Review of ornaMENTAALNE

Author: Nithikul Nimkulrat

exhibition review, 2014

Initiated and organized by the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union, ornaMENTAALNE is the Tallinn Art Hall’s summer 2014 exhibition, open for public viewing from June 28 to July 27. The curators were textile artists/designers Monika Järg and Maasike Maasik, while Malle Jürgenson and Krista Lepland (interior architecture firm Laika-Belka-Strelka) were responsible for the design of the exhibition. OrnaMENTAALNE features nearly 100 works by more than 100 professional designers and artists working with different media, such as textiles, glass, ceramics, wood, metal, handicraft items, and many others, as well as expert artisans in various craft disciplines from Estonia. While the artisans are skillful and possess an inherent ability to interpret ornament and the traditions of their field of expertise, the university-educated artists and designers have sought creative inspiration from folk art for their creative work. In addition to selected artists, designers, and artisans, eight well-known Estonian artists and designers were invited to create and exhibit works they had made that are characterized by contemporary visual language but use handicrafts as the source material and means of expression within the concept of this exhibition—ornamentaalne.

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Suggested Citation: Nimkulrat, N. (2014). Review of Ornamentaalne Exhibition, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn, Estonia, 28 June-27 July 2014. Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice, 2(2), 201-208. DOI: 10.2752/205117814X14228978833574.