The dim season is perfect for introspection, and a meaningful piece of jewelry is ideal for that. Four jewelry exhibitions form a magical constellation, at the heart of which is Tanel’s mentor, the Estonian jewelry art icon Kadri Mälk.
Kadri Mälk’s Suggestive Work
“The Dark Sky of Imagination. Kadri Mälk’s Jewelry Art” at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design presents the creative legacy of Kadri Mälk (1958–2023), the most influential figure and extraordinary author in Estonian jewelry art. The exhibition features over 200 works – a striking journey through the life and emotional depth of an exceptionally precise artist. Immersing oneself in Kadri Mälk’s life work is a powerful experience; unusually many visitors have confirmed – this is an exhibition worth visiting multiple times. Take your time, as the exhibition invites reflection and introspection on what you see.
Curators: Krista Kodres, Kai Lobjakas
Designer: Pille Lausmäe
Wolf – Kadri Mälk as Wearer
Also on display is Kadri Mälk’s jewelry collection, comprising a couple of hundred pieces, including works by both renowned international and Estonian designers. Kadri was a passionate jewelry wearer – the accents of her layered, dark style were always pieces with symbolic presence. In this way, the wall becomes a fragmentarium of life moments, with the presence of a unique personality shining through each selection.
Curators: Kristiina Laurits, Tanel Veenre
The õhuLoss (AirCastle) Winged Tower
“õhuLoss” (AirCastle) is an exhibition spanning multiple floors of the ETDM, offering an overview of more than twenty years of jewelry creation by the Estonian artist group õhuLoss. The group includes artists Piret Hirv, Kristiina Laurits, Eve Margus, Villu Plink, and Tanel Veenre, who were students of professor Kadri Mälk (1958–2023) and founders of the collective.
“For me, õhuLoss is an idealistic phenomenon tested with gold, a dream that gives birth to history. It doesn’t matter whether you have seen air castles in real life – what matters is that you have built them yourself. It both enchants and binds, eventually becoming addictive,” said group member Kristiina Laurits.
Jewllery at the Top of Niguliste Tower
The contemporary Estonian jewellery exhibition “Radical Softness” debuted in 2024 at Igreja da Madalena in Lisbon. It can now be viewed at the Niguliste Museum – for the first time on the highest floor of the tower.
All the artists in this exhibition have, with the guidance of professor Kadri Mälk, long-time head of the Jewelry and Blacksmithing program at EKA, sought their own voice. Kadri encouraged her students to sense the vertical dimension of life – the inner sacred space. Here, in the Niguliste Church tower, closer to the sky, engaging with life’s and existence’s fundamental questions feels especially fitting.
Curator: Tanel Veenre
ETDM exhibitions are open until 5.04.2026
The Niguliste Tower exhibition is open until 1.02.2026
You are invited to take part in the public program!
Public Program “Radical Softness” at Niguliste Museum 21 January – 17:00 – Curator tour by Tanel Veenre 1 February – 17:00 – Joint tour with Estonian jewelry artists
Public Program “The Dark Sky of Imagination. Kadri Mälk’s Jewelry Art”
Curator Tours 14 February – 13:00 – Exhibition “The Dark Sky of Imagination. Kadri Mälk’s Jewelry Art”: Curators Krista Kodres, Kai Lobjakas; Kadri Mälk’s collected works presented by Kristiina Laurits 15 March – 17:30 – Exhibition “The Dark Sky of Imagination. Kadri Mälk’s Jewelry Art”: Curators Krista Kodres, Kai Lobjakas; Kadri Mälk’s collected works presented by Tanel Veenre
Discussion Circles Three discussion circles will take place within the exhibition, focusing on themes that extend Kadri Mälk’s significance beyond her personal work, while highlighting her broader impact on the field. Topics include her long-term contribution to teaching, contemporary jewelry art, and the interpretation and influence of her work internationally. Discussions feature both her colleagues and former students. 29 January – 17:30 – The Teacher (Tanel Veenre, Julia-Maria Künnap, Darja Popolitova) 30 February – 17:30 – The Interpreter (participants to be confirmed) 31 March – 17:30 – Internationalism (Liesbeth den Besten (NL), Cristina Filipe (PT))
Public Program for the exhibition “õhuLoss” Tours are conducted by group members Piret Hirv, Kristiina Laurits, Eve Margus, Villu Plink, and Tanel Veenre – students of professor Kadri Mälk (1958–2023), the founder of the group and head of EKA’s Jewelry and Blacksmithing program.
The discussion circle provides a joint visual overview of the group’s more than twenty years of exhibition activity in Estonia and abroad.
Artists’ Tours 22 January – 17:30 – Exhibition “õhuLoss”: Kristiina Laurits and Villu Plink 23 March – 17:30 – Exhibition “õhuLoss”: Eve Margus and Piret Hirv 24 March – 17:30 – English-language tour
Discussion Circle 19 February – 17:30 – All õhuLoss members participate
