From August 16 an exhibition of the interior architecture of the embassies, residences and other representative offices of the Republic of Estonia will be open in the Estonian Museum of Architecture. Curator Karin Paulus has compiled it together with the Estonian Association of Interior Architects.
Foreign diplomatic missions is a vital investment for Estonia and the interiors of our foreign missions state who we are, where we belong, what matters to us.
The first embassy building in the history of the Republic of Estonia opened in Helsinki; it was designed by Konstantin Bölau and completed in 1933. New embassies in Vilnius and Beijing have helped to introduce contemporary Estonia, a country with a modern, bold and educated culture of spatial design.
The curator of the exhibition, architecture researcher Karin Paulus is pleased by how consciously the interior architects have brought out what is typical of Estonia with the help of furniture, carpets, materials, art and atmosphere. “According to the context, completely different techniques are used – 3D printed buckles in Abu Dhabi, bark and mycoplastic benches in Singapore, chic Europeanness in Brussels,” she gives examples. “Really, everyone talentedly captures the essence of this small, delicious and best wild strawberry-like land, as President Toomas Hendrik Ilves once described Estonia,” adds Karin Paulus.
The designs of our embassies speak of a love for nature, European culture, innovation, humanity, respect for the host country, good taste and relevance. The visitor will experience the variety of imagologies and identities offered by the interior architects and architects, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Triin Ojari, the director of the Estonian Museum of Architecture states that this is a magnificent chance to open the doors to Estonian territories abroad. “In the design of embassies, space and power meet, and we get a picture of how Estonians themselves want to present themselves in the world,” she said
The exhibition is open in the Rotermann Salt storage from August 16 to October 15, 2023, and curator’s tours and seminar will take place as part of it. On October 15, the museum will host a presentation of the publication “Diplomacy of Space” published in cooperation with the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
NB! On the day of the restoration of the independence of the Republic of Estonia, Sunday August 20, the museum and the exhibition Diplomacy of Space will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The tour to the exhibition led by curator Karin Paulus starts at 2 o’clock pm and is in Estonian.
We thank Cultural Endowment of Estonia for the support. We acknowledge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the high-level international presentation of Estonian interior architecture and design.
The exhibition is organized by Estonian Association of Interior Architects. Curator is Karin Paulus, designer Mari Kurismaa and graphic design by Mari Kaljuste.
The exhibition will remain open until October 15 and will include a curatorial tour and a seminar. On October 15, 2023, the publication “Space Diplomacy” will be presented, which is published in cooperation with the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
