Program 2024

Spanish art was not familiar with landscape painting until the 19th century, when questions of Spanish identity and national image emerged. During the period of the country’s modernisation, opposing approaches to the representation of its land clashed: the idea of a bright and lively ‘white Spain’ and a bleak, serious ‘black Spain’, rooted in its cultural heritage. Between and alongside these poles, Catalan modernist painting blossomed at the turn of the century, bringing together the picturesqueness and colourfulness of the former and the intellectualism of the latter.

FULL TICKET: KADRIORG ART MUSEUM 12* €

Website and ticketing

Spanish art was not familiar with landscape painting until the 19th century, when questions of Spanish identity and national image emerged. During the period of the country’s modernisation, opposing approaches to the representation of its land clashed: the idea of a bright and lively ‘white Spain’ and a bleak, serious ‘black Spain’, rooted in its cultural heritage. Between and alongside these poles, Catalan modernist painting blossomed at the turn of the century, bringing together the picturesqueness and colourfulness of the former and the intellectualism of the latter.

FULL TICKET: KADRIORG ART MUSEUM 12* €

Website and ticketing

Director:          Catalina Mesa
Duration:         77 min
Genre:              documentary

A threshold between documentary and fiction, “Jericho, the infinite flight of days” is a kaleidoscope of intimate portraits of women from the town of Jericho in Antioquia, Colombia. Through a sensitive and musical itinerary, the encounters and conversations between them, of different ages and social conditions, are woven. One by one, their life stories, their inner spaces, their sense of humor and their wisdom are revealed. Deep and authentic facets of the feminine spirit of our culture that celebrate and preserve Colombia’s immaterial heritage.

Free entrance. Register on the Sõprus website to secure your seat. 

Director:        Carla Simón
Cast:            Josep Abad, Jordi Pujol Dolcet, Anna Otin
Duration:      120 min
Genre:           Drama

The Solé family, peach growers for several generations, lives in a Catalan village. However, this year’s harvest could be the last, as the landowner, Mr. Pinyol, passes away and his son decides to sell the land. The plan is to set up a solar energy business there, threatening to replace the peach trees with solar panels. In doing so, the heir disregards an old verbal agreement between his father and Solé’s grandfather that allowed the Solé family to use the land. But there is no written agreement, and now the family desperately tries to find a way to preserve the land that sustains them.

This year, Tartu’s Spanish theater group, Sapere Aude, offers a play of its own, written by all the members of the group. It is a family tragicomedy that tells the story of a dangerous former criminal who is relentlessly searching for her lost daughters. Set in modern-day Tartu, The Shadow of the Legacy presents an interesting combination of humor and drama, mixed with love, lies and dilemmas.

Free entrance.

Director:         Rodolfo Espinosa
Cast:               José Mariano Díaz Duarte, Chloe Figueroa, Fernando Martínez.
Duration:        80 min
Genre:            Comedy

Pol and his friend “El Flaco”, two teenagers, live through an exhausting adventure at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala (USAC), putting their friendship to the test and learning a bit about maturity, courage, family, and love.

Free entrance. Register on the Sõprus website to secure your seat. 

Curator: Francisco Martínez.
Designer: Viktor Gurov
Artists: Anna Škodenko, Evgeny Fedorov, Eléonore de Montesquiou, Francisco Martínez, Sanna Kartau, Varvara & Mar, Viktor Gurov.

This exhibition is inspired by the library left behind in the School n. 1 of Sillamäe, an institution that was closed in 1999. Subsequently, the building hosted the ECOMEN Institute of Economics & Management for seven years before being abandoned.

In Latin, ex libris referred to anything that comes out of the books. In Medieval times, the term started to be used in relation to a book owner’s identification label. Now, the library has been intruded by a series of artists, re-appropriating its materials in a parasitical way.

The books are still present, alas they do not always make sense in the present. Nonetheless, their ideas and aesthetics keep on fermenting otherwise. Burden or delayed gift, the library is available for novel relations of exchange.

But what kind of knowledge is lost when a library disappears? How can we accommodate what does not fit in the present? And what can we learn by looking into the things we left behind?

A minibus Tallinn-Sillamäe-Tallinn is provided to attend the opening, on the 4th of May. To register, please contact: francisco.martinez@tuni.fi & viktor.gurov@artun.ee

The University of Tartu will host the seventh ELE conference on May 4th and 5th, 2024, in Estonia, welcoming researchers and teachers in the field of Spanish language teaching as a foreign language.

This international event emerged in 2013 as a meeting place for teachers from different educational and geographical backgrounds, fostering the exchange of experiences and knowledge, the creation of bonds and support networks with other colleagues, and the continuous training of teachers.

The ELE conference in Estonia is the result of collaboration among three organizations: the University of Tartu, the Embassy of Spain in Estonia, and the University of Tallinn. It is organized by the Department of Romance Studies at the Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures of the University of Tartu, under the direction of Francisco Espino, Mari Kruse, Virginia Rapúni, and Clara del Rey.

Register. Before April 30th!

Eduardo Rodríguez M. A., is a Classical Guitar Player from Zacatecas, México. He did his bachelor studies in the National Music School of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)

Castle Music is a series of Sunday concerts that aims to offer high quality classical music with unique acoustics in the baroque main hall of Kadriorg Palace. Kadriorg Palace is one of the most beautiful and well-known historical concert halls in Estonia. Over the past decades, the main hall of the castle has provided memorable musical experiences for Tallinn’s residents as well as for numerous guests. The tradition of music performance here goes back to the 18th century, when music was an integral part of everyday court life. The castle has hosted some of the brightest Estonian performers as well as internationally renowned soloists and ensembles.

The concert is organized in cooperation with the Embassies of Mexico and Spain.

PRICE: €12-36.

More information and buy tickets.

The concert ticket also serves as admission to the exhibition on the same day!

On the 7th of May, we welcome all Spanish teachers who want to share their knowledge and skills with other teachers in an informal atmosphere and exchange best practices in their teaching.

You will be able to find out more about the Spanish language teaching literature and about language learning opportunities in Spain. The event will take place for two hours and we will also offer coffee and tea. Pre-registration is required on Hispaania Maja website.

Free parking in the courtyard of Hispaania Maja.

Photograph taken by: Iván Giménez

Mark your calendar! Spanish writer Isaac Rosa will hold an open talk in Spanish.

Isaac Rosa’s novel, “Final feliz” (translated by Marianne Ots), delves into the possibility of love in the contemporary world, as well as economic insecurity, the dream of living in the countryside, parenthood, blended families, sexuality, and fidelity. Rosa addresses these themes with a humanity that surprises with its frankness, ensuring they transcend passing trends. Metaphors imbue a sensitive poetry into what might appear as an ordinary story, while the dialogue between man and woman sets the pace of action and emotions, fluctuating from calm to intensity, rendering the text almost spatial. The narrative is presented retrospectively, with a reverse chronology, from the happy ending to the first encounter, traversing through the resolution of the relationship.

The novel commences with an epilogue, which you can read here.

For more information about the event, visit link.

The best language learning is practice! If you have at least A1.3 level, you are invited to come to the Spanish language cafe at Hispaania Maja to practice your Spanish. Feel free to come on your own, as the questions prepared by our teacher will engage you in the conversation.

The language café is facilitated by our teacher Laura and the participants are other language learners and natives. Step into one of the locals’ favourite bars or cafés in Spain and you won’t be able to leave without having a conversation.

The event is free for Hispaania Maja students, 5 € for everyone else. Places are limited, pre-registration is required on the Hispaania Maja website. The event is in Spanish.

Before and after the event, you can browse the wide selection of books and Spanish flavours on offer at the Hispaania Maja shop on the first floor. It is possible to have tea, coffee and very good Spanish wines. Free parking in the courtyard of Hispaania Maja.

More information cooming soon.

Tartu University guest lecturer Francisco Espino will converse with the author of the novel “Final Feliz” (published in Estonian by Toledo, 2023), Isaac Rosa.

In his novels, Isaac Rosa has examined the past and addressed contemporary fears and human relationships, including the possibility of love in the modern world, and now he turns his creative gaze towards the future. Copies of the novel in Estonian will be available for purchase on-site.

The conversation will be conducted in Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation into Estonian and English. 

More information. 

ULTIMATE BLISS

Director: Miguel de Jesus
Duration:  13 min
Genre: short film

“Dear Marisa, Now an entire planet separates us. 17900 kilometres to be precise. At this threshold of paradise, there is only one thing I can do. Wait. And at last, the Ultimate Bliss will find us, baby.” A film-diary and an exercise of memory, about a future that is as remote as it is wild.

WE CAME

Director: José Vieria
Duration:  68 min
Genre: Documentary

“I was 7 years old when I crossed the border on January 23, 1965, into Hendaye. I have no memory of arriving in France. How can one give an account of an event of which one has no memory, if not by seeking one’s story in that of others?”

More information soon.

El Centro Picasso invites you to a day full of fun and learning in Spanish.

Ready to immerse yourself in the language? Trial classes start at 10:00, perfect for beginners and those looking to refresh their knowledge at 11:00.

And how about a delicious seafood paella for lunch? Hispatime will be ready to satisfy your appetite starting at 12:00. Centro Picasso students can enjoy it with a drink for only €10, while the general public can join for €15.

For the little ones, there are fun activities in Spanish at the same time. Only €5 for students’ children and €10 for the general public.

Interested in movies? At 14:00, the movie “Te quiero, imbécil” will be screened in Spanish with English subtitles, only for €5.

And don’t forget to explore the best Spanish gastronomy products in Tallin thanks to Iberictapas.

Prices:

• Seafood paella: Centro Picasso students €10 / General public €15.
• Children’s activities: Centro Picasso students’ children €5 / General public €10.
• Film: €5.

Director: André Valentim Almeida
Duration:  85 min
Genre: documentary

France has more than 200 football clubs of Portuguese origin in its amateur leagues. FAMILLE FC is an Atlas made out of vignettes of some of these clubs that gradually reveals aspects of their origin(s); rise and fall movements; the topography where they develop; joys and setbacks, friendships and rivalries; the relationship with the country left behind and that with the host country; intergenerational relations and the role of women; work and migrant associations; and the inexplicable stubbornness of being Portuguese. Because football is not a matter of life or death: much more important than that.

Direction: Paulo Carneiro
Duración:  72 min
Genre: documentary

A filmmaker travels 2000km north, where he meets some compatriots forced to leave the country. In these encounters, the love for cars is an incitement to discuss identity and community, dissolving boundaries between society and territory.

More information cooming soon.

More information cooming soon.

Director:          Icíar Bollaín
Cast:                Carlos Acosta, Santiago Alfonso, Keyvin Martínez
Duration:        109 min
Genre:             drama, biography, history

A film about the Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta, which depicts the journey through his life as a dance legend and the first black dancer to perform some of the most famous ballet roles originally written for whites, in companies such as the Houston Ballet and the Royal Ballet in London (where he was the principal dancer for over 15 years). It tells the story of his difficult childhood up to adulthood, starring the dancer himself, who, despite success and international recognition, never forgot his origins.

Free entrance. Register on the Sõprus website to secure your seat. 

Javier Marías has written 16 novels, won dozens of awards in various countries, and has been translated into nearly 50 languages. He has served as a professor of Spanish literature at the universities of Oxford and Madrid, and has written columns for the daily newspaper El País. Marías is also influential as a translator of English literature into Spanish, having translated works by Sterne, Faulkner, Nabokov, Salinger, and others. His novels previously translated into Estonian include “A Heart So White” (translated by Marin Mõttus, Varrak 2002) and “The Oxford Romance or All Souls” (translated by Kai Aareleid, Varrak 2012), as well as a collection of writers’ biographies, “Written Lives” (translated by Maria Kall, LR 2010).

His recently published novel “The Infatuations” (Spanish “Los enamoramientos”), originally released in 2011, is Marías’s first novel narrated by a woman. True to his style, the author employs repetitive thoughts and quotes, constructs long sentences, delves deeply into controversial episodes of famous literary works, and questions truth, justice, loyalty, and reliability, all while bringing to the surface dark thoughts and obsessions. Based on the plot summary, the book could easily be classified under the crime or thriller genre. More information.

Attendance is free, and participants can buy the novel “The Infatuations” at the publisher’s price (card payment is also available). The discussion evening will take place during Iberofest, a festival dedicated to the culture of Spanish-speaking countries, with the support of the Embassy of Spain in Estonia and Toledo Publishing House.

Welcome to the much-anticipated Latino Fest 3.0, the third installment of Estonia’s grandest celebration of Latin American culture, organized by the vibrant Latin American community residing in the heart of Estonia. This event is not just a gathering; it’s a cultural extravaganza aimed at fostering unity while joyously highlighting the rich tapestry of Latin American traditions thriving in Estonia.

At Latino Fest 3.0, we invite families to come together and immerse themselves in a day filled with enchanting experiences. From savoring the delectable flavors of authentic Latin American cuisine to engaging in interactive workshops suitable for all ages, this event promises a delightful fusion of fun and learning. The beats of Latin American music will set the rhythm, complemented by mesmerizing art performances that encapsulate the essence of our diverse and dynamic community.

Join us for a day of festivities that transcend borders and celebrate the unity within diversity. Latino Fest 3.0 is not just an event; it’s a cultural journey, an opportunity for everyone to create lasting memories while embracing the warmth and vibrancy of Latin American traditions right here in Estonia. Come one, come all – because at Latino Fest 3.0, the spirit of Latin America comes alive for everyone to enjoy!

More information cooming soon.