Garaaž. Гараж. Garage

In October, The People’s Museum of Tallinn opens a new exhibition about garages!

A garage is more than simply a storage space for a car, it is a place for various activities, some paradoxically opposite. As a private area, a garage gives its owner a refuge to be on one’s own and do what one likes – be it repairing a car, making a painting, listening to music or, let’s be honest, drinking. It is a place to discover and express individuality, both in creative and destructive ways. However, in garage cooperatives, common in Tallinn, communication and neighbourliness are needed. Thus, a garage blends the public and the private, the individual and the collective.

This exhibition explores the paradoxicality of a garage, its history and mythology, through diverse garage stories, both archival and contemporary. In Tallinn, one can find different garages: historical buildings from the early 20th century and garage areas built during the Soviet period. While some still serve as parking places or warehouses, others are now workshops, places for hobbies and businesses. By gathering these stories, this exhibition seeks to understand the past, present and future of garages in our city.

Denis Jatsenko (Tallinn City Museum) exhibition curator	“Garages are everywhere! Once you pay attention to this inconspicuous and simple architectural form, you begin to understand what an important role a garage plays in both the history and today’s image of our city.”
Aleksandra Ianchenko, artist and researcher at Tallinn University, exhibition curator	“I always thought that garages were only for men and cars. Therefore, while preparing this exhibition, I was glad to meet artists who work in garages as well as learn about the first female drivers in Estonia.”
Tauri Tuvikene, professor of urban studies at Tallinn University, scientific consultant of the exhibition	“A garage is a humble part of urban space, but it has great cultural and social potential. As my early research into garages in Tallinn and Tartu shows, a garage is more than a home for a car.”
Katerina Poltavets, Katline Design, exhibition designer	“My grandfather once converted his garage into a dovecote. Therefore, pigeons, these city birds, evoke in me associations with garages, and at the exhibition, they became guides for viewers.”

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia