EKKM

Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (EKKM) is a self-initiated contemporary art institution, primarily functioning as a public non-profit exhibition space and an unabashedly idiosyncratic art museum. It is founded on an unconventional idea of a contemporary art museum with the aim of exhibiting, collecting, creating and enabling contemporary art, while trying to subvert the established working methods, unwritten rules and methods of exhibition-making, prevalent in the field of art and culture.

When it comes to its mentality, EKKM inhabits the wide area between official state funded art institutions and artist-run and do-it-yourself project spaces. EKKM has maintained its identity as a flexible and versatile institution, adapting to changes and inevitabilities as they come along – starting out as a punk or half-squatted museum, at times functioning both as an experimental and a more traditional Kunsthalle and ending up in the state it currently is. To this date, EKKM has managed to avoid defining itself in a too narrow or overly definitive manner.

For a generation of younger artists, curators and art students, EKKM started out as a means to establish themselves; an institution that conjoined two things that were not tended to at the time – the name Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia and a run-down three-storey industrial building just at the edge of Tallinn Old Town. Since 2007, EKKM has produced exhibition seasons that include a variety of exhibitions, events and art projects, as well as collected, popularised and helped shape the field of contemporary art. By January 2021, EKKM had produced 89 exhibitions with the participation of 62 curators and 497 artists.

Alongside exhibition projects EKKM organises summerly residencies since 2022 for artists to engage with the public garden and the unique archaeology of the exhibition house. This residency projects aim to tangle critical and burning socio-political topics. In 2022, Gisèle Gonon participated in the residency and her project “Against the Grain” was installed in the community garden of EKKM, acting as an agricultural artwork that addressed several aspects of contemporary grain production.

Ticket: EKKM has always provided free entrance to its visitors as a principle. Through this decision, EKKM maintains itself as a social non-commercial public space and avoids entering the customer and service provider relationship with its audiences and taking on consequent expectations.

Season: EKKM is not open all year round but operates as a public exhibition space seasonally, from early spring to early winter – from the end of March or the beginning of April until mid-December. This rhythm was initially set due to the poor condition of the building and the lack of heating and thermal insulation, however, it has now become one of the more notable characteristics of EKKM. Even though the indoor climate has considerably improved over the years, the conditions are still not good enough to provide a year-round exhibition programme. The seasonal public exhibition programme allows EKKM to realistically maximise its exhibition space, as well as its surroundings, and enables the modest team of a big institution to work behind the scenes throughout the year.

Garden

A public sculpture garden, established in 2021 in collaboration with architects Laura Linsi and Roland Reema, is located in the outdoor area of EKKM, exhibiting works from our collection. In addition to the works included in the collection, artist Gisèle Gonon has carried out her art project at the EKKM garden in 2022, and artist Tanja Muravskaja and curator Margit Säde in 2023.

In 2024, EKKM community garden starts its 5th season. The community garden season runs from April to the end of October and includes collective gardening activities, personal experiments with your raised bed, gardening themed workshops and pizza parties.

If you’d like to become a member of the gardening community, drop a note at aed@ekkm.ee!
The head gardeners in 2024 are Brigit Arop and Solveig Lill. Previous head gardeners include Laura Toots and Maria Muuk.

Community garden activities are supported by the City of Tallinn.

EKKM performance

In season 2024, EKKM also launches a new performance and performing arts programme, which on the one hand resonates with the exhibitions, but on the other can also take the form of independent, non-serial art events that pop up according to need. The aim of the programme is to support the ever-increasing interdisciplinary collaborations between authors from the fields of visual and performing arts; as well as to bring together the audiences of these different fields.

The programme was launched on a performance evening on 13 May, part of the exhibition Trigger. A dance performance Hope Hunt by the Irish choreographer Oona Doherty was presented in collaboration with the Tallinn Creative Hub, which was preceeded by an activation of Bárbara Sánchez-Kane’s work at the exhibition with artist Maria Metsalu.

Next performance: Poncili Creacion Dirty Laughing Molecules

Art school

In 2024 EKKM will also continue with its public and educational programmes, which, in addition to the already traditional multilingual exhibition tours, aim to provide a platform that resonates more broadly with contemporary culture through various events, performances, campaigns and workshops.

Accessibility

The Estonian Museum of Contemporary Art is located in a three-storey old industrial building at Kursi 5, Tallinn. Exhibitions are usually held on all three floors concurrently. Unfortunately, due to the unrenovated state of the building and the lack of resources to make the necessary adaptations, our exhibition spaces are generally not wheelchair or stroller accessible. However, depending on the exhibition, it may sometimes be possible to experience the ground floor part of the exhibition in a wheelchair or with a baby stroller. In this case, this information will be indicated on the exhibition page.

To get to the ground floor exhibition spaces, one must pass through one single step. The first and second floors are accessed through slightly higher-than-average stairs. Although the steeper stairs may be challenging to use for people with mobility difficulties, our staff is ready to assist visitors if necessary. The museum reception area and outdoor terraces are accessible by wheelchair or baby strollers.

There is a toilet (non-gendered) in the museum which is not adapted for wheelchair users.

Well-behaved dogs on a leash are also welcome.

The recommended age for our exhibition visitors varies from exhibition to exhibition. Unless otherwise stated on the exhibition page and in the entrance to the museum, it is generally appropriate to come with children.

We will be happy to answer any questions about accessibility by email info@ekkm.ee or by phone +372 53305449.

The Estonian Museum of Contemporary Art is a contemporary cultural institution where homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, racist or any other kind of aggressive and hate inciting behaviour is not tolerated.

Contact

Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (EKKM)
Kursi 5, Tallinn, 10415

FREE ADMISSION!

Open from April to December
Wed–Sun 12–7pm
Check the dates of the exhibitions!

info [at] ekkm.ee / +372 53305449

Join EKKM’s mailing list HERE.

EKKM has joined momondo’s travel guide to Tallinn programme, see more HERE.

EKKM is supported by:
Estonian Ministry of Culture
Cultural Endowment of Estonia
British Council
City of Tallinn

Support EKKM:
Eesti Kaasaegse Kunsti Muuseum MTÜ
EE507700771005906564

Floorplans:

Ground Floor
1st Floor
2nd Floor