The state needs a law, but the citizen needs willpower. Let’s make it happen: (young) Estonian art in every (new) Estonian home!
We already have a law that ensures every new building constructed by the Estonian state is enriched by a work from an Estonian artist. But — to borrow a thought from Teacher Laur (Kevade) — that’s only half the equation. Why couldn’t we, without any law at all, simply agree together today that every new Estonian home should also feature the work of at least one Estonian artist from day one?
Buying a home is a major and meaningful investment, one that most people prepare for over a long time — and for many, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Moving into a new home is an event you remember forever. But have you considered that, alongside the new sofa or refrigerator, it’s actually a work of art that would leave a far more powerful and lasting memory of that moment? It’s a gift each of us gives ourselves to mark a new home. But at the same time, it’s a gift we give to Estonia and to our cultural heritage.
In Estonia, around a thousand families buy a new home every month. If, starting tomorrow, every one of those families also bought a single work by an Estonian artist, Estonian art would be many times more thriving and diverse than it is today. If the average new home costs 200,000 euros and even just 1% of that went toward buying art, then… well, actually, you can work wonders with even half a percent.
Every day, our people buy local food to support local farmers, and our investors buy shares in local companies because they’re “ours.” We happily watch Estonian films at the cinema and, thankfully, still read books in Estonian. But let’s agree today that we’ll also buy Estonian art. At least one piece in every new home. Of course, it can also go into an older home — and of course, you can buy more than one.
Over the years, I’ve built homes for nearly two thousand families, and along the way, I’ve also acquired works by Estonian artists whenever I could. Believe me — a work of art on your wall is a sign of wealth, but not in financial terms. It’s a much “harder currency” than that. For me, contemporary Estonian art is what connects me to the world around me. A dialogue with those who live and breathe in the same cultural space as we do, who sense the same beauty and pain, the same joys and sorrows.
Even a million-euro view needs a soul
In an era when one smart home tries to outdo the next with the latest tech gadgets, a home’s real “operating system” is still the genuine feeling of being home — and it’s art that gives a space its character. Unlike those very pretty pictures that hang in thousands of homes around the world, an Estonian artist’s painting, print, or sculpture is one of a kind.
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The article was originally published on Delfi’s opinion portal (LINK: https://arvamus.delfi.ee/artikkel/120571750/kristjan-thor-vahi-igasse-uude-koju-eesti-kunstniku-teos)