Art-events “Genius Loci. Lahemaa. Viinistu”

In the beautiful setting in the Lahemaa National Park in and around the village Viinistu, 3 interlinked art workshops were held in August 14-18, 2017. In parallel, painters, sculptors and photographers were inspired by the idyll of small fishing villages like Viinistu, Altja, Uuri and Pärispea, lighthouses and the rugged Baltic coast with nearby Mohni island and created a wide range of art works depicting the beauty of the nature, people and the peacefulness in Lahemaa. All workshops was complemented with talks with residents and visitors, excursions and evening entertainment.

The first workshop with the titled “Genius Loci. Lahemaa. Viinistu“ was dedicated to portray Viinistu and its surroundings with pencils and brushes in painting. Under the leadership of Signe Kivi, 15 professional artists from Estonia and several other European countries worked five days at different locations and produced almost 50 great paintings which were exhibited at the last day of the workshop at a special ceremony in Viinistu art museum.

The second workshop was devoted to sculpture and land art “Genius Loci. Viinistu“. The aim of the art event was to capture the spirit of Northern Estonian coastal village Viinistu and to express it in their familiar art language, be it sculpture, land art or installation. 15 international sculptors with curators Teet Veispak and Otso Kantokorpi made a number of ephemeral or monumental sculptures. Finnish sculptors created 3 works specifically related to Viinistu and Estonians installed theirs on the coast. The workshop ended with an exhibition of created art works and special art performance “Genius Loci“ for the wider public.

And finally, the third workshop united professional photographers under the motto: “Genius Loci. Viinistu. Lahemaa“. In the form of a photo expedition led by curator Toomas Tuul, they explored the area in order to capture the spirit of Lahemaa – its nature, people and village life through the lens of a camera. Every photographer had its own unique point of view, personal approach and concept to do that. During five days they moved around Lahemaa in different places together with local people. 15 photographers had a chance to present themselves and their works as well as to give photography workshops to the interested public over Lahemaa villages.

Toomas Tuul made photos of all three workshops and art works. From each workshop, some stayed in Viinistu and are exhibited in Viinistu art museum. Furthermore, in September 2017 a special exhibition was organized in the passenger hall of the Tallinn Main Railway Station.

Posted by: Svetlana Belova, September, 18, 2017