Programme
Friday 06.09
Guided tour with Laura Arum-Lääts (in Estonian). 15-minute talk with Riina Varol
Tour group gathers at the entrance of the fair. The tour ends with a 15-minute talk with artist Riina Varol.
Panel Discussion: The Borders of Freedom
A Conversation with Charles Thiefaine and Maria Kapajeva.
Moderated by Isabella van Marle.
At Kai Art Center’s auditorium. The discussion is held in English.
What does it mean when living in freedom is no longer a guarantee? What does it take to leave one’s homeland, in search of a better future? This conversation addresses the meaning of freedom in today’s world, as well as the political and geographical structures that shape privilege. Through diverse approaches – and working with migrant communities in different parts of the world – Charles Thiefaine and Maria Kapajeva explore the meaning of borders, the power of nature and the human ability to adapt to new environments.
Charles Thiefaine (FR/IQ, b. 1991) is an artist based between France and the Middle-East, offering new perspectives on conflict territories.
Maria Kapajeva (EE/UK, b. 1976) is an Estonian artist who works between the UK and Estonia; her work explores ideas of fluid borders as spaces of freedom, creating cyanotypes on fabric with groups of Ukrainian women and Russian artists who fled their homes after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Isabella van Marle is an independent curator, among others of Foto Tallinn 2021, 2024 and group exhibition Essential Goods, Kyiv (2024).
Guided tour with Foto Tallinn 2024 jury member Brendan Embser (in English). 15-minute talk with András Ladocsi
Tour group gathers at the entrance of the fair. The tour ends with a 15-minute talk with artist András Ladocsi.
Panel Discussion: What Can a Biennial Do for a City? What Should a Biennial Do for an Artist?
A Conversation with Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth, Vita Liberte and Marge Monko.
Moderated by Karin Laansoo.
At Kai Art Center’s auditorium. The discussion is held in English.
Is the biennial model of creating interest in cities and regions with global aspirations still future-proof? How can these large-scale events with often ephemeral organizations and changing artistic teams have a lasting impact in their host cities? Where is a good balance between participating international and local artists? Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth, Vita Liberte, and Marge Monko take a deep dive into biennials in Cincinnati, Riga, and Tallinn.
Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth is the Executive Director of FotoFocus, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit dedicated to championing lens-based art.
Vita Liberte is a collector, diplomat, and founder of VV Foundation.
Marge Monko is an artist, professor at Estonian Academy of Arts and co-founder of Tallinn Photomonth Biennial.
Karin Laansoo, a member of Foto Tallinn 2024 jury, is the Executive Director and board member of the Estonian Contemporary Art Development Center (ECADC) and Artistic Director of Kai Art Center.
Saturday 07.09
Guided tour with Laura Arum-Lääts (in Estonian). 15-minute talk with Kristina Õllek (Tütar Gallery)
Tour group gathers at the entrance of the fair. The tour ends with a 15-minute talk with artist Kristina Õllek presented by Tütar Gallery.
Curator’s tour with Isabella van Marle (in English). 15-minute talk with Ruudu Ulas
Tour group gathers at the entrance of the fair. The tour ends with a 15-minute talk with artist Ruudu Ulas.
Tour and lecture ‘The ABCs of Collecting Photographic Art’ with Lilian Hiob (in Estonian)
Tour group gathers at the entrance of the fair.
The special tour and short lecture The ABCs of Collecting Photographic Art introduces the principles to follow when collecting contemporary art, with a focus on photographic art. It highlights the unique characteristics of editioned art (e.g. photography, graphics, collectible objects) and points out important aspects to consider when acquiring editioned works. The lecture discusses the role and operational logic of art fairs, as well as other art world institutions. The ABCs of Collecting Photographic Art also provides an overview of the displays by artists and galleries participating in Foto Tallinn 2024.
Lilian Hiob is a curator and an art agent who has worked as the gallery manager at Temnikova & Kasela Gallery and who is the founder of an independent gallery Hoib.
Birgit Püve in conversation with Isabella van Marle
At Birgit Püve’s fair display.
The conversation is held in English.
The conversation between artist Birgit Püve and Foto Tallinn 2024 curator Isabella van Marle focuses on Püve’s project Ihidaya which was produced during an artist residency in Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains. In this series, the artist investigates how mental landscapes are shaped by the surrounding environment – and vice versa.
Birgit Püve (EE, b. 1978) is a visual artist and arts educator based in Estonia. She holds an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Tartu. In her work, Püve focuses primarily on the exploration of memory and identity through the photographic medium, as well as through video, sound and text.
Panel Discussion: The Closest We Will Get
A Conversation with Tomas Raul Aphalo, Sander Coers, and Triin Kerge.
Moderated by Brendan Embser.
At Kai Art Center’s auditorium. The discussion is held in English.
How do the memories and mysteries imparted by family pictures influence photographers looking to define a sense of self? Can technology recover gaps in time lost to history? In this conversation, Tomas Raul Aphalo, Sander Coers, and Triin Kerge explore the authenticity of memory—and the intergenerational power of nostalgia—through their uses of collage, text, archives, or AI in projects that span decades and continents.
Tomas Raul Aphalo (FI/AR, b. 1996) is a Finnish-Argentinian visual artist who brings together personal archives, text, and his own images to tell a story about cultural identity.
Sander Coers (NL, b. 1997) is an artist working with photography based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, who uses AI to generate missing links in his family history.
Triin Kerge (EE/IT, b. 1986) is an Estonian artist living between Tallinn and Venice who uses embroidery and craft to evoke the passage of time.
Brendan Embser is a member of the Foto Tallinn 2024 jury and a senior editor at Aperture in New York.
Sunday 08.09
Special tour with Neeme Raud (in Estonian)
The tour is ticketed separately and requires pre-registration. More info here.
Special before-opening-hours tour with journalist and art collector Neeme Raud.
Neeme will talk about how his interest in collecting photographic art began, how he selects works for his collection, and which artists have caught his eye in this year’s Foto Tallinn selection.
Neeme Raud is a freelance radio and television journalist and a contemporary art collector.
Curator’s tour with Isabella van Marle (in English). 15-minute talk with Marina Russakova (PUNCTUM Gallery)
Tour group gathers at the entrance of the fair. The tour ends with a 15-minute talk with gallerist Marina Russakova (PUNCTUM Gallery) who will introduce works by artist David Fathi.
Guided tour (in Estonian) with Laura Arum-Lääts. 15-minute talk with Daniel Wagener (Valerius Gallery)
Tour group gathers at the entrance of the fair. The tour ends with a 15-minute talk with artist Daniel Wagener presented by Valerius Gallery.
FOKU presents: Artist film programme
Films by artists Marge Monko, Taavi Talve, Ingel Vaikla, Ivar Veermäe and Diana Tamane.
The programme is curated by Kulla Laas.
At Kai Art Center’s auditorium.
FOKU (Estonian Union of Photography Artists) presents a fresh and diverse artist film screening programme, put together especially for Foto Tallinn 2024. The selection includes the latest films by local artists, combined with film or video works by artists participating in the fair. The program features various artistic approaches to the short film format, allowing audiences to experience both more challenging and traditional ways of storytelling through moving images.
Films featured in the programme:
Marge Monko (EE) White Ship (2024, premiere)
Taavi Talve (EE) Documented Points of View (2022)
Ingel Vaikla (EE/BE) Moi aussi, je regarde (2024, Estonian premiere)
Ivar Veermäe (EE/DE) Habitat (2019-2022)
Diana Tamane (LV/EE) Under the Same Sky (2021)
FOKU is a support platform and representative voice for professional artists primarily engaged in camera-based art. The association’s goal is to promote and develop contemporary art, increase interest in visual culture, and enhance the recognition of Estonian artists both locally and internationally. FOKU’s most extensive activity is leading the Tallinn Photomonth international contemporary art biennial. In 2010, FOKU also initiated Estonia’s first art fair – the Estonian Photographic Art Fair, which has since evolved into Foto Tallinn art fair.
Kulla Laas is the board member of FOKU and the Artistic Director of the Tallinn Photomonth Biennial.
The early birds can grab a Foto Tallinn fair ticket for a special price of €25 and only from presale at Fienta!