Drive-In Art Exhibition Opens in Tallinn
Text Timo Raussi Photos City of Tallinn / Tiit Veermäe and Karli Saul
In the heart of Tallinn, beneath the pedestrian deck of Freedom Square and between the ancient protected bastion walls, lies more than just a parking garage, mini-golf centre, kiosk, kebab restaurant, and hair salon. A week ago, a free drive-in art exhibition opened to the public inside the parking garage, allowing visitors to view it conveniently either by car or on foot. On display are a selection of illuminated contemporary sculptures by two Estonian artists, Edith Karlson and Jass Kaselaan.
“Art is usually expected to be displayed in white halls, quiet rooms, and before viewers who have tuned into the right mood. This space is completely different, and that is precisely what makes it interesting to me. Here, art doesn’t necessarily demand much time or deep focus from its audience—it can simply interrupt people’s everyday lives for a moment,” Kaselaan comments.
On display in the parking garage are Karlson’s horse sculpture “Body and Soul”, and the sculpture series “The Drama Is in Your Thoughts”, consisting of child-sized ghost figures cast in plaster. Kaselaan is exhibiting the sculpture groups “Seven Mice” and “They and Me”.
The sculpture exhibition is part of a collaboration related to urban space between the City of Tallinn and a real estate investment and construction company that has supported similar cultural projects for many years. The company has installed more than 20 individual works and sculpture groups throughout Tallinn—thus providing Estonian artists with opportunities to showcase their works.
The sculptures closest to the drive-in exhibition include the bronze monk statues by Simson von Seakyll and Paul Mänd in the Danish King’s Garden in the Old Town, as well as the PÖFF film festival’s mascot sculpture “Cultural Wolf”, placed in front of the Nordic Forum Hotel. Along with the city, the company has also implemented modern façade lighting for the Old Town’s defensive walls and towers—and created English- and Finnish-language audio guides encouraging and guiding visitors along five different evening walking routes in Tallinn.
Among the artists featured in the Freedom Square exhibition, Jass Kaselaan’s sculpture group “Toys” is on display in the Uus-Veerenni residential area, and Edith Karlson’s giant dinosaur sculpture “Good Old Times” can be seen in Noblessner. In addition to the artists mentioned above, Heigo Jelle, Kalle Pruuden, Siim Poomann, Kersti Lootus, and Flo Kasearu have also created artworks for Tallinn’s urban space on the company’s commission.
An overview and map of the artworks installed in Tallinn’s public urban space by the company can be found on this Estonian-language website.
To learn more about this and similar topicsArt Exhibition Freedom Square Old town sculpture Tallinn urban space
