In addition to the works of 35 different artists, the international art fair Foto Tallinn, taking place at Kai Art Center from September 6 to 8, will introduce diverse discussions and guided tours with artists, art collectors, and internationally recognized experts. The topics featured in the programme aim to create a dialogue with the situations that affect us daily, offer experiences, and create space for thought even for the discerning art lover.
The eleventh edition of the international photographic art fair Foto Tallinn will create a multi-levelly perceptible space in the Kai Art Center from September 6 to 8th. The fair features diverse works by 35 artists; it is possible to meet and chat with the artists, see a programme of artist films, and participate in panel discussions and guided tours, providing a more in-depth insight into the various topics researched by the artists. “I am confident that this year’s programme of Foto Tallinn will offer experiences, food for thought and new discoveries both for people who are passionate about current topics, art collectors and professionals in the field,” comments Kadi-Ell Tähiste, main organizer of Foto Tallinn, on the upcoming multifaceted fair and its detailed programme.
During three days, the audience can participate in guided and curatorial tours, at the end of which pop-up talks with artists will take place. The guided tours are conducted by Isabella van Marle, curator of the photo art fair, Brendan Embser, senior editor of the New York-based publishing house Aperture and Foto Tallinn 2024 jury member, and Laura Arum-Lääts, head of educational programs at the Kai Art Center. At the end of each tour, the visitors are invited to enjoy a pop-up talk with one artist represented at the fair: Riina Varol (EE), András Ladocsi (HU/FR), Kristina Õllek (EE), Ruudu Ulas (EE), Birgit Püve (EE), Daniel Wagener (LU/BE) and with gallerist Marina Russakova presenting the works of David Fathi (FR).
The tours are complemented by comprehensive and boundary-pushing panel discussions, toucing upon topics like freedom, future-proof art events in the urban environment, family memories, and cross-generational nostalgia. Artists Charles Thiefane (FR/IQ) and Maria Kapajeva (EE/UK) discuss the current and ever-important topic of freedom in the panel The Borders of Freedom, while the questions What Can a Biennial Do for a City? What Should a Biennial Do for an Artist? are dissected by Katherin Ryckman Siegwarth, excecutive director of the Cincinnati-based FotoFocus biennial, Vita Liberte, art collector, diplomat and the founder of the VV Foundation (LV), and Marge Monko, an artist, professor of the Estonian Academy of Arts and co-founder of Tallinn Photomonth Biennial. Artists Tomas Raul Aphalo (FI/AR), Sander Coers (NL), and Triin Kerge (EE/IT) will talk about the role of memories in the discussion The Closest We Will Get. The talks will be moderated by Isabella van Marle, Karin Laansoo, and Brendan Embser.
In addition to the thought-provoking conversations and tours, curator and art agent Lilian Hiob will conduct a short lecture The ABCs of Collecting Photographic Art, and art collector, radio, and TV journalist Neeme Raud will present his favourites from the selection of this year’s fair on a special tour. The busy fair schedule’s grand finale is an artists’ film programme, put together by FOKU board member and the artistic director of the Tallinn Photomonth Biennial, Kulla Laas.
Foto Tallinn 2024 full programme can be found here: https://www.fototallinn.ee/programm/
An overview of the artists, galleries, and artists’ associations represented at this year’s art fair can be found here: https://www.fototallinn.ee/osalejad/
Foto Tallinn 2024 will take place from September 6 to 8 at the Kai Art Center on Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 20:00 and Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00.
Foto Tallinn is a biannual international photographic art fair that presents the latest contemporary photography selected by a professional jury and creates an opportunity for the art audience to see, buy, and collect fresh photographic art. For professionals in the field, Foto Tallinn offers a platform for collaboration and discussion, meetings with the art audience, and the presentation of their work to art enthusiasts. Curated tours, meetings with artists, lectures and seminars, book presentations, and much more will take place within the framework of the fair. The curator of Foto Tallinn 2024 is Isabella van Marle, and the main organizers are Helen Melesk and Kadi-Ell Tähiste. The fair is organized by Foto Tallinn, the Estonian Union of Photography Artists and the Estonian Contemporary Art Development Center. This year, the 11th edition of the photographic art fair will take place September 6-8 at the Kai Art Center.
The fair is supported by Artproof, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, DHL Express, Sunly, Tallinn Culture & Sports Department and co-funded by the European Union.
