ArCo3 – Artists in Collections, Communities and Collectives

Binding contemporary art and heritage, ArCo3 sends artists to a creative residency, where a unique interpretation of Estonia’s cultural heritage is born through a dialogue between the author and the local community. While so far the artists and small Estonian museums have been brought together, in 2024 four creative tandems will embark on a journey through well-known points of social life in South Estonia, which at first glance seem to have nothing to do with art.

The four residencies will result in four dialogues – four surprising art projects, each of which is a symbiosis of the authors’ vision and the spirit of the place.

The project “ArCo3” has grown out of the initiative “Artists in Collections (ArCo)”, which has been mixing together contemporary art and cultural heritage since 2018. The participants in the project “ArCo3” are the Tartu Observatory of the University of Tartu in Tõravere (artist: Karel Koplimets), the Järvselja Training and Experimental Forestry District Foundation in Kastre County (artist: Uku Sepsivart), the riverboat Lonny at the damn on the Ahja River in Taevaskoja (artists: Sigrid Viir and Līga Spunde) and the Räpina Paper Factory (artist: Ingrid Allik, with colleagues from Estonia and Finland).

At the heart of the ArCo3 project is the ability of artists to spot the extraordinary in ordinary situations and, by weaving together their own vision and local specificities, find art where it’s not expected.

The audience will be able to enjoy cutting-edge contemporary art in four Southern-Estonian places, known for their natural, cultural, scientific or industrial heritage. In the Räpina Paper Factory and the Tartu Observatory of the University of Tartu, at the Järvselja Training and Experimental Forestry District and on the riverboat Lonny, which sails in the Taevaskoja area, a variety of artworks and an exciting programme await those that are interested. In new and unexpected dialogues, artists and visitors alike will experience familiar places from a different angle.

We help to revitalise the art scene outside the city centres and bring high quality art from top artists from Estonia and the neighbouring countries to South Estonia. The project will introduce local heritage from a new perspective to locals and tourists alike.