About
I graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts with a degree in graphics and master's degrees in art and education. A deeper interest in mandalas arose while studying Japanese language and culture at the Estonian Humanities Institute. I am a member of the Estonian Artists Association and the Association of Estonian Printmakers and have exhibited and sold my art for over 25 years. I live in Tallinn. I have a great husband and we have 3 children in our family.
I have been lucky to be born in a family of artists. My parents gave me colours and paper for the first time when I was 9 months old, so drawing and playing with colours has been the most natural thing for me. As all of our families friends were creative people, I grew up believing that all the people are very creative. I still believe so.
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I wanted to become an artist from a young age. Since I loved drawing the most, I went to study graphics at the Estonian Academy of Arts. The teachers who influenced me the most were Vive Tolli and Feliks Sarv. It was great that at that time, you could study your specialty for six years. This meant a lot of drawing, painting, and learning different techniques. What a luxury! By a fortunate coincidence, I also started studying Japanese language and culture at the newly established Institute of Humanities. The lectures on Asian culture by Rein Raud and other excellent lecturers were an exciting addition to my art studies. It was during this time that I first encountered Japanese Buddhist mandalas, which played an important role in shaping my artistic style.
This magical event took place in the early 1990s when I noticed a tiny black-and-white reproduction of a famous Japanese Buddhist mandala in a Japanese cultural atlas. I had never seen anything like it before. The unique design, made up of many small parts, completely captivated me, and I even dreamed about it afterward. It was love at first sight. I was eager to know what this wondrous thing was and what was depicted in this strange image. That’s how I came to choose mandalas and Zen art as the subject of my master's thesis.
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I created my first mandalas in 1994 for my university graduation exhibition. They were heavily influenced by Japanese art. I still make mandalas to this day, but this is not a goal in itself. I simply enjoy creating balanced compositions with a central point, where many details come together to form a large and harmonious whole.
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My earlier works were created using traditional graphic techniques, which are very labor-intensive. Over time, I started painting and drawing on silk because it offers greater expressive possibilities and doesn’t require a printing press or chemicals. The only downside to painting on silk is that the result is just one piece. Often, however, many people like it at the same time. Fortunately, modern technology has advanced to the point where high-quality printing techniques can produce giclée prints that are very close to the original. This allows me to once again reproduce my best works, as I did before when printing by hand.
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People often ask me where I get my inspiration from. On one hand, I can say that I am inspired by different cultures, art, music, and nature. On the other hand, true inspiration comes from within, from silence, when I manage to connect with something greater and more beautiful than ourselves. Like many creative people, I also feel that I am not truly the author of these images, but rather something inexplicable, grand, and beautiful expresses itself through me. I believe that one of the purposes of art is to express what cannot be conveyed with words, or as the old Japanese saying goes, "One mandala is worth more than 10,000 words."
Exhibitions and CV
Born in 1968 in Tallinn, Estonia
Living and working in Tallinn
Education
2007 – 2008 Master of Science in Education (MScs), Estonian Academy of Arts
2001 – 2002 Photography and video at Tallinn Communications School
1994 – 1997 Master of Arts (MA), Estonian Academy of Arts
1992 – 1996 Asian studies, Japanese language and culture at Estonian Institute of Humanities
1988 – 1994 Printmaking, Estonian Academy of Arts
Solo exhibitions
2023 “Mandala“ Festival of Asian Cultures, PaIDA, Paide Cultural Center, Paide Estonia
2023 “Mandala“ Umbusi Buddhist center, Umbusi Estonia
2018 – 2022 Permanent exhibition at Gallery "Mandala" Tallinn Estonia
2018 “Golden Leaves” Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2016 “Mandalas“ Sakala Center and creation of 30m diameter mandala, Mandala festival Viljandi Estonia
2013 “Mandalas” Museum of Võrumaa, Võru Estonia
2011 “Meel and Michael Jackson” Tallinn City Gallery, Tallinn Estonia
2009 “3-dimensional Mandala” Võru City Gallery, Võru Estonia
2009 “Forward - Back” Jõhvi City gallery, Jõhvi Estonia
2006 “The Castle” Kondase Keskus, Viljandi Estonia
2005 “Inner Field”, The City Gallery, Tallinn Estonia
2002 – 2007 Permanent exhibition in “Sotapota” art and photo gallery, Tallinn
1999 “Silky Way 2”, Leon, Viljandi Estonia
1997 “ 
“ Gallery Sammas, Tallinn Estonia
1996 Egyptian themed exhibition in Hansabank, Tallinn Estonia
1996 Exhibition in Pirita monastery with modern dance Studio Fine 5, Tallinn Estonia
1996 “O” The City Gallery, Tallinn Estonia
1995 “Silky Way”, Gallery Draakon, Tallinn Estonia
1994 “The Wheel of Six Ways”, Health Museum, Tallinn Estonia
Curator projects
2023 “The Gingerbread Mania - Film” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2022 “The Gingerbread Mania - Architecture” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2022 A retrospective exhibition dedicated to Tõnis Laanemaa's 85th birthday, "Art is My Life." The City gallery of Pärnu, Estonia
2021 “The Gingerbread Mania - Music” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2020 “The Gingerbread Mania - Fashion” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2019 “The Gingerbread Mania - Mythology” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2018 “The Gingerbread Mania - Estonia” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2017 “The Gingerbread Mania - Old Tallinn” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2016 “The Gingerbread Mania - Forest” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2016 “PiernikoMania - Angels” - Museum of Torun Gingerbread, Torun Poland
2015 “The Gingerbread Mania - Holy Gingerbread” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2014 “The Gingerbread Mania - Toy Museum” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2013 “The Gingerbread Mania - Art History” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2012 “The Gingerbread Mania - Gingerbread Olympics” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2011 “The Gingerbread Mania - Time Machine” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2010 “The Gingerbread Mania - Magic Shop” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2009 “The Gingerbread Mania - Trip Around the World” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2008 “The Gingerbread Mania - Worlds Best Things” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2007 “The Gingerbread Mania - City” - Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2006 “The Gingerbread Mania” - Hop Gallery, Tallinn Estonia
Group exhibitions
2022 “Stop! Printmaking!” Estonian Printmakers Association's annual exhibition, MONA The Museum of New Art, Pärnu Estonia
2018 International Mehmet Nuri Göcen painting workshop and exhibition, Kusadasi/Izmir, Türgi
2015 “Muhu Print” Hungarian Institute Tallinn, Estonia
2011 “Abundance” Võru City gallery, Estonia
2010 “Ordinary” Tallinn Art Hall gallery, Tallinn Estonia
2009 Tallinn 5th International Drawing Triennial, Tallinn Estonia
2006 “You and Me III” Jõhvi Concert Hall, Jõhvi Estonia
2006 “You and Me II” Võru City gallery, Võru Estonia
2006 “You and Me” Maarja Gallery, Põlva Estonia
2006 “Wood print” Hop Galerii, Tallinn Estonia
2005 Structures II” The City Gallery, Viljandi Estonia
2005 “Structures I” Gallery “Draakon”, Tallinn Estonia
2004 “Preservation of Eternity” Pärnu Concert Hall, Pärnu Estonia
2004 “Super luxury”, Gallery of Design and Architecture, Tallinn Estonia
2003 “Hello Space, the Earth is calling”, The City Gallery, Tallinn Estonia
2003 “The Space Is not Empty”, Pärnu Museum, Pärnu Estonia
2003 “The Space Is not Empty” Applied Art Museum, Tallinn Estonia
1996 “Estonian Prints” with Virge Jõekalda, Gallery, Bergen Norway
1994 "Estonian Prints” Gouda Town Gallery, Gouda Netherlands
1994 “Estonian Art 94”, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn Estonia
Lectures and workshops
2016 – 2022 Mandala workshops in Mandalaruum Tallinn Estonia
2012 – 2017 Mandala workshop. Tallinn School of Lifelong Learning, Tallinn Estonia
2011 The 15th Tallinn Print Triennial “For love not money” printmaking workshop. KUMU, Tallinn Estonia
2010 Art educational project “Gingerbread Mania” lectures and workshop.
Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn Estonia
2010 – 2011 Mandala, zen painting and printmaking workshops. Loovala, Tallinn Estonia
2006 – 2007 Mandala, lectures and workshops. Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn Estonia
2006 – 2007 Principles of composition, lectures and workshops. Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn Estonia
2001 – 2002 Principles of composition and drawing techniques, lectures and workshops.
Tallinn Communications School, Estonia
1998 – 1999 Principles of composition, workshops. Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn Estonia
1996 – 2007 Principles of composition, workshops. Tõnis Laanemaa studio Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn Estonia
Memberships
The Estonian Artists’ Association, The Association of Estonian Printmakers