28 June 202418:00 to 19:30Small Projects welcomes you to the public presentation of the curator Maria Arusoo and cultural critic and journalist, Aleksander Tsapov.
Maria Arusoo is an Estonian curator art critic and dramaturge, who has been the director of the non-profit international expert institution Estonian Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) since 2013, and commissioner of the Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennial.
A graduate of the Master in Contemporary Art Theory programme at Goldsmiths College, her recent curatorial projects include the large scale Sequences Art Festival in Iceland (2023), and the exhibition "Through the Black Gorge of your Eyes" which had a focus on Soviet period female print makers and co-curated with Eha Komissarov and Eda Tuulbergin at the Estonian Art Museum (2023). As well as the performance piece SCREAMBOX by Liisa Saaremäel produced by Kanuti Gildi Saal (2023) and the solo exhibition by Angela Maasalu "A fool with a heart of glass "at the Tartu Art House (2023).
Maria will talk about her recent projects, including "Hora Lupi", the on-going Estonian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennial, presenting the work of Edith Karlson.
Aleksander Tsapov is a journalist and cultural critic who has worked as the culture editor for the publication Müürileht for the past three years. He studied at the Estonian Academy of Arts in the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture at the Brazilian Audiovisual Institute. Before returning to Estonia, he worked in Rio de Janeiro as a post-production producer for films and TV series.
Müürileht's goal is to be an open platform where fresh thoughts, critical insights, ethical journalism, and a justified belief in the possibility of a better world can converge. As a voice of contemporary culture, Müürileht also serves as a haven for young authors, whether they are budding essayists, free thinkers, illustrators, or photographers.
Aleksander's work over the past three years as the culture editor has given him a deep insight into the soul of local media and culture, and with this experience, he eagerly accepted the new challenge of becoming the editor-in-chief.
This event is a result of the Nordic-Baltic Residency Program at Small Projects which is funded by the Nordic Culture Point. The funding for artist residencies is part of the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture, which aim to strengthen artistic and cultural cooperation in the Nordic region and the Baltic countries. The programme focuses on increasing the exchange of knowledge, contacts and interest in Nordic and Baltic art and culture. The Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme comprises three forms of funding: Mobility funding, Network funding and Funding for artist residencies.
