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kai Kaljo</h2>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignleft"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/kai-kaljo.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/kai-kaljo-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/kai-kaljo-300x205.jpg 300w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/kai-kaljo-1024x700.jpg 1024w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/kai-kaljo-1152x788.jpg 1152w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/kai-kaljo.jpg 1155w" data-sizes="auto" width="1155" height="790" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Kai Kaljo giving a talk at CCA Estonia in 1999</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-details-block details">Kai Kaljo studied monumental painting in 1983–1990. Kaljo’s themes are inspired by her personal and everyday life extending into existential and social statements. Using black humour and irony, she often questions power relations in the art world. She has held solo exhibitions in Estonia as well as elsewhere in Europe. Kaljo has also participated in group exhibitions and film and video festivals all over the world. Her works belong to the collections of Moderna Museet, the Art Museum of Estonia and Sprengel Museum, among others. She has been awarded the Kristjan Raud Prize (2006), the Annual Award of Estonian Cultural Endowment (2000,) and the Award of the Annual Exhibition of the Soros Centre for Contemporary Arts, Estonia (1994, 1998). </div>



During my studies at the art academy, I felt we had little awareness of the art that was being made elsewhere in the world, and how Estonia could relate to it. Today, it’s hard to imagine life without the internet, but in the 1980s there weren’t even many art books available that featured colour images, you could only look at those in libraries. In the State Art Institute of Estonia (ERKI), lectures on Western art history concluded with the 1950s. Yet, despite this lack of information, I at least felt an unconscious wish to do something that had not been done before.



I’ve always felt it limiting to express myself in just one genre, and so the freedom of the 1990s suited me marvellously. This was the most liberal era, even compared to now: no idea seemed too strange or improper.



The establishment of the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts, Estonia (now CCA) provided the opportunity to get funding to produce works for the annual exhibition, which back then was something new. Many things we take for granted today were then cosmically expensive, and great ideas would have otherwise remained unrealised.



I was conceptually influenced by the life around me, which was rapidly transforming and full of hope. Everything was new, the borders were opening, and I created several video works at residencies in Germany, the US, London and elsewhere. No one suggested that I should engage with Eastern European topics, and to my knowledge I really haven’t either. Even my work Loser (“Luuser”, video, 1997) was thematically just as understandable in the West.



I would still gladly work with monumental painting today, if I were commissioned.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jaan Toomik</h2>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignleft"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/toomik-jt.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/toomik-jt-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/toomik-jt-300x171.jpg 300w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/toomik-jt-1024x583.jpg 1024w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/toomik-jt.jpg 1171w" data-sizes="auto" width="1171" height="667" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Jaan Toomik (on the right) with art writer Ants Juske and artist Kiwa in Düsseldorf in 2000</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-details-block details">Jaan Toomik is a painter, video installation and performance artist, whose work stems from a metaphysical, biocentric and shamanist outlook on the world. His work, mostly nature-poetic and autobiographical, focuses on eternal themes like life and death, religion and spirituality, that tie the human body to the cyclical processes in nature. He has taken part in numerous large-scale international exhibitions and biennales like São Paulo Biennial (1994), Manifesta Biennial (1996), Site Santa Fe Biennial (1997), Venice Biennale (1997, 2003) and Berlin Biennale (2006). He graduated from the Estonian Academy of Art in 1991. </div>



My studies took place during a tumultuous time and this had a great impact on me. Even before I began my diploma work, I was boldly experimenting with the possibilities of painting. By the late 1980s, it was possible to experiment like this. The old faculty didn’t dare intervene, and were uncertain about showing any opposition themselves. And so it happened that already before my graduation work I had lost all interest in painting. Everything else, performative practices, land art and other things just seemed more interesting. I transitioned smoothly into the international trends.



I graduated from the art academy in the spring of 1991, when they hadn’t yet declared the independent Republic of Estonia – by autumn this had already happened. The Soros Center for Conteporary Arts, Estonia was established in 1992, and it happened to be during this time that they first began selecting Eastern European artists to take part in the São Paulo Biennial (1994). This gave me the opportunity to step into the international arena, which was a success, providing me with a series of exhibitions around the world. The Soros Center provided support in organising all of this. At first, communication with the outside world went through fax; we sent in visual materials via post.



Since we didn’t have to go through all of the various developments of art in our re-independent Estonia, we could jump straight into the new era, and with a fresh perspective because there was no information about what had been studied in the West. Everything we did was based on enthusiasm, and often without knowing what had already been done. This gave us creative freedom. Oddly enough, us young artists got the hang of the wider field quite fast. I attended the legendary documenta 9 exhibition in 1992 and immediately understood it, even though I hadn’t seen many of the exhibited works nor even heard about the themes. Integrating into the broader art scene happened very quickly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Anu Juurak</h2>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-details-block details">Anu Juurak graduated from the printmaking department of the State Art Institute of Estonia (ERKI) in 1985. She mainly works with video and spatial installations, interactive environments, and collaborates with technical experts and programmers. Among other themes, her art practice deals with depicting the undefined and the unknown, and the conceptualisation of death in our cultural context. She has received the Cultural Endowment of Estonia’s annual award (1998, 2008), the main prize for the annual exhibitions of the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts, Estonia (1996, 1997), and several accolades from graphic and poster art biennials. </div>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignleft"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-225x300.jpg 225w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-591x788.jpg 591w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-760x1013.jpg 760w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-844x1125.jpg 844w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-1013x1350.jpg 1013w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-1350x1800.jpg 1350w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding-1477x1969.jpg 1477w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1997-Anu-Juurak-interaktiivne-ruumiinstallatsioon-Lift-Interstanding.jpg 1536w" data-sizes="auto" width="1536" height="2048" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Anu Juurak with her interactive spacial installation The Elevator in 1997</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



For me, the transition to new media that happened in the 1990s was both ground-breaking and smooth, since at the time I was an emerging artist, and happy to experiment with new means of expression. I think the most impactful paradigm shifts happen in moments of crisis.



Estonia had well-established traditions in printmaking, especially intaglio printing. Already during the Soviet era, an experimental printmaking studio operated under the Estonian Artists’ Union. Skilled masters worked there, prints were made on relatively high-quality paper and essential colours – black and brown – were readily available. In contrast, working with new media meant acquiring everything by yourself and learning from scratch. Where could you borrow a video camera and projectors? Who knew how to make a quality soundtrack for a video piece? Who would lend a suitable graphics card? Who could program? In most cases, the necessary equipment had to be borrowed, and at times it felt like you were more of a project manager than an artist.



In 1996, I held my second solo exhibition, which featured only video installations. I presented a group of works together as a spatial installation: Train (“Rong”), which indeed rode through the various seasons; Picture (“Pilt”), a flickering video image in an old picture frame; and Water (“Vesi”), with video monitors arranged like containers of water. The entire space was immersed in a reflective installation, Clouds (“Pilved”). People told me that this was certainly not an exhibition appropriate for a woman. The art scene at the time had become increasingly polarised. The established artists who had enjoyed much attention and support during the Soviet period were now outraged. I experienced this first-hand when my otherwise sympathetic and friendly colleagues explained to me single-mindedly that photography and video art could not be taken seriously as genres, and that bringing interactivity to art exhibitions was inappropriate. They considered this a pathology that would soon pass.



And still – for me there was no other choice but to start working in new media, which was exciting, uncertain, in its early stages, much like the country we were living in. This new situation had to be supported in every way imaginable.

kai kaljo

Looking back

Cathrin Mayer has served as the director of Kunstverein Braunschweig since August 2024. Previously, she worked as a freelance curator and held curatorial roles at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark in Graz and KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin. Additionally, she has taught at various institutions, including the University of the Arts in Berlin and the University of Arts Linz.

Cathrin Mayer

Photography

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Exploring the dynamics of public and private space during politically turbulent times. Interview with Flo Kasearu

Johanna Rannula is the director of the Narva Art Residency NART since 2021. Previously, she has been a manager of exhibitions at Tallinn City Museum and also worked briefly as an artist.

Johanna Rannula

Ellie Pritchard workshop at the community garden. Photo byJelizaveta Gross Station Narva, 2024

Artist residency within sight and sound of Europe’s border

Olga Tjurina is an artist and art teacher based in Narva, Estonia. Since 2017, she has been working as a curator at the Narva Artists Association. In her art, she reflects on the perception of the world in symbolic form.

Olga Tjurina

<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block aligncenter"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-202x300.jpg 202w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-688x1024.jpg 688w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-529x788.jpg 529w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-681x1013.jpg 681w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-756x1125.jpg 756w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-907x1350.jpg 907w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-1209x1800.jpg 1209w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-1323x1969.jpg 1323w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy.jpg 1378w" data-sizes="auto" width="1378" height="2051" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Olga Tjurina, Stairway to Heaven, Kreenholm,  2023. Paper, ink</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignleft"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-207x300.jpg 207w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-707x1024.jpg 707w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-544x788.jpg 544w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-699x1013.jpg 699w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-777x1125.jpg 777w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-932x1350.jpg 932w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-1243x1800.jpg 1243w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-1359x1969.jpg 1359w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1.jpg 1378w" data-sizes="auto" width="1378" height="1996" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Olga Tjurina, Symbiosis, Kreenholm,  2023. Paper, ink</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>



<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignright"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-201x300.jpg 201w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-687x1024.jpg 687w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-529x788.jpg 529w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-680x1013.jpg 680w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-755x1125.jpg 755w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-906x1350.jpg 906w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-1208x1800.jpg 1208w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-1322x1969.jpg 1322w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2.jpg 1378w" data-sizes="auto" width="1378" height="2053" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Olga Tjurina, Memory, Kreenholm,  2023. Paper, ink</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>

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New Symbols. Kreenholm

Olivia Soans is a freelance writer currently based in Tallinn, Estonia. She moves through life one day at a time, allowing each moment to shape who she is becoming.

Olivia Soans

üksilon ja tuvike laval roni ja maria ühisprojekt 4 copy

When people stand together, they can achieve more and go further – Interview with Karl Joonas Alamaa, Karl-Christoph Rebane, Maria Roosiaas, Lisette Sivard and Ron-Jonas Verlin

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Stuck in the vicious circle of words

Graafikatriennaal: Algirdas Jakas.Reverse engineering. Photo: Laurynas Skeisgiela

Your guide to Estonia and beyond in 2025

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<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block aligncenter"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-202x300.jpg 202w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-688x1024.jpg 688w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-529x788.jpg 529w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-681x1013.jpg 681w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-756x1125.jpg 756w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-907x1350.jpg 907w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-1209x1800.jpg 1209w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy-1323x1969.jpg 1323w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-3-copy.jpg 1378w" data-sizes="auto" width="1378" height="2051" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Olga Tjurina, Stairway to Heaven, Kreenholm,  2023. Paper, ink</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignleft"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-207x300.jpg 207w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-707x1024.jpg 707w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-544x788.jpg 544w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-699x1013.jpg 699w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-777x1125.jpg 777w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-932x1350.jpg 932w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-1243x1800.jpg 1243w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1-1359x1969.jpg 1359w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tjurina-1.jpg 1378w" data-sizes="auto" width="1378" height="1996" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Olga Tjurina, Symbiosis, Kreenholm,  2023. Paper, ink</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>

<div class="wp-block-www-blocks-image-block alignright"><figure class="is-zoomable"><img data-src="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2.jpg" data-srcset="https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-201x300.jpg 201w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-687x1024.jpg 687w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-529x788.jpg 529w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-680x1013.jpg 680w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-755x1125.jpg 755w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-906x1350.jpg 906w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-1208x1800.jpg 1208w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2-1322x1969.jpg 1322w, https://admin.ashadecolder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olga-tujrina-2.jpg 1378w" data-sizes="auto" width="1378" height="2053" alt="" class="lazyload"/><figcaption> Olga Tjurina, Memory, Kreenholm,  2023. Paper, ink</figcaption><button class="zoom m-image" aria-label="View fullscreen"></button></figure></div>

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A Shade Colder is a platform for discussions about and around art in Estonia and beyond.