On May 23, four new exhibitions will open at the Tartu Art Museum.
On the first floor, the exhibition “Art & Cuisine. Culinary Stories in Art” opens, which takes visitors on a culinary-historical journey through Estonian art. On the second floor, there is a solo exhibition by Albert Gulk, “Polar Night,” full of fantastic drawings. On the third floor, visitors can explore the exhibition “Karl Pärsimägi, Ars Longa!”, focusing on the works of the beloved Estonian painter Karl Pärsimägi. In the project space, a selection of works from the children’s art competition will be on display.
“Art & Cuisine. Culinary Stories in Art”
The working method of the curators Aavo Kokk and Andres Eilart is to look at art thematically. Their previous art books have been like travel guides or explorations of identity, using paintings and prints to look at the landscapes, cities and traditions of Estonia. Now they have undertaken a culinary journey through stories about foods common to Estonians.
The exhibition will display over 50 works on the topic of food, which have been grouped according to the seasons. In the spring we eat fresh things that have grown quickly. Summer brings with it variety. Autumn is a time of plenty. Winter is a time of excesses. But this is not just an exhibition of still lifes. Aavo and Andres try to provoke and have fun; their choices are surprising and bold. Warning! The exhibition may need parental guidance since the exhibition includes works which promote alcohol.
The exhibition offers a selection of works and associated stories from Aavo Kokk’s and Andres Eilart’s book Köögikunst. 150 pintsliga tõmmatud toidulugu, where the authors set themselves the task of telling 150 Estonian culinary stories. Each tale is accompanied by a work from an Estonian artist, and the master chef Rain Käärst has prepared a recipe to go with each food item. The book also functions as the exhibition catalogue and visitors can turn to it for more information on the culinary themes and stories presented in the artworks.
Curators: Aavo Kokk ja Andres Eilar
The exhibition will remain open until 04.10.2026.
“Albert Gulk. Polar Night”
At the beginning of the 1990s Albert Gulk (born in 1969 in Antsla) began making pencil drawings of monumental size, filling the surface of the paper with densely inhabited worlds. The exhibition Polar Night will offer a selection of drawings and watercolours from this period.
In Gulk’s pictures, landscapes turn into creatures and creatures into landscapes. There are no clear lines between species: a bug might take on humanoid features and a person might take on bestial characteristics. Even the border between the living and the mechanical becomes blurred: a bird might resemble a machine, and a landscape might seem to breathe.
These works reflect deep attention to nature, an interest in popular scientific illustrations and influences from science fiction and popular culture. The exhibition focuses on the period where all these layers are visible simultaneously.
Artist: Albert Gulk
Curator: Kadri Mägi
The exhibition will remain open until 25.10.2026.
“Karl Pärsimägi, Ars Longa!”
Karl Pärsimägi (1902–1942), born on Sika Farm in the village of Oe, near Antsla in Võru County, dedicated himself to art at an early age. He began his studies in the Pallas Art School under Konrad Mägi. The freedom that characterised the early years of Pallas enabled Pärsimägi to fully develop what was already present inside him: a unique sense of colour.
The rich selection of works exhibited in the Tartu Art Museum invites the viewer on a journey to the place where Pärsimägi felt most at home. The paintings, studies and sketches in different media reflect Pärsimägi’s travels in artistic space, moving through simple recurring motifs and vibrant combinations of colour, always seeking perfect harmony, introspective depth, playfulness, melancholy and the lightness of being.
Pärsimägi’s disarming earnestness and genuine sincerity are some of the qualities that ensure the continuing relevance of his art. Contemporary painters highly appreciate his skill at depicting people and his lightness, which stand out against the sombre attitude towards life and art so typical of Estonians. Intimate reflections from the authors of the exhibition texts allow us to see the impact that Pärsimägi’s works have made on people. The cruelty of the outside world condemned him to an early death, but his art lives on.
Curator: Liis Pählapuu
The exhibition will remain open until 25.10.2026.
Additional information: Katariina Leets, Communications and Marketing Specialist, e-mail: katariina.leets@tartmus.ee, phone: +372 588 17804.