On Friday, 11th of November at 6pm a group exhibition by Egle Ehtjen, Kelli Gedvil, Kristen Rästas and Sten Saarits ‘It’s Lonely in the Metaverse’ will be opened at Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art. The exhibition remains open until 11th of December, Tue–Sun 3–6pm. A bus will go to the exhibition’s opening from Tallinn at 17:15 and will drive back to Tallinn at 21:00. Register for the bus by writing to kelli [dot] gedvil [at] artun [dot] ee

Four artists will create an audiovisual participatory exhibition in the hall of the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art, exploring the soul of the ‘metaverse’, a recently popular medium that uses various spatial and virtual reality technologies. Platforms for virtual worlds are a hot topic both in the crypto world and, increasingly, in the ‘normal world’, through ‘fear-of-missing-out’ advertising campaigns promising new social, investment and entertainment environments on the internet. Behind the exaggerated promises of the future, however, today’s meta-worlds besides their edgy commercial undertones are lonely, not that interactive, and full of digital gambling and collective tokens. ‘It’s Lonely in the Metaverse’ is the interpretation by the four artists of the significant contrast between the advertising hurricane and the virtual landscapes that fall into its shadow.
Egle Ehtjen (b. 1990) is an artist who often combines traditional media such as ink and watercolour with digital manipulation and animation. Previously more concerned with characters and narratives, she has recently been leaning towards abstraction, finding inspiration in nature, the esoteric twilight and things that are hard to put into words. Kelli Gedvil (b. 1994 Viljandi) is an artist who works mainly in installation, video and web-based medium. Her latest exhibitions “4EVER” and “Purifying Your Skin” have explored the behavioral patterns of self-presentation in various virtual communities and how they affect the physical body with emphasising the involvement of the viewer through interactiveness. Kristen Rästas (b. 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist whose work incorporates video, conceptualism, virtual reality, and mixed media sculpture. His recent projects get inspired by classical landscapes, which the artist attempts to represent through digital technologies, creating artificial natural environments that explore the connections between contemporary human alienation and possible realities reflecting escapism. Sten Saarits (b 1987) is an interdisciplinary artist who works mainly with time basedmedia. Saarits’ installation art practice, which emphasizes repetitions of themes and situations, is characterized by a drive to turn mental spaces into material landscapes to depict the states of mind, typical for the daily endeavors in a modern society, in a new form. His practice revolves around giving focus to hidden, unnoticeable or non-perceivable agencies within our environment.
ehtjen.ee, stensaarits.ee, kristenrastas.com, kelligedvil.com
Graphic design: Henri Kutsar

The artists would like to thank: Markus Tiitus, Alexei Gordin, Ian-Simon Märjama, Hendo Kidron, Leegi Kiis, Marek Gedvil, Tiina Vändre, Laura Suur, Anna-Liisa Männik, Ingrid Algma, Ingrid Kääramees, Linda Zupping, Jüri Ruut, Mirko Känd, Erko Ever, Kristjan Koskor, Anni Koskor, Katarina Koskor, Ander Koskor, Kennet Lekko, Estonian Academy of Arts

This exhibition is funded by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Location: Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art. Tallinna st 3b (3rd floor of Espak building), Rapla.

Aivar Tõnso “A RESOmatic Still Life”
Dec 4-19, 2021

Sound artist Aivar Tõnso combines the practice of spatial sound with  the expansion  of electronic synthesizer by different resonating materials. He is interested in the experience of movement within a spatially dispersed auditory artwork.  Instead of one fixed listening point, his approach is concerned with discovering sonic events at different points in space.  While in his site-specific sound environments the visuals are contributed by the naturally occurring surrounds, his works in gallery settings become enhanced by the sculptural properties of materials.  Aivar has been pursuing this approach ever since the first installation of the series “A Garden of Divergent Sounds” at the Tartu Art Hall. By now, he has reached a milestone where materials begin to affect the choice of sounds. Tõnso feels this is a liminal area, where care must be taken to avoid a situation where the visual aesthetics and sculpturality start to dictate and constrain the potential of sound in its creation of imaginary worlds in the listener’s mind. What remains most important is what happens at the meeting point of material and sound; in this gray area, a no man’s land, matter goes through excitement on an atomic level, and electronic sound gets transformed; uncontrolled processes take place – from the resistance of matter to the birth of new r(i)esomatic divergences.

For this exhibition, a 14-channel sound environment has been created using materials such as aluminum honeycomb panels, honeycomb cardboard, laminated plastic, reboard panels, resonance speakers, and more than 200 metres of audio cable.

Assistance was provided by Raivo Raidvee (installation), Maria Aua
(video) and Jaan Evart (graphic design). A big thanks also to Timo
Toots, whose earlier collaboration gave rise to a number of ideas present here.

Aivar Tõnso is a  musician, sound artist and an interdisciplinary
cultural event curator. He’s known for electronic music projects
Hüpnosaurus, Kulgurid and Kismabande. Curated projects including
Hea Uus Heli festival and Ulmeplaadid records company.  Creatively, he is interested in site-specific installations of spatial sound. He has furthered this interest with the Üle Heli festival, solo
projects, and MA studies at the EAA.

Recent sound projects:

2021 exhibition “Garden of Divergent Sounds 2” with Raul Keller, Taavi Suisalu, Katrin Enni and Sten Saarits (ARS Project Space)
2021 exhibition “Garden of Divergent Sounds” with Timo Toots, Eike Eplik and Tencu (Tartu Art Hall)
2021 film music for Maria Aua’s documentary “Rauaniit” and Ivar Murd’s experimental film “Küte”
2020 12 channel sound piece for the exhibition “Slow  Light” (RCCCA)
2019 site-specific  sound piece “Nordic Portal” (TAB 2019 /Musicity
Tallinn)
2019 site-specific  sound performance “Heliküte” with Mihkel Tomberg
(VKG viewing platform / festival Mägede Hääl)
2018 sound installation “Mirage 2.0” (Tartu Light 2018 festival indoor exhibition Vacuum as a Way of Thinking)
2018 sound installation “SEGA mets” (Maajaam, international techno art festival “Wild Bits”)
2018 exhibition “Cannot Believe the Eyes” with Maria Aua (Virtsu, Tööstuse st popup gallery, EV100 art programme)
2017 Tartu Arch Bridge first ever light and sound design (with Sten Saarits, Martin Rästas, Liisi Küla and Roman-Sten Tõnissoo)
2017 sound installation “Heart of Stone” (Museum of Stoneworking, Culture Night 2017)

Fall exhibition of the Estonian Painters’ Association
at the RCCCA

Oct 15 – Nov 7, 2021
Open Tue-Sun 3pm – 6pm
Tallinna mnt 3b, Rapla
Ja edasi:

Artists were invited to reflect on the topic of modernity and contemporaneity – a question plaguing artists in provincial areas worldwide – from Helsinki to Rapla – am I up to date? Even the Rapla County art centre bears the word “contemporary” in its name. Perhaps only New York is free from the pressure of keeping up.

“Contemporaneity” or “modernity” are not an issue in the art metropoli of the world – art being created there sets the bar for what is considered cutting edge. and they also offer the best opportunities for new art to reach its intended audience. But the audience requires novelty, demands to be surprised – and thus, a metropolitan “accent” evolves based on the colloquial artistic speech patterns in big art centres; this “accent” then becomes the normative grammar for the periphery.

The Estonian Painters’ Association used to hold its annual shows in our local metropolis. Nowadays, we’ve been relocated to Tartu, then Pärnu, Rapla, Võru and elsewhere. It is a bitter commentary to the policies of local art institutions that the medium of painting now finds itself homeless, permanently on tour. Looking on the bright side, painting has acquired widespread popularity through this process; “painting” still remains synonymous with “art” in the eyes of the public.

If we view the international painting scene through the lens of art fairs and biennials, the outstanding feature seems to be heterogeneity – we see interpretations of the Modernist heritage, retrospective revivals of past phenomena in art, the search for identity by artists of the so-called Third World – a colourful mixture of anything and everything.

A fresh injection of blood doping from art hand-picked by cultural anthropologists serves to satisfy the metropolis’ decadent cry for novelty, while these movements resonate in the most isolated, secondary corners of the planet. Zeitgeist is present, even in North Korea.

The current exhibition was deemed a valuable platform by a variety of personalities – from grand old names to Sunday painters. The dominant voice seems to be that of painters who habitually reflect upon their position as artists – those whose work emerges from inner impulses. Perhaps this makes them more convincing as creators?

Participants: Stanislav Antipov (1976), Paul Beaudoin (1960), Ove Büttner (1959), Jaan Elken (1954), Mauri Gross (1969), Ivi Arrak (1938), Kristiina Jakimenko (1991), Ashot Jegikjan (1955), Eva Jänes (1942), Ly Kaalma (1972), Kristiina Kaasik (1943), Liis Koger (1989), Gennadi Kurlenkov (1954), Maret Suurmets Kuura (1982), Anna Kõuhkna (1994), Mati Kütt (1947), Tarrvi Laamann (1973), Laurentsiust (Lauri Sillak,1969), Eneli Luiga (1994), Ene Luik-Mudist (1959), Helle Lõhmus (1962), Anne Moggom (1957), Lilian Mosolainen (1961), Marju Must (1987), Marko Mäetamm (1965), Karl Kristjan Nagel (1977), Ulvi Oro (1971), Tiiu Pallo-Vaik (1941), Anne Parmasto (1952), Per William Petersen (1955), Sirje Petersen (1959), Lii Pähkel (1969), Saima Randjärv (1954), Tiiu Rebane (1970), Piret Rohusaar (1961), Mari Roosvalt (1945), Uno Roosvalt (1941), Rait Rosin (1981), Leho Rubis (1975), Andrus Rõuk (1957), Toomas Sarapuu (1994), Karin Strohm (1986), Kuzja Zverev (1961), Karl-Erik Talvet (1991), Tiina Tammetalu (1961), Jane Tiidelepp (1971), Margus Sorge Tiitsmaa (1963), Maris Tuuling (1968).

Curator and exhibition designer: Jaan Elken.

In collaboration with: Tiiu Rebane (EML), Linda Elken, Riin Pallon (RCCCA).

Thanks to: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Development Fund of Rapla municipalities

Some 50 artworks from the homes of Rotary Club members have found their way into this exhibition: paintings, watercolours and prints by authors such as Jüri Arrak, Malle Leis, Andrei Jegorov, Olev Soans, Evald Okas, Heitti Polli, Tõnis Laanemaa. In the words of club member Ruve Schank, the Rapla Rotary club calls for a deeper appreciation of art, including art that has found its way into homes. A good artwork can often give us energy for the day, or help us alleviate daily stress. 

Art may have its purposes within itself, or express a political standpoint, but in a domestic setting, we look for the kind of art which brings pleasure – and so, the current collection is mostly made up of landscapes, still lives and nudes, plus some portraits, and prints by Soans and Kaljo Põllu. 

Curator and exhibition designer: Valter Uusberg.
Graphic design: Kati Kerstna.

The Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art presents:

SLOW LIGHT
An exhibition of glass & light objects
with spatial sound and moving lighting design

https://kultuur.err.ee/1162396/raplamaa-kaasaegse-kunsti-keskuses-uuritakse-klaasikunstnike-uudisloomingut
https://www.ohtuleht.ee/1018451/galerii-raplas-avati-klaasist-valgusobjektide-naitus?fbclid=IwAR0XHHCV9WDpTAtVsWEDJS-IHSDSdiq2YH73QAUMKG5QZfutmA-Ey1vVYKU

Light travels slowly on the Disc and is slightly heavy, with a tendency to pile up against high mountain ranges. Research wizards have speculated that there is another, much speedier type of light which allows the slower light to
be seen, but since this moves too fast to see they have been unable to find a use for it.

When light encounters a strong magical field it loses all sense of urgency. It slows right down. And on the
Discworld the magic was embarrassingly strong, which meant that the soft yellow light of dawn flowed over the sleeping landscape like the caress of a gentle lover or, as some would have it, like golden syrup.

Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.

Terry Pratchett

The Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art finalises its 10th anniversary programme with an international exhibition of glass & light objects titled Slow Light. A “living” display where luminous objects move in the dark space, casting shadows, reflections and surreal images. Others stay still, with only a pulsating inner luminescence revealing their hidden facets. Light and sound connect the pieces into a unified, abstract spectacle, where every work plays a role.

The exhibition offers an exciting gamut of ideas and techniques. Participating artists – celebrated internationally and locally – each have developed a unique vision and handwriting.

The year 2020, with its unexpected developments, has made us contemplate our environment and humanity from new angles. The works, most of which were created specially for the occasion, display both humour and wistfulness, but also deeper perceptions and reflections.

Participants:

Sofi Aršas, Piret Ellamaa, Merle Kannus, Erki Kannus, Kati Kerstna, Kai Kiudsoo-Värv , Eve Koha, Kai Koppel, Marilin Kristjuhan, Kairi Orgusaar, Aleksandra Pavlenkova, Rait Prääts, Birgit Pählapuu, Kateriin Rikken, Maret Sarapu, Eili Soon , Aivar Tõnso, Kristiina Uslar (Estonia), Torsten Rötzsch, Simone Fezer (Germany), Marta Gibiete (Latvia).

Curator: Kairi Orgusaar.

Exhibition, lighting and graphic design: Kati Kerstna.

Sound composition: Aivar Tõnso.

Opening Nov. 20.at18.00
The Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art, Tallinna mnt. 3b, Rapla.
Open Nov. 21– Dec. 13, Tue-Sun 15.00 – 18.00.
Closed on Mondays.

Sponsored by:

Cultural Endowment of Estonia, CEE Rapla County expert group, Rapla Parish, Rapla County Municipalities’ Development Foundation.

Johanna Mudist
Timetraveller
16.10-01.11.2020

The main focus of the paintings is the human and the nature surrounding it. The third important component, besides the body and the place, is time. Benjamin Franklin has said „Do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made out of.“

In my work I do not deal with the agreed-upon time, but rather with psychological time, which we perceive when we experience waiting. When waiting, the perception of time changes, it broadens – it is a condition where the body is in the present, but the thought has already travelled elsewhere, to the potential future. This state is externally static, but internally anxiously intense. In my paintings, time is an element in which people are seemingly stuck, it is something that isolates and incarcerates.

In the paintings, the characters let the experience of silence, time and place sacrally run through themselves. Some figures are passively waiting for the tides or the wind, others have embarked on a quiet journey to find the way to a better past of future. They are wandering in a bit dreamlike, impossible situations and places. The paintings describe the destination of the the journey or the journey itself

You are welcome to the opening of the painting exhibition “Blue“ in Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art 28.08.2020 at 18.00.
Participating Maiu Albo, Mikk Allas, Lilith Holweg, Veranika Matukevitš, Heli Oksvort, Karin Polluks, Mari Põld, Marve Reede, Aire Rosenfeldt, Olga Sokk, Ave Tislar, Eteri Tõlgo, Marge Vonk.
This year’s theme of the exhibition is inspired by the color blue, which has also been considered a carrier of truth, contemplation and serenity. Every student interested in art has approached the topic from their own angle, giving the shade and nuances of the blue tone.
Some of the participants in the exhibition are already experienced artists, for whom it is already in several exhibitions, while others are just starting their first works.
The exhibition will be open 29.08-13.09.2020, Tue-Fri at 15.00-18.00 in Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art (closed on Monday).