Curatorial Fellowship, Tallinn Art Hall
Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall are pleased to launch the first Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship in Tallinn, as part of Upė’s inaugural Curatorial Fellowship Programme between the Baltic region and the UK.
Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellowship at Tallinn Art Hall is a full-time, 12-month position, due to start in April 2026, with the possibility of a further 6-month extension (total 18 months) upon review and mutual decision. Relocation to Tallinn, Estonia is required.
Upė Foundation is a new London-based organisation with a core aim to provide new platforms for dialogue and exchange between the Baltic region and contemporary art communities internationally. Upė begins its work with a series of Curatorial Fellowships with major institutions – Hayward Gallery and Tallinn Art Hall – to support the next generation of curators across the UK and the Baltic countries.
About Tallinn Art Hall
Established in 1934, Tallinn Art Hall is the largest and oldest commissioner, producer and exhibitor of contemporary art in Estonia. The institution is currently undertaking a full renovation of its historic building on Tallinn’s main square, scheduled to reopen in November 2026.
As part of this renovation, Tallinn Art Hall is developing a new, flexible black-box venue beneath the historic building. The space will be approximately 100 m², with retractable seating for 50–60 people, a height of around 5.5 m, a 3×3 m roof hatch for loading large works, a roof window with blackout option, super-silent air pressure for pneumatic artworks, a motorised track system for hanging lights and artworks, and a large built-in screen and projector. The incoming Fellow will be able to shape final equipment choices in line with their proposed programme
Tallinn Art Hall produces 5–6 exhibitions per year, presenting local and international artists and engaging with urgent social and political questions. The renovated building will open with a group exhibition curated by Tamara Luuk and Siim Preiman, focusing on shifting representations of nature in Estonian art from 19th-century painting to contemporary commissions, followed by an extension of Merike Estna’s Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
The new black box is conceived as a space for cross-disciplinary, experimental practice that responds to Tallinn Art Hall’s wider programme while also allowing for independent initiatives.
About the Fellowship role
Upė Foundation Curatorial Fellow will be responsible for conceiving and curating the inaugural programme for the new, cross-disciplinary black box space.
Most of the programme is expected to maintain a dialogue with Tallinn Art Hall’s main exhibitions, while leaving room for independent projects and formats initiated by the Fellow. Preliminary directions for the space include:
Art exhibitions
Solo exhibitions (with a focus on new commissions, including site-specific work)
Duo projects (for example, pairing an artist with a practitioner from another field)
Installation displays
Supporting programmes
Film and video screenings linked to current exhibitions
Lectures and talks on subjects linked to main programmes at Tallinn Art Hall
Presentations by Tallinn Art Hall resident artists and resident chefs
Concerts and sound programmes by artists
Collaborations and experiments
Encounters between contemporary dance and performance art
Screenings of archival artist films
More playful and speculative uses of the space, which could range from experiments with large-scale set pieces (e.g., an air mattress accessed via the roof hatch) to occasional club-adjacent events
The Fellow will be expected to:
Develop a coherent curatorial vision and multi-part programme for the cross-disciplinary black box space
Align and agree the programme with the Director and in-house curators
Initiate and maintain relationships with artists and collaborators
Draft and oversee agreements with artists and partners
Lead on the curatorial, conceptual and structural aspects of the programme, working closely with the production team
They will receive day-to-day production support from three in-house project managers and mentoring from Tallinn Art Hall’s curators and Director, as needed.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants should have:
1–5 years of relevant curatorial experience.
Higher education qualification (BA, MA or equivalent) in curating, art history, visual culture, or related disciplines.
Shall be a UK citizen, resident, or otherwise able to prove UK affiliation (e.g. settled/pre-settled status, long-term residency, or equivalent).
Strong preference given to emerging practitioners who have not held full-time roles in major institutions or museums, able to demonstrate experience and initiative in running small-scale, self-directed projects, spaces, or frameworks.
Tallinn Art Hall and Upė Foundation will fully support the process of arranging the Estonian work and residence permit.
What the Fellowship offers:
A monthly salary equivalent to the Estonian average published income, currently 2213 EUR gross
Fully funded Estonian health insurance
Initial flights to Tallinn
A brand new MacBook
A fully funded 4-day research trip to the opening days of the Venice Biennale 2026, together with Tallinn Art Hall colleagues
Support in finding accommodation and settling in
Assistance in arranging the residence and work permits
Very flexible office hours
A collaborative environment and ‘amazing people to work with’
How to apply
Please send the following materials in a single PDF file (in English) to upefellow@kunstihoone.ee:
CV
Motivational letter (maximum 1 A4 page), outlining your interest in Tallinn Art Hall, the black box space and this specific opportunity
Programme proposal for the black box (maximum 3 A4 pages), including your curatorial approach and indicative ideas for how you would structure the programme over 12–18 months
If you have any questions before applying, you can contact Tallinn Art Hall via upefellow@kunstihoone.ee.
Application deadline: 12:00 (noon) UK time, Monday 12 January 2026
Interviews: Late January-February 2026
Selection process
Applications will be reviewed jointly by Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall. Following an initial assessment, a shortlist of candidates will be invited to a first-round online interview with representatives from both organisations. A smaller group of finalists will be invited to a second interview. The selection panel will include members of Upė Foundation and Tallinn Art Hall. Decisions are made by consensus, with agreement required from the full panel at each stage.