Kärt Summatavet

Kärt Summatavet (b. 1960) is a metal artist and graphic designer. She received her PhD from the Faculty of Design, Aalto University (2005). She is Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of Tartu 2019/2020 and works as a consultant at the Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu.

The artist describes her creative path as follows: “I was born in a family of artists and wanted to study the most difficult and versatile speciality – metal art. I am grateful to Professor Kaljo Põllu, the organizer of Finno-Ugric expeditions of SAIE, under whose instruction I documented the ethnographic cultural heritage of our kindred nations and copied rock drawings. Also the theories of a legendary Estonian artist-mystic Tõnis Vint, concerning the meanings of signs and colours, left deep impression for me, but the main knowledge of cultural heritage I have collected from museums, scientific literature and field researches in the villages in Estonia. My creative teacher was Professor Leili Kuldkepp, an excellent drawer and exceptionally sensitive interpreter of culture.”

“The keywords of my creation: tradition, inspiration, innovation. In recent years I have also cooperated with fashion designers. Through my creation I tell stories, describing who we are, where we have come from and where we go. These are human and noble stories, which roots lie in the traditional human dreams, values and ethics.”- In the book “A-Gallery. Estonian art jewellery gallery for 20 years” (2014)

Source: agalerii.ee

Kärt Summatavet’s exhibition “Cosmic Collision. Gates of Heaven” was held in Artrovert in the beginning of 2024