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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 12:47

Operative Archive - redux of the Baltic Pavilion opens in Tallinn

BC, Tallinn, 13.03.2017.Print version
A concentrate of The Baltic Pavilion – a joint exhibition that represented Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition, la Biennale di Venezia 2016 – is now on display in Tallinn at the Design and Architecture Gallery.

"Operative Archive", the exhibition differs from what was displayed in Venice in both scale and structure. The Venice joint exposition of three Baltic states used an entire sports hall and presented 87 exhibits, filling 2000 square meters. The travelling version presented in Tallinn is composed with the local audience in mind: it showcases mostly the works of Estonian architects and artists who participated in the Baltic Pavilion project in Venice and provides context to understand the context of the exhibition project. The exhibition will remain open until March 19th. 

The Baltic Pavilion in Venice explored the built environment of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – cities, rural areas, industrial as well as natural landscapes – as a shared space of ideas and projects. The exposition focussed on the achievements and efforts of three states and their societies rearranging their inert infrastructure, landscapes and cities, intertwined with the past. There are transformative efforts at play which are reprogramming an inert region beyond the delineations of separate nation-states. Recent geopolitical developments around the Baltic States have created a sense of urgency in the initiation of new spatial practices that unite the region and underpin the foundations of the European Union.

The architects and artists participating in the Operative Archive include Anu Vahtra (with Ralf Lõoke, Maarja Kask and Neeme Külm), Leonhard Lapin, Tõnis Vint, Ivar Veermäe, 3+1 Arhitektid, architecture office Pluss, Maros Krivy and Agata Marzecova, KTA Arhitektid, Laura Linsi and Roland Reemaa. The exhibition in Tallinn also displays a small model of the Arsenale sports hall used for the Baltic Pavilion in Venice, as the choice of venue was lauded by visitors and critics alike. 

The Baltic Pavilion in Venice was explored by 31000 visitors from end of May to end of November in 2016, raised a lot of international interest in architecture media and was selected by Google Cultural Institute as one of the exhibitions now displayed virtually as part of their collection. 

Curators: Kārlis Bērziņš, Jurga Daubaraitė, Petras Išora, Ona Lozuraitytė, Niklāvs Paegle, Dagnija Smilga, Johan Tali, Laila Zariņa, Jonas Žukauskas

Commissioners: Raul Järg (EE), Jānis Dripe (LV), Ona Lozuraitytė (LT), Jonas Žukauskas (LT)

Producers: Architecture Fund, Estonian Centre of Architecture

Supported by: the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Estonia Ministry of Culture, Estonian Cultural Endowment






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