From March 29th to May 20th, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre hosts an international art exhibition „Will The Baltic Sea Stay With Us?“
The exhibition features illustrations by Joanna Czaplewska (Poland), Rasa Joni (Lithuania), Lucija Mrzljak (Estonia), Gundega Muzikante (Latvia) and Justyna Nyka (Norway) and dolls by Grażyna Rigall, inspired by the book „Baltek“ by polish children’s writer Anna Czerwińska-Rydel.
The book is about Baltek, a young and wise cod, who together with other sea inhabitants worries about the future of the Baltic Sea, which is littered with plastic. Each artist has tried to interpret Baltek’s story in their own way.
The threat of an ecological disaster in the Baltic Sea is an extremely topical issue for residents of coastal areas as well as for all those who love the areas bordering the Baltic Sea. Will the Baltic Sea gradually become a growing reservoir, becoming increasingly impoverished and inhabited not by cod and seals, but by bacteria and algae? Will the ever-shallow water turn into a green, viscous sludge, and only the perennial blue-green algae will remember that this swampy area was once the Baltic Sea? What if instead of sand we have to walk on piles of microplastics in an endless sea of garbage? And if the sea disappears completely, will the fairy tales, legends and mythical sea creatures survive? We don’t know that, but we can all contribute to changing this situation, even if these are small baby steps.
The exhibition was opened virtually for the first time in the city of Gdańsk, Poland, on November 20th in 2020, in September 2022 the exhibition was on display at the Art Factory in Tczew.
The exhibition was prepared by the Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in Gdańsk, which is the organizer of the annual Baltic Meetings of Illustrators. The Tallinn exhibition is organized by the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. The curator of the project is Anna Misiek, the curator of the exhibition is Monika Konca, the co-curator in Estonia is Viive Noor.
The exhibition is open until May 20th and can be visited during the opening hours of the centre, Mon-Fri 10-18, Sat 11-16. During the Easter holidays, on April 7th and 8th, the centre is closed. Next, the exhibition will travel to other seaside towns in Estonia, such as Haapsalu, Pärnu, Kuressaare and Narva.
