Capturing life as it is

An article in Vegan magazine

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I was extremely happy to have the opportunity to write about my experiences at the Toronto Vegetarian (actually vegan) Bank, where I volunteered for a year.

I got to do a short interview with Matthew Noble, who is running the food bank. It was great to get to know him better and find out that, besides being a wonderful human being who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of animals, he is engaged in many fields where he can apply the same work.

I am truly amazed that such an institution as a vegan food bank exists in this world. So blessed that I was able to be part of it and write about it in a vegan magazine. Thank you, Universe! 🙂

Here is a small clip of the featured article: View this post on Instagram

Vegan magazine website, sorry, only in Estonian.

I am featured in EAKBL!

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Today’s discovery of finding myself randomly from EAKBL – Eesti Kunsti ja Arhitektuuri Biograafiline Leksikon, in English Biographical Lexicon of Estonian Art and Architecture, brought out a huge laugh. Not sure why, but it felt so unreal to see my name there. Me in a biographical lexicon. Also referred to as an artist. Is this real?

Anyhow, I am curious about it, so I guess I have to find out more about how this happened, and I have actually done way more than this. 🙂

October – summer is over

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Yes, the wonderful, surprising, uplifting, heart-filling, and ever-so-stimulating September is over. What a release, discovery, and coming together within myself. I guess some start writing a book about it, as yes, it is such a powerful and unexpected feeling. One should definitely experience this at least once in their life. Unfortunately, I do not have any guidance on how to get to that level. Also, is this a lasting state or a temporary one?

Anyway, I didn’t want to talk about that, but of October. The month when I realized that the summer is over! 🙂 So enjoy the bright colours and let your inner sun shine bright. Lift yourself up, listen to good music, eat good food or do not eat at all, just be better to people around you and do some crazy stuff. But keep others in your mind and be respectful. Always. Remember, the world is not you.

And the photo is an old one, which I found accidentally online. Not even sure anymore, from which source. But here it is. Perfect for this post!

Toronto Estonian House: Last Act in media

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I was super glad to see that so many media outlets shared my press release about the opening of the photography show “Toronto Estonian House: Last Act”. Way to go! I am super happy – most likely my most shared photography exhibition so far.

BaltHerNet

EestiElu.ca

ERR.ee

EstonianWorldReview.ca

kultuuriaken.tartu.ee

Ring.fm

Uudis.net

Visitsouthestonia.ee

Have you seen it yet? If not, then it is up until the end of October, 30th to be exact. So you still have some time!

Exploring the Toronto Estonian House at Tartu City Library

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I am extremely proud to present that one of my best and largest shows, Toronto Estonian House: Last Act, is now presented at Tartu City Library, located at Kompanii 3/5. It is pleasantly open Monday through Friday, 10:00-20:00, Saturday, 10:00-16:00, closed on Sunday. So, you will have plenty of options to take a look.

What I hope the most for is to receive an email from a person who has visited the Estonian House in Toronto themselves. It would be so great to hear their impressions and perhaps to see photos they took of the building. Please share this post with your friends, as perhaps there is someone in Tartu who should see it and has a reason to email me.

Here are previous posts related to the Toronto Estonian House I have published before:

July exhibition for a day

The stillness of the Toronto Estonian House – photo gallery vol. 2

Estonian House in Toronto is no more

Looking forward to your emails at kerly/at/kerlyilves.ee

Viljandi Folk swept me away again!

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After a year, I was for my great surprise invited again to take photos at the wonderful Viljandi Folk Festival. It was my absolute pleasure to be there once again. Thank you, Kristjan Priks, for your patience and kindness in making it happen again!

Taking photos and running from one show to another is not easy, but great shots and great music make it up for me. I found some new favourites such as: Kader Tarhanine, Džambo Aguševi Orchestra and Elizabeth Davidson-Blythe & Daniel Quayle. Of course, I was very happy to see Mari Kalkun after a short break, and last year’s show-makers Trad.Attack! and lovely Duo Ruut.

I was especially glad to be able to share my work with Eestielu.ca readers all around the world. So, if you didn’t get to go to Folk this year, then the gallery should give you a pretty good overview of what you missed!

Trad.Attack! gave another wonderful show. Sandra is awesome!

Can’t get enough of Mari Kalkun’s music.

New favourite Kader Tarhanine from Africa. Little did I know that I would end up on the stage with the band. 😁

Until the next year!

July exhibition for a day

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What a day today is going to be. I can present the exhibition “Toronto Estonian House: Last Act” for one day in Kultuurikatel’s väike saal on the ground floor. ESTO 2025 is taking place there for one day!

If you are around, please stop by. They have workshops taking place in that hall, but you can squeeze in just for photos. Here is the schedule with all the information about the July 1st (Happy Canada Day!) programme of Global Estonian Diaspora Networking Day. If you stopped by, take a photo of your favourite photo and email it to me with your thoughts to kerly/at/kerlyilves.ee No fret, if you can’t come, as there will be a chance to see it in Tartu this fall.

Here is a part of the exhibition at its original presentation place, at Toronto Estonian House. Rest in peace, Eesti Maja.

June to be or not to be…

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or something like that. It is a mess, but please continue.

Yay! The first summer month is here! Yet the question remains, which summer it will be this time – the hot and dry or the cold and rainy one. While living in Estonia, it is always a gamble. I prefer something in between, as the hot sun or cold rainy days are not the best options to enjoy the summer.

The June photo is about a similar dilemma – which side of the coin will it be? You can look at the big picture or the small details – what will you choose? Most of the time, we have a choice, but with the weather, we don’t.

I guess it will be what it will be. We seem to talk too much about the weather anyway. Whatever we are given, I hope that I can see some bigger pictures and find myself lost in looking for the small details. After all, the smallest things matter the most, so keep looking!

A close-up of a colourful caterpillar symbolizes the unpredictability of summer weather.