MEELI KÖIVA CELEBRATES HER 30-YEAR INTERNATIONAL CAREER AS A VISIONARY ARTIST OF GLASS AND LIGHT WITH A CONFERENCE

Meeli Kõiva (aka Mery Crystal Ra) will celebrate her 30-year career as a visionary and pioneering international artist with a conference, “IN THE LIGHT OF ENERGY FIELDS: MEELI KOIVA MEETS MERY CRYSTAL RA,” at the KUMU Auditorium in Tallinn on December 5. 

A 1991 exhibition of Meeli Kõiva’s unique and innovative work, which combines moving lasers and quartz glass sculptures, paved the way for the artist’s international career. Her work has been featured at numerous galleries and venues, including a UNESCO Light Year solo exhibition in Mexico and a Nobel panel. 

A leader in the fields of glass sculpture, lighting art and monumental multimedia, Meeli Kõiva has created more than 50 unique architectural monuments in both Europe and the United States, including a glass-video work at the European Parliament’s headquarters in Brussels and a light- glass sculpture at Glaston Corporation’s main building in Tampere.

She has won several European lighting art competitions, a US CODAworx Audience Award, and has been nominated for the Innovation Award at the world’s leading glass conference. New York gallerist Rosemarie Montague, who hosted the art exhibition at Manhattan’s top gallery ART 54, has called her “Tesla of the Art World.” Maie-Ann Raun, Professor Emeritus of the Estonian Academy of Arts, supervisor of her diploma thesis, said: “Meeli Kõiva’s works of light, glass and painting were 40 years ahead of their time.”

The artist herself states that her goal is to search for the meaning of the architectural environment, to interpret and visualize the energy fields in its deeper artistic meaning at a time when there is a boom in light art and prolific light festivals in the world.

The conference, which can also be followed via Zoom, will feature presentations by Glass Performance Days creator Jorma Vitkala from Tampere; author of the book “Smart Cities Smart Future” Mike Barlow from New York; linguist Helena Metslang; urban planner Sheridan Tatsuno from Silicon Valley; poet Jyrkki Pellinen; visiting lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts Gregor Taul. The conference will be moderated by Professor Jaak Kikas.

A panel discussion will focus on the role of art in the public space and the function of architecture in a smart city. The panel discussion will be led by Gregor Taul, researcher of Public Art and visiting lecturer at the Estonian Academy Of Arts. The working language of the conference is English. CONFERENCE “IN THE LIGHT OF ENERGY FIELDS MEELI KÕIVA MEETS MERY CRYSTAL RA” taking place in the KUMU auditorium on SUNDAY DECEMBER 5, 2021 AT 4 PM – 8 PM

Registering / INFO / CONTACT: merycristalratext@gmail.com / mob: +372 58752162