Works by Estonian sculptors Edith Karlson and Jass Kaselaan are on display in the car park beneath Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak), which itself abuts onto the historic bastion walls, fully revealed with extensive work done to the square over a decade-and-a-half ago.

The exhibition, part of a wider initiative across Tallinn, aims to enhance the shared living environment and provides Estonian artists opportunities to exhibit their works, overseen by construction company Merko, which has installed more than 20 individual artworks and sculptural groups in Tallinn's public urban space.
On display by Karlson are the horse sculpture "Keha ja vaim" ("Body and Spirit") and a series of plaster-cast, child-sized ghosts under the collective title "Draama on sinu peas" ("The Drama Is in Your Head"). From Jass Kaselaan, visitors can view the sculptural groups "Seitse hiirt" ("Seven Mice") and "Nemad ja mina" ("Them and Me").

"It is wonderful to open an exhibition in a place where people do not usually come to experience art. People come here for entirely different reasons – to park a car, to drive through briefly, to keep moving. Art is usually expected to be in a white hall, in a quiet space and presented to the viewer in the right mood. This place is different, and that is precisely what makes it interesting for me. Art in this environment does not necessarily have to demand much time or deep immersion – it can also simply appear briefly along the way," said Kaselaan of the new exhibits.

Tallinn City Center (Kesklinn) District Elder Nikita Groznov (Center) concurred that art does not always have to wait for the viewer in a gallery. "It is often even more exciting when art speaks to people in an urban environment and invites them to discover it. The exhibition beneath Freedom Square shows that even everyday city space can offer an experience and food for thought, whether passing by in a car or walking through," Groznov said, via a City of Tallinn press release.

Speaking at the formal unveiling of the works, Tallinn Mayor Peeter Raudsepp said it is important for the capital that public space is not only functional but also offers experiences. "This exhibition is a very good example of how cooperation between the city and entrepreneurs can make public space more diverse and lively. The city can create the framework and opportunities, entrepreneurs can bring ideas and initiative – together something is created that remains for the city and its people," Raudsepp said.

Jaan Mäe, head of Merko Eesti, noted that the built environment "must be comfortable and safe, but it could also create positive emotions and remain memorable. That is why we have brought art closer to people around the homes we have built and in other locations that people regularly pass while moving around Tallinn and carrying out their daily activities."

Outside of the subterranean parking lot, the nearby Danish King's Garden ("Taani kuninga aed") hosts monk sculptures by Simson von Seakyll and Paul Mänd, while Merko has also installed, commissioned by Kapitel and in cooperation with the City of Tallinn, contemporary façade lighting on the Old Town walls and towers, which reminds passers-by of history in the evening darkness and offers an artistic experience.

Another work by Kaselaan, Toys, is displayed in the Uus-Veerenni residential quarter, while Karlson's giant dinosaur sculpture The Good Old Days graces the Noblessner district of North Tallinn.

Karlson said: "We all know that creating something in public space almost always brings differing opinions, and for that reason it requires courage and a sense of responsibility from both commissioners and creators. For that I offer my sincere thanks and recognition. I consider it very important that our urban space is diverse and lively and that there is room for different artistic voices. I wish long life to such courage and initiative."

Estonian artists Heigo Jelle, Kalle Pruuden, Siim Poomann, Kersti Lootus and Flo Kasearu have also created artworks for Tallinn's urban space in the context of the same project commissioned by Merko.

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