Event Guide

ESTONIA

Open till August 05, Viktorija Rybakova’s Solo Exhibition “Skinship”, City Gallery, Tallinn

Rybakova, who is the winner of the Grand Prix of the previous Tallinn Print Triennial, is interested in the diversity, amplitude, and instability of human sexuality. Featuring works made in the past few years, “Skinship” originally started as a research project in 2016 at the Jan Van Eyck Academie in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The exhibition that includes text pieces, media works, ceramics and custom-made furniture, focuses on the theme of emotional intelligence, and a sense of pleasure that electrifies the universe. Rybakova sees sexuality as a call to a complex inner life, a need for connection beyond one’s own body. Once our hearts start beating at around the 22nd day of our existence, they give the first visible signs of life, and therefore of a deep inner complexity that is hard to define with words. No other emotion gives a more heightened feeling than the sense of sexual energy that links us with everything that is. The exhibition is part of the main program of the 17th Tallinn Print Triennial and is co-organized by the Foundation Tallinn Print Triennial and Tallinn Art Hall. The admission is free. For more information please go to www.kunstihoone.ee/en/programme/viktorija-rybakova-skinship.

Open till August 10, Festival “Summer Aria. Synthesis of the Arts”, Pärnu

Summer Aria is a unique music theatre festival of the summer capital. Summer Aria 2018 focuses on singers and, more generally, on vocal art. The aim of the festival is to bring vibrant and inspiring vocal music from different times to listeners. Performances take place in the evenings in Pärnu Elisabeth church. The atmosphere of the nights is spell-binding. The mixture of well-known opera arias, surprising and innovative sounds from contemporary composers and excellent acoustics make the experience of mystical whole unforgettable. Summer Aria is special for everyone who seeks an inspiring artistic enjoyment. All official festival information is available at www.ooper.parnu.ee 

August 03-05, Tartu Food and Wine Festival, Tartu

The Tartu Food and Wine Festival offers authentic Estonian flavors from small producers and pop-up restaurants in South-Estonia, as well as a rich selection of wines. Guests can participate in open tastings and get advice from the best Estonian sommeliers. In addition to the food and wine, there is an entertainment program for the whole family, a unique gourmet dinner, home cafes in the city districts, a night promenade by the Emajõgi, an area for children, and much more. For full information on the festival please visit www.maitsevtartu.ee/en

August 05-11, Pärnu Music Festival, Pärnu

Pärnu Music Festival and Järvi Academy will continue the fine tradition of musical festivals in Pärnu that has been established over the decades. Pärnu Music Festival is primarily focused on orchestral music, and the main carrier of this concept is the special world-class Estonian Festival Orchestra. The musicians of the orchestra are high-level professionals from all over the world. Furthermore, the festival presents brilliant soloists, who will perform with the orchestra and also as chamber musicians. The other important aspect of the festival is the teaching – Järvi Academy offers musical education for young musicians via master classes, which are mainly carried out by the same interpreters who perform at the festival. For more information on the Festival please go to www.parnumusicfestival.ee/en 

Open till August 13, Jewelry Exhibition “MIND + MAP”, A-Gallery, Tallinn

Sanna Nuutinen and Kaisa Vuorinen have placed tiny pieces of jewelry on the streets of Tallinn. The route starts from the harbor terminal and ends on Pikk Street, near A-Gallery. The exhibition will remain open till August 13. This exhibition is about minds and maps. The authors have thought about Tallinn and their relationship with the city. Having been to Tallinn many times, they are now going to explore the city from the point of viewpoint of jewelry artists’ and look for places representative of it. In addition, they will be hiding some jewelry on the streets of Tallinn. These hidden pieces will be tiny, but visible, and you will either need a map or hints to find them. The jewelry will lead you to A-Gallery. You can find the places by looking at the photos in the exhibition. It will be interesting to see how long the jewelry remains on the streets. Please visit the gallery’s homepage www.agalerii.ee/en for more information on the exhibition.

August 13-18, Tartu Love Film Festival “tARTuFF”, Town Hall Square, Tartu

Tartu Love Film Festival tARTuFF, organized by the Black Nights Film Festival, takes place in Tartu Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats) where the guests can enjoy films on the big screen set up specifically for the occasion. A total of 11 films about love will be shown on the giant outdoor screen in six days. In addition, documentaries are to be shown in the Athena Center. The film program is supported by discussions and lectures during the day. All screenings are free of charge. The daily activities are also intended for children. Find out more at www.2018.tartuff.ee/en 

LATVIA

August 03-05, International Music Festival “Laba Daba”, Ratnieki, Ligatne Parish

The International Music Festival Laba Daba celebrates its 10th anniversary from August 3 to 5, offering an extensive musical program on six stages and gathering more than 70 musical unions and DJs. Musicians from more than 10 countries, for example, “Múm” from Iceland and the band “Inner Circle” from Jamaica will perform in the anniversary year. The anniversary ambience of Laba Daba is expected to be splendid and full of bountiful moods, because every band is worth its story. It is best to learn about them by visiting the festival and giving in to the musical experience in the open air. The tent town will be arranged in the beautiful territory of the festival – apple garden and its fee is included in the ticket price (tickets can be purchased online via www.bilesuserviss.lv). Children up to 13 years (including) do not need tickets. More information about the musical program, creative and sports activities, attractions, theatre and the cinema program is available at the festival’s homepage www.labadaba.lv and social media Facebook and Instagram.

August 04-05, Contemporary Crafts Festival, Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, Riga

The August festival invites masters of Latvian arts and crafts who apply a variety of methods and materials. Involved in their production of goods are not only crafts skills, but also elements of technology development and modern design. The crafts combine the beautiful with the useful: artistic individuality, crafts skills and mercantile wisdom. The products represented at the festival have to reflect the demand of modern society for unique products and at the same time to show alternatives to uniform mass products. Guests from the Baltic Sea Region will participate in the festival. Food products and catering services of the festival include modern and creative variations of the traditional Latvian cuisine and the cuisine of other nations living in Latvia. A wide choice is available to guests. Also, for the fourth year, the Open-Air Museum will gather amateur theatre groups coming from small towns and parishes of all regions of Latvia. Performances will take place both indoors and outdoors, on fields and in other places during the two days, offering almost 30 performances. Full information can be found at www.brivdabasmuzejs.lv. 

Open till August 05, Art Nouveau Exhibition “It’s Beginnings, Influences and Original Nature”, Art Museum Riga Bourse, Riga

This exhibition is a story about the brightest expressions of Art Nouveau in Europe, as visualized through painting, graphics, sculpture and the decorative arts. It marks out the beginnings, the roots and the flourishing of this style in Europe, allowing one to sense the originality of Latvian Art Nouveau more clearly, as well as showing the most prominent achievements from Art Nouveau metropolises. The exhibition is a coming together of different national schools with the goal of allowing its viewers to discover similarities, influences and differences on their own. Latvia stands out against the rest of the world’s mass of art and styles for its original Art Nouveau heritage. The rapid development of the largest Baltic metropolis, Riga, at the turn of the 20th century, stimulated creative expression in the fantasies of architects, who developed the Art Nouveau idea in decoratively rich facade design, colorful interiors and the harmony of the overall image. Even though the Art Nouveau of Riga is undeniably original and splendid, its roots and concept are deeply connected with processes in the other European countries. Find out more at www.lnmm.lv 

August 07, Bach, Mahler, Milhaud Concert by Orchestra RIGA, Dome Cathedral, Riga

The concert program offers Johann Sebastian Bach's pieces, including Toccata d-moll BWV 538 performed on the unique organ of the Riga Dome and Chaconne performed by Orchestra RIGA, and also Suite Francaise composed by French composer Darius Milhaud in 1944, as well as the Finale from Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, which the composer himself has named “What Love Tells Me”, describing God and His love. More information is available at www.orkestris.riga.lv and to buy tickets please use www.bilesuparadize.lv web site.

August 09-15, International Music Festival “Summertime” by Inese Galante & Friends, Dzintari Concert Hall, Jurmala

The Summertime festival, hosted by the Latvian opera diva Inese Galante, invites all music lovers for a week-long festival, featuring music stars from Latvia and around the world. The festival also highlights up and coming talents, as well as helps to educate the next generation of musicians. The festival’s special atmosphere is ensured by the involvement of patroness Inese Galante, who is actively involved in many aspects of the festival. Summertime festival has always been a welcoming one for all – both for the performing artists, as well as the audience. Full information on the festival is available at www.festivalsummertime.com and to buy tickets please use www.bilesuparadize.lv web site.

August 17-19, Riga Festival 2018, Vermanes Garden Park, Riga

On the nation’s centenary, this year’s Riga City Festival will feature the creative legacies of many great Latvians in the context of the country’s history and culture. As Riga celebrates its 817th anniversary, one of the more special events to take place will the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Riga Latvian Society: for three whole days Vermanes Garden Park and the Riga Society Building will turn back the pages of history, revealing to festival goers the time more than a century ago when the Riga Latvian Society was established. Cultural and historical facts, theatrical improvisations of great historical figures and open-air performances will allow Rigans and city guests to feel like they were back in the times of mid-19th century Riga. The entrance to the festival is free.

August 25, Classic Automobile Parade Retro Jurmala, Jomas Street, Jurmala

Every year, the classic automobile parade gathers vintage cars from the Baltics, Scandinavia, Western Europe, Russia and Belarus. The annual gathering of classic automobiles is an excellent opportunity to view these vintage cars from private collections, which are rarely seen driving the streets. The entrance is free for everyone. To learn more please go to www.visitjurmala.lv 

Open till August 25, Juris Germanis’ Solo Exhibition “Women and Nature”, MuseumLV, Riga

The exhibition will feature Juris Germanis’ most recent work of the past year, combining two sources of inspiration for the artist – women and nature. The artist has participated in many plein-airs over the years, grasping nature’s mood in his artwork. The artist has also always been interested in portraits, especially those of the feminine kind – women as objects of aesthetic wonder. Germanis’ work is a combination of technical virtuosity and lightness with classical painting and European art traditions. The entrance is free. To learn more please go to www.museumlv.com.

LITHUANIA 

Open till August 05, Vivace Vilnius Festival 2018, Museum of Applied Arts and Design, Vilnius

The Vivace Vilnius International Summer Music Festival was established in 2012 to provide opportunities for promising musicians to advance their studies, and also to enliven the summer season in the historic city of Vilnius with world-class performances that were accessible and free to all. Full program and other information on the 7th Vivace Vilnius Festival is available at www.vivacevilnius.org 

August 05, Concert by Rafailas Karpis and Feliksas Zakrevskis, VU Botanical Garden, Kairenai

On 05 August 2018, at 7.00 p.m., one of the most prominent opera soloists in Lithuania – tenor Rafailas Karpis will perform on the stage of the Kairėnai Summer Festival at VU Botanical Garden. The charismatic singer, together with pianist Feliksas Zakrevskis, will perform works from musicals and films of American composers of the beginning and middle of the 20th century. The concert will feature works such as “Moon River” from the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, as well as works from the musical “My Fair Lady” and “Wizard of Oz”. Tickets can be purchased online at www.tiketa.lt 

Open till August 07, Donatas Linkus’ Exhibition “Far Far Away”, SHCH Gallery, Vilnius 

The personal exhibition “Už jūrų marių/Far far away” by younger generation artist Donatas Linkus has been created specifically for the space at SHSC/ŠČ. The exhibition invites you to dive into a sea of props, to rejoice in the first instinctual impression, and encourages to travel mentally far far away. Donatas Linkus’ artistic approach is based on combining elements of kinetic sculpture and installation. The props he uses often allude to a conceptual understanding of the artwork as well as constitute an opportunity for the audience to return back to being a child. The entrance to the installation is free of charge. More information can be found on Facebook.

Open till August 12, Baltic Triennial13: Give Up the Ghost, Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius

The Baltic Triennial has historically taken place at the CAC Vilnius only. For its 13th edition, it will – for the first time – be organized and take place in Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, where the Triennial will take the form of three different chapters and include different artists. For more information please visit the gallery’s homepage www.cac.lt/en 

Open till August 25, Exhibition “Emotions”, Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema, Vilnius

There are faces that we are all used to see but when these characters undergo Asher Elharar’s translation and experience it becomes difficult to look at them again in the same way. With a very unusual work method and a rich background of artistic and multifaceted work, he takes out from the portraits he creates something else that gives each of us a chance to connect in a very personal way.

In recent years he has invested a great deal in creating a unique technique that involves the insertion of wool into fabric by a needle. He creates the painting by combining wool in different colors, thus creating a rich work using a unique color and texture that also adds a psychological aspect. The tickets cost 1.00-2.00 EUR and can be purchased at the exhibition box office.