Kumu Courtyard Festival: Icelandic Currents 07/06/2025
12:00–21:00

The Kumu Courtyard Festival, which took place for the first time last year, is back, this time riding the currents of Iceland!

On Saturday, 7 June, Kumu’s courtyard will be filled with creative people connected with Iceland. There will be workshops and exhibition tours inspired by Iceland and the Nordic region, live music performances, and Nordic-inspired culinary delights.

This Kumu Courtyard Festival is inspired by the solo exhibition “A Boy and a Girl and a Bush and a Bird“ by the Icelandic video artist and painter Ragnar Kjartansson, opening in mid-May in Kumu’s Great Hall and project spaces. The exhibition provides insights into the oeuvre of one of the most fascinating and idiosyncratic artists in the contemporary international art scene; his art has been influenced by pop music and art history.

The first Kumu Courtyard Festival took place in 2024 as a part of the public programme of the exhibition History and Mystery: Latin American Art and Europe. The Courtyard Festival is a one-day family-friendly event with a diverse programme, held in Kumu’s courtyard. The aim of the festival is to bring together different communities, caterers, musicians and creative people, and to create a platform for cultural dialogue.

Gallery: Kumu Courtyard Festival 2024

Gallery

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Museum opening times & Ticketing

• The Kumu courtyard, the atrium and Great Hall will be open until 21:00.
  Events in the Kumu courtyard and atrium will be free of charge. The ticketing information regarding workshops is noted in the programme below.
• A museum ticket is required to visit our exhibitions and join the guided tours. Kumu’s permanent collections and temporary exhibitions on the third to fifth floors, as well as the museum shop, are open until 18:00.
• Between 18:00 and 21:00, you can visit the Great Hall exhibition Ragnar Kjartansson: A Boy and a Girl and a Bush and a Bird with a special ticket for 9 €. Exhibition tickets will be sold until 20:30.

Programme

Workshops

Location: 2nd floor, Education Centre, atrium and courtyard

12:00‒21:00 Drop-in workshop: Letters to and from Iceland. Free admission
12:00‒13:30 Workshop: Spring Plants to Nordic Kombucha, Hikari Tanaka, in English. Places are limited. Tickets at 30 € are available on Fienta.
13:00‒15:00 Drop-in workshop: Making Fairy Houses. Free admission
13:00‒16:00 Workshop: Fine Fish, in Estonian. The workshop sessions start at 12 noon, 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm. Tickets at 12 € are available in Kumu’s ticket office

Music

Location: courtyard
Free admission

12:00‒16:00 Juulius Vaiksoo’s selection of Icelandic music
16:00‒19:00 DJ Rhythm Doctor
19:00‒20:00 SALEA & LYSTRO
20:00‒21:00 MEGAMEGA Superstar

Food

Location: courtyard

Gelato Ladies
Hulkur Rändbaar
Austerium
SALT Restaurant
Nikolay Bar-Buffeé

Activities

Location: Kumu’s atrium and courtyard
Events in the Kumu courtyard and atrium are free of charge. A museum ticket is required to visit our exhibitions and join the guided tours.

12:00‒20:30 Treasure Hunt: Sheep in the Bottom Right Corner
13:00‒14:30 Curator’s Tour of the exhibition Ragnar Kjartansson: A Boy and a Girl and a Bush and a Bird, Anders Härm, in Estonian
14:00‒15:00 Keithy Kuuspu’s and Ave Vellesalu’s performative installation Eruption
14:00‒16:00 Drink and Draw: Viking session
17:00‒18:30 Curator’s Tour of the exhibition Ragnar Kjartansson: A Boy and a Girl and a Bush and a Bird, Anders Härm, in English
17:00‒18:00 Live podcast of Südameliiklus: in conversation with Sveta Grigorjeva, in Estonian
18:45‒19:00 Experimental musical composition A Thousand Lights Away, Merilyn Jaeski

Visiting safely

Eating and drinking is not allowed in the exhibition halls. We kindly ask you to eat and drink in the allocated areas in the Kumu atrium and courtyard. The tap water in the Kumu Art Museum is safe to drink. While visiting our exhibitions, outdoor clothes, larger items and bags must be left in the self-service cloakroom or in a locker. The festival, including both Kumu’s interior and the courtyard, are smoke-free areas. The designated smoking area is located in front of the pedestrian tunnel doors at the top of the Kumu Courtyard. Pets are allowed in the Kumu atrium and courtyard. Pets are not allowed in the exhibition and workshop spaces, except for guide dogs and small lap dogs in handbags.