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From June 3 to 9, eleven Baltic Lines participants will travel to Valga to work on research and art projects reflecting on Rail Baltica at the VARES Architecture Residency. From June 5 to 9, the public is invited to participate in the event programme of the Baltic Lines residency in Valga, where they will have the opportunity to get an insight into the works in progress of the project participants and to get to know other artistic research projects.
Baltic Lines is an artistic research network exploring the Rail Baltica railway infrastructure megaproject, which aims to integrate the Baltic States into the European rail network. The project involves eleven artists–researchers from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden, who will focus on themes such as the concept of the Baltic region, archiving as a political practice, and documenting megaprojects. In October, the exhibition will open at the In The Closet gallery in Vilnius, while from June 5 to 7, the Baltic Lines public events will take place in Valga, in collaboration with the VARES Architecture Residency. All events will take place in English at the WabaWangla installation in the Kreisihoone building (Riia 5, Valga).
Public programme
Wednesday, June 5
17:00 — conversation with the artist Maria Kapayeva — Filming Screaming, Stitching, Writing, and Dancing: The Artistic Journey
Maria Kapayeva (Estonia/UK) is an artist whose work highlights peripheral histories and silenced narratives, focusing on border identities from a feminist perspective. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Draakoni Gallery (2024), the KUMU Art Museum in Estonia (2022), the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (2022), the Finnish Museum of Photography (2021), and the Tallinn Art Space (2020). In 2021, Marija started her PhD studies in artistic research at the Estonian Academy of Art.
During the presentation, the artist will focus on the methodology of her practice and present recent works. Marija’s practice-based research focuses on autoethnographic and feminist methods of artistic practice. Her research on art practice as a decolonial process fosters a sense of belonging and connection in the postcolonial past and present.
Friday, June 7
16:00 — conversation with the artist Hanna Samoson — Trail Baltic: Wisdom Gathered Along The Path
Hanna Samoson explores the boundaries of art and tries to perceive the unknown. As an intuitive creator in constant motion, she often acts quickly and spontaneously in her work. Samosone studied photography at the Estonian Academy of Arts and graduated from the FAMU Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 2021. In autumn 2020, she performed endurance art, walking the future Rail Baltica route from Iklá to Tallinn, resulting in the film Trail Baltic: A Trip to the Green (2023). Samoson’s latest project is a solo exhibition, Magic Is Once Very Close To Nothing At All, at the Tallinn Art Space.
21:00 — Hanna Samoson’s film Trail Baltic: A Trip to the Green
The documentary follows a woman’s journey along the future Rail Baltica route. In an attempt to create a live broadcast from the 213 km long journey, artist Hanna Samoson meets people along the way whose lives will be inextricably linked to the future railway. With hope, humour, and the pain of loss, the documentary looks into the lives of those affected by the megaproject. The backdrop is an unspoiled landscape that is destined to change.
Saturday, June 8
19:00 — Readings of Maria Kapayeva’s book A-Year-Long Scream
Maria started writing this book on February 24, 2022, the day the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began. The book covers topics such as identity, collective and individual responsibility, guilt, language, and belonging, as well as feminism. The book is published in three languages — Estonian, English, and Russian — in which the readings will also be given.
Sunday, June 9
11:00 — an insight into the projects of Baltic Lines participants
The creative week of the Baltic Lines artistic research project at the VARES residency will conclude with public presentations in which participants will talk about their individual project ideas and creative process.
The initiators of the project are Diāna Mikāne and Paula Veidenbauma. Artists–researchers: Mattias Malk (Estonia), Eglė Šimėnaitė (Lithuania), Valtteri Alanen (Finland), Sofie Lucia Maria Carlson (Sweden), Katariin Mudist (Estonia), Kamilė Vasiliauskaitė (Lithuania), Aistė Gaidilionytė (Lithuania), Gustavs Grasis (Latvia), Diāna Mikāne (Latvia), Paula Veidenbauma (Latvia). Partners: ISSP, VARES, In The Closet. Baltic Lines project is financially supported by the Nordic Culture Point. You can follow Baltic Lines on Instagram
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