14.3.2025 | Culture

A behind-the-scenes peek of Martin Pedanik’s solo exhibition

Text Susanna Poikela 
Photos from the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, 
Mirjam Varik, Tõnu Tunnel

Graphic designer Martin Pedanik

A solo exhibition by one of Estonia’s most internationally renowned graphic designers, Martin Pedanik, will open on Friday, 14 March at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design in Tallinn. The exhibition, titled Martin Pedanik: Mees lava taga (Martin Pedanik: Man Behind the Scenes), will tell the story of the designer’s three-decade career and his most memorable works.

The exhibition features printed materials designed by Pedanik for various creative fields, such as posters, prints, books, brochures, flyers, vinyl covers, newspapers, and much more. They are divided into three different exhibition units, categorised according to art, architecture, and theatre. In addition, the works in the exhibition are grouped according to their formal language, and “Kizo”, a frequently recurring geometric and evolving figure in Pedanik’s work.

“I always try to find the general and the abstract in my works. My goal is to create good compositions using minimalist methods,” the designer says, describing his creative process.

Pedanik began working in graphic design in the mid-1990s, and has in many ways created new bridges between different creative fields with his works. The exhibition features commissioned works for Terra Nova Press, Louis Kahn‘s Estonian projects, NO99 Theatre, the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art, Tallinn Art Hall Gallery, Estonian Art Museum, and Bashment’s musical event series, the Sirp newspaper, the kunst.ee and Ehituskunst magazines, and numerous other creative companies and communities.

Image from NO99’s play Ühtne Eesti suurkogu, 2010. Director: Tiit Ojasoo, Ene-Liis Semper; stage graphic elements: Martin Pedanik

Martin Pedanik (1974) is a graphic designer who graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) in 1997. The same year, he founded a design agency called Labor, which is still in operation. He worked as a graphic designer for the NO99 Theatre throughout its operation from 2005 to 2018. Pedanik’s posters have been exhibited in local and international group exhibitions. In 2006, he received the annual award from the Estonian Fine Arts and Crafts Foundation for the graphic solutions of the NO99 Theatre materials, and for the club graphics of Bashment. In 2008, New York-based All About Jazz recognised Pedanik for his cover design for David Rothenberg‘s album, Whale Music.

Pedanik’s posters have been selected as among the best at the Haapsalu Graphic Design Festival on several occasions, and in 2019 Pedanik was awarded a prize at the Drama Theatre Festival for a poster made for the NO99 Theatre.

The Martin Pedanik: Man Behind the Scenes exhibition is open until 1 June 2025. Read more about the exhibition on the website of the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design.