Nordic Art Week in Parnu takes off on Friday!
On Friday, July 22, the Nordic Art Week begins in Pärnu, which brings the artworks of Estonian and Nordic artists to the streets of the Estonian summer capital and Pärnu Culture City. The festival program includes ours at exhibitions, outstanding concerts, performances and a film program.
The central theme of the art week is “Soul and Soullessness” and under the direction of the curator, Norwegian-born artist Marita Isobel Solberg (MaRa) explores our nature - what we really are and what the time in which we live. “Being inspired by the old song traditions of the north, we take the the audience on a creative, hypnotic and intuitive journey that creates permanent vibrations in the human consciousness,” explains the curator.
According to Andra Orn, one of the festival’s organisers and leader of the art environment NOBA.ac, the focus of the art week in the Nordic countries is to search for our essence and belonging in the interweaving of culture, traditions and nature. The central theme reflects our need to be a part of something bigger against the backdrop of world-changing events in recent years.
“I hope that the audience will find events in the art week’s program that will give them food for thought to understand themselves more broadly through culture. Art Week provides a great opportunity to go out with the family to enjoy the culture and summer in Pärnu and experience something new and exciting! The program includes events focused on traditional art, such as a bicycle tour through exhibition venues or the Great Art Day and Art Market, as well as something interesting for those looking for a more extreme experience in the form of the legendary performing arts Diverse Universe festival. Most of the events of the art week are for free, except the concerts introducing the top sound art at the international level, that have a 10-euro ticket.”
The Nordic Art Week starts on Friday with a traditional bicycle tour through the galleries of the summer capital. The gathering will take place in front of the Endla Theater at 5:00 p.m., where there will be a tour at the painting and graphic exhibition “Vibrations” with the artist Tarrvi Laamann. The tour will continue at “Man & Woman: Sleep” exhibition - a milestone of the local art scene at Pärnu New Art Museum (Rüütli 40a, Pärnu). The tour then leads to Pärnu City Gallery Artists’ House and Town Hall exhibitions, then at the Piilur gallery and ends at Pärnu Culture Centre, where the cyclists can take a look at the artists’ studios and the installation park. The bike tour is free; you can join at any stop.
The opening day of Art Week ends at the Pärnu Culture Center with the legendarily raucous Diverse Universe Performance Festival, where, in addition to local artists and the Non Grata performance group, artists from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania and Mexico will perform. In addition, there will be a poetry performance by Jürgen Rooste, Kalev Vapper and Anu Jalas “The Prayer of the Black and White Wolfmen”, dedicated to the late artist Andrus Joonas.
On Saturday, the program of the art week continues in the Pärnu Culture Center with the well-known Great Art Day and Art Market, which offers an opportunity to immerse in art and culture - artists, art institutions and galleries present their works, performances and musical performances take place as well as exciting workshops and lively meetings with artists. From the Art Market, you can buy artworks in the smaller format directly from the artists themselves.
Pärnu Art Week (22-30 July 2022) introduces the latest trends in the art landscape, and the work of Estonian and Nordic artists while offering educational entertainment for the whole family. In addition to local artists the festivals presents the artworks by Roi Vaara, Irma Optimisti, Michel Ruths, Janika Herlevi, Jyrki Riekki, Aarno Rankka, Juho Pösilö Pöysti and Risto Puurunen from Finland, Marita Solberg, Trond Ansten, Steinar Stensen, Arnfinn Killingtveit and Isabella Vik from Norway, Morgan Schagerberg, Erik Nilsson, Ketter Raudmets and Peter Rosvik from Seden, Rasmus Dano, Lars Grenaae, Hanne Ravn from Denmark, Magnús Logi Kristinsson from Iceland and Hansina Iversen from Faroe islands.
The history of the art weeks goes back decades, but since 2016 it has been under the leadership of the Nordic Baltic Art Center NOBA and this year in cooperation with Loovlinnak MTÜ.
