Courses

Drawing and painting course

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Our drawing and painting course is once again waiting for art lovers!

The course consists of autumn and spring semesters. The autumn course begins with various exercises that help you draw more freely and repeat the basics of drawing, such as proportion, light, perspective, etc. At the same time, we will practice with different materials such as charcoal, graphite, pastel, inks and watercolour. We make sketches and shorter-term paintings.

The course takes place regularly every Thursday from 18:00 to 20:00.
The autumn semester starts on October 1st and ends on December 17th. Both beginners and advanced practitioners are welcome.

In the spring semester, we will focus on longer-term painting. At the end of the spring semester, there will be an exhibition.

The monthly fee for the course is 50 euros. The price of the first semester is 135 euros (discount when paying at once)
To be paid: Rapla County Contemporary Art Center MTÜ EE591010220115091017
Explanation of name, painting course, paid month or semester.

Information and registration: kairi [dot] orgusaar [at] mail [dot] ee

Exhibitions, Now open

Kairi Orgusaar & Erki Kannus in Lithuania

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On September 18, 2026, painter and glass artist Kairi Orgusaar opened her solo exhibition in Lithuania, in the gallery of the Raseiniai Cultural Centre. The exhibition is complemented by a video installation by Erki Kannus.
The exhibition will be open until October 18. Orgusaar’s paintings take the viewer to the vastness of his home village, where there is air, light and the feeling of flying. Here, experiences of nature, human beings, art history and the Nordic perception of the world meet.

The SEDNA series, which was created in collaboration with multimedia artist Erki Kannus, is based on the legend of the indigenous Greenlandic goddess of the sea. OCTARINE treats the experience of colour as visual music. SOUL LANDSCAPES takes a look at the creative women who have inspired the author in portrait form. THE FORMULA OF HARMONY examines beings whose states of mind are expressed in their changing skin colour. The watercolour portraits capture fleeting moments when the artist and model make direct contact. Kairi’s paintings convey nostalgia, flashes of thought, memories – an uninterrupted flow of consciousness with a slightly dreamlike undertone.

This exhibition celebrates the 35th anniversary of the cooperation between the twin towns of Rapla and Raseiniai. The exhibition was made possible with the help of the Raseiniai Cultural Centre, the Raseiniai Town Government and the Association of Local Authorities of Rapla County. The author would like to thank: Arunas Kazlauskas, Herbert Orgusaar, Merle Kannus.

Kairi Orgusaar (b. 1969) studied painting (BA) and glass art (MA) at the Estonian Academy of Arts, is the director of the Rapla County Contemporary Art Center and is active in the domestic and international art scene. His works can be found in the Lette Glass Museum (Germany), ETDM and private collections. Erki Kannus (b. 1958) studied art at TPI and EKA. He works in many media – painting, watercolour, glass, video, experimental music. His works can be found in the Estonian Academy of Arts and in private collections.

Coming soon, Events, Exhibitions

TIME OUT

On 2 October, painter Peeter Must will open his solo exhibition titled TIME OUT at the Rapla County. Centre for Contemporary Art. 

With the exhibition, the artist symbolically takes time off and offers the viewer an overview of his several painting periods. At the centre of Must’s colourful work is the human being, to whom the artist has given the ability to open up the viewer’s inner world in a delicate way. According to the artist, a timeout taken at the right moment allows a motivating impetus for creativity and to see more clearly what is important.

The exhibition is open 3 – 25 Oct 2026, Tue – Fri 15.00 – 18.00, Sat – Sun 12.00 – 15.00 At the Rapla County Contemporary Art Center at Tallinna mnt 3b. In Rapla

Exhibitions

Ines-Issa Villido: WHALE

Ines-Issa Villido is a sculptor and world-seeker whose works intertwine environmental themes with artistic forms. The sculpture “Venus” is created from cigarette butts, forming a strong and spatially impressive whole. The physical presence and handling of the material is important in the sculptor’s work, where a dense formal structure and a clear silhouette are born through repetitive elements. Both works “The Whale” and “Venus” combine the classical imagery with the choice of modern and eloquent material.

Locations: Särina COURTYARD and RAPLA COUNTY CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART.

Exhibitions

Helen Rekkor: MAKE SPACE

Scenography as an instantaneous event, not a finished space. Fabrics, overhead projectors, random or deliberately chosen objects, and the bodies of visitors form a constantly changing image. The visitor does not only look at the installation, but they themselves become a part of it and also a scenographer.

With a few movements, a whole world can be created. A piece of glass, lace, film, plant, hand, thread or feather placed on the surface of an overhead projector can become something completely different when projected onto the wall. Small objects create monumental opportunities to create new spaces and environments.

Usually, the audience sees ready-made scenography on stage. They do not see the thousands of choices, experiments and coincidences through which space is born.

The installation gives a person the opportunity to be an audience, a director, a scenographer and an actor at the same time. He moves the object by a millimetre, and the space changes. He steps in front of the light and becomes an image. He pulls the fabric and creates a landscape. He puts two things together and a story is born.

This experiment talks about one of the fundamental pillars of theatre – how little it really takes for the imagination to work.

Events

SÄRIN culture festival

For the eleventh time, the SÄRIN Cultural Festival invites all new and old friends to Rapla on 11–12 September to hold a memorably fun festival together! The festival is powered by five sub-programmes, which intertwine film, theatre, music, art and literature, bringing talented creators from near and far to Rapla. Here you will find sizzling joie de vivre, pleasant discussions, experiences and unexpected new favourites for both locals and visitors. SÄRIN brings together old friends and new ideas! We are waiting for you to sizzle in Rapla!

WHEN: September 11-12, 2026
TICKETS: Get a festival pass from Piletikeskus: https://piletikeskus.ee/et/e/ljy3by

PROGRAMME:  https://särin.loomebaas.ee/
TIMETABLE: https://särin.loomebaas.ee/#programm
📍 LOCATIONS: 
⚡️ BAAS Culture CLub · Tallinna mnt 5, Rapla
⚡️ Rapla County Centre for COntemporary Art · Tallinna mnt 3b, Rapla
⚡️ Rapla Cultural Centre · Tallinna mnt 17a, Rapla
⚡️ Rapla cinema · Tallinna mnt 17, Rapla
🚌 TRANSPORT AND ACCESSIBILITY:
By bus: Rapla bus station is located directly opposite BAAS.
By train: You can walk from the train station, take a shuttle bus or scooter. Accessibility: BAAS is located on the second floor and the Center for Contemporary Art on the third floor, which is why wheelchair access is limited in these rooms. Let us know your needs in advance and we will find a suitable solution together!
The SÄRIN Culture Festival is the joy of meeting, there is a buzz of creativity, there is excitement about the materialisation of something great, there is good tension and testing, it is a good way to see the people of our home region, it is a blessing that we have our own culture and we are free to create, preserve and share it! See you on September 11-12 in Rapla! Keep an eye on our activities!
WEBSITE: https://särin.loomebaas.ee/
Events, Exhibitions

Surface Poetry

You are welcome to the opening of the painting exhibition “Surface Poetry” on Friday, 8 May at 18:00.

Surface poetry is born where the surface begins to speak in silence. Colour is no longer just Colour and image are not just images – they hint at something that remains unarticulated, but it is still perceptible. In this joint exhibition, different worlds meet: abstract rhythms, nature, man, mountains and sea. Each work is like a short text, the meaning of which is not final, but unfolds in the eyes of the viewer.

The exhibition features first-year students, advanced, alumni and professional artists of the Art Centre: Maiu Albo, Mikk Allas, Anne-Mai Heimola, Ain Jürisalu, Mai Klemmer, Eha Koit, Liina Oper, Avo Päädam, Editha Salm, Ave Tislar, Sandra Tomingas and Eteri Tõlgo.

Exhibition Design by Eteri Tõlgo.
Graphic Design by Kati Kerstna.

The exhibition is open from 9 to 24.05.2026, Tue – Fri 15.00 – 18.00, Sat – Sun 12.00 – 15.00. Rapla County Contemporary Art Center, Tallinna mnt 3b, Rapla.

Events

Jüri Arrak: exhibition tour

On the last day of the exhibition, 29 March at 14:00, everyone is welcome to take part in a small exhibition tour. The artist’s wife Kai Olivia Arrak introduces Jüri Arrak’s work and explains the background of his creative process.

The exhibition is organised in cooperation with the Women’s Nights Film Festival (NÖFF), Kai Olivia Arrak and Tokko&Arrak Gallery. The exhibition is open until 29 March. Tue – Fri 15.00 – 18.00, Sat – Sun 12.00 – 15.00. Closed on Monday.

Events, Exhibitions

Men and Women

Jüri Arrak
MEN AND WOMEN
8 – 29.03.2026

The exhibition at the Rapla County Contemporary Art Center is part of the celebration of the 90th anniversary of Jüri Arrak’s birth. The spacious and flexible exhibition hall also provides an opportunity to exhibit larger works, especially from the oil paintings, which often do not fit into every room. The prints provide an overview of the artist’s creative path and the changes in his handwriting over the decades.

The human figure with its biological nature has always had an important place in Jüri Arrak’s works, or rather, there are only a few works in which a biological figure does not appear. If it is not depicted as a human, it can be either a bird or an animal. Conditionally, women in their tenderness can also be considered birds, and men, as more vigorous, as animals. The artist has said that he has always drawn/painted human eyes for both birds and animals. At this exhibition, we can see – with our own eyes – whether this is the case.

Jüri Arrak was an artist who explored the path of humanity in his works, where he has always been accompanied by worries and joys, successes and trials, challenges and always the next and the next tasks. It is good to have someone to lean on and refuges to hide on.

The exhibition is organised in cooperation with the Women’s Nights Film Festival (NÖFF), Kai Olivia Arrak and Tokko&Arrak Gallery.

The exhibition was designed by Eteri Tõlgo. Graphic design: Kati Kerstna.

The eighth Women’s Nights Film Festival (NÖFF) will take place from 6 to 8 March at the Rapla cinema, bringing to the audience ten quality films, domestic short films, internationally acclaimed feature films, film classics and cartoons. The overarching theme of this year’s festival is “liberation” – in a personal, creative and social sense. Info: https://noff.ee/

The exhibition is open until 29 March. Tue – Fri 15.00 – 18.00, Sat – Sun 12.00 – 15.00. Closed on Monday. Exhibition opening: Saturday, March 7 at 12:00.

Info: kairi [dot] orgusaar [at] mail [dot] ee

Events

Artist talk – SENSORY FIELDS

You are welcome to attend an artist talk within the framework of Janno Bergmann’s and Leho Rubis’ exhibition “Perception Fields” at the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art on Sunday, March 1 at 14:00. The conversation will be moderated by Mathura.

For the first time, the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art  brings together two artists who have celebrated their 50th anniversary, Janno Bergmann and Leho Rubis, whose exhibition “Sensory Fields” examines the relationship between human consciousness and perception fields. Over the years, both authors have created thematically brief aesthetic worlds. It is a unique visual encounter where artists, using different technical techniques such as printmaking, photography, installation and painting, observe the relationship between human consciousness and the surrounding reality and culture. The human experience in this world can be described from the perspective of the world-perception of an intertwined genomic, cultural or empty consciousness freed from inner noise.

Janno Bergmann and Leho Rubis deal with these questions, trying to answer them not intellectually, but with the help of the central question of visual art – “how”. This means that one possible answer to the questions about our mortality, the nature of consciousness, etc., finds expression in the exhibition primarily in the complete aesthetic system created by the authors, alluding to the sacredness of existence, which is hidden in the deep layers of our own perceptual experience.

The exhibition is open 07.02 – 01.03.2026, Tue – Fri 15.00 – 18.00, Sat – Sun 12.00 – 15.00 at the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art, Tallinna mnt 3b

 

Events

Annual award 2025

On 18 February, the “Rapla County Thanks” gala took place at the Rapla Cultural Centre, where the Rapla County expert group of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the Association of Local Authorities of Rapla County awarded the 2025 awards to the outstanding cultural and sports figures of the county. One of the annual awards 2025 was awarded to Kairi Orgusaar, who was noted as an artist and leader of the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art, whose creative and dedicated activities have given the cultural life of the region a modern and inspiring face. The award was presented by ICDS colleague Eteri Tõlgo.

Coverage of the entire event: Eesti Kultuurkapital Raplamaa

Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art