Cordouan’s Glow at Tahkuna Lighthouse

The year 2024 is dedicated to art in Hiiumaa. From the Enn Kunila Art Collection there will be held two exhibitions in Kärdla: Konrad Mägi and His Peers in the Long House of the Hiiumaa Museum and Olev Subbi’s Nudes in the Cultural Centre of Kärdla. At the exhibition Konrad Mägi and His Peers are displayed works by Konrad Mägi (1878–1925) and his peers, i.e. artists who were active around the same time as Mägi and had a similar life experience. They were all born in the second half of the 19th century, when the Estonian national culture was beginning to establish its course, and they evolved into the first generation of modernists, who focussed on the intrinsic values of painting, primarily colour. They made joint efforts to develop the local art scene, but were at the same time truly open to international art. They travelled a lot, bringing back not only impressions of art, but newly discovered motifs, too. There is a closeness to nature and a yearning for harmony in their perception of life, but the more radical avant-garde trends remained quite alien and distant to them. They were linked through personal connections ranging from close friendships to…

Exhibition: March 1st to June 13th 2024. The Beauty of Seats Sitting is said to be the body’s state of rest. Any surface or object can serve as a seat – be it a stone or stump, a log, a plank, or a box. In order for sitting to feel comfortable and practical, humans have invented and produced many different types of seats. Hiiumaa Museum’s collection includes several pieces of furniture designed for sitting. This exhibition primarily showcases homemade benches and rocking chairs. Some examples of factory-made work have also found their place in the display. To create diversity, we have also included chairs typical of one era or another. Unfortunately, the names of many furniture makers are no longer known, but their craftsmanship remains a source of joy for us. THE LONG HOUSE

Exhibition: April 12th to June 16th 2024. Kaljo Põllu was born in 1934 in Kopa village in Hiiumaa. He entered the Estonian art scene in 1962 as a glass artist but soon became known for his powerful graphic series on Finno-Ugric themes, such as The Primaeval Ones, Illumination, and others. Between 1998 and 2001, Kaljo Põllu completed an entire series of paintings based on various signs and ornaments. These symbols and images have accompanied humankind since the beginning of time. And, most importantly, such ornaments can be found in the cultures of many peoples. This is undoubtedly a particularly colourful series, which in a way summarises the artist’s quest for the origins of folk culture. Each work is accompanied by a photo collage that explores or expands on its meaning. It is this very exhibition that confirms that the artist is kind of a collector of visual folk culture, as Riin Kübarsepp once described him. THE LONG HOUSE