Estonian arts in A Shade Colder
Our May delivery to Stack subscribers was A Shade Colder, the Tallinn-based magazine that offers a unique view of arts and creativity as seen from Estonia and the wider Baltic states. It’s a strange and beautiful magazine, funded by the Estonian Ministry of Culture but dedicated to creating a gloriously unconventional tone that brings a fresh perspective to arts in Estonia.
Editor Keiu Krikmann spoke at our Stack Magazine Club last week and she explained that the ministry had decided there was a lack of English-language publishing about Estonian arts, so they held an open call for pitches. The Estonian Centre for Contemporary Arts won the competition with their proposal for A Shade Colder, and she joined the project at that point. Apparently the ministry has no involvement in the editorial product, and she explains that while part of the magazine’s mission is to showcase the work of Estonian artists, they also draw from a wider pool to create a snapshot from the Baltic states and beyond.
One of the themes running through the magazine is the impact that Estonia’s Soviet past still has on the country today, and she speaks about that and the complex relationships that exist between the Baltic states and their Russian neighbour. It was a great way of opening the magazine up and getting more out of it, so I hope you’ll enjoy the conversation with Keiu below.
All Stack subscribers are invited to our Magazine Club nights every month, so if you want to take a closer look at some of today’s best independent publishing, sign up for Stack and join our magazine-lovers’ club.
