An International Exhibition Hall Rises in the City During M-Building Construction

During the construction period of the next phase of Telliskivi TLN, a temporary multifunctional exhibition hall will be built in the business district, where popular experience events will continue. The opening event of the pop-up hall will be an immersive exhibition by Vincent van Gogh, one of the most influential artists in art history, which will open on June 19. 

Telliskivi TLN is entering a new phase of development. The area will grow into a diverse functional district in the coming years, where culture, entertainment, dining, sports come together, and a city spa and sauna center will be added. At the center of the development is the integration of historical industrial architecture with contemporary urban space functions.

"The goal is to shape Telliskivi into a vibrant urban hub that functions as an active destination at all times of day. The immediate proximity to Baltic Station, good accessibility for both locals and tourists, and a strong reputation as a leisure destination give it a clear advantage. Often people don't come here for a specific address, but simply for Telliskivi itself – knowing that there is always something new and worth discovering," said Katrina Šokman, head of Telliskivi TLN.

Before the reconstruction of the M building, the major exhibitions of the PoCo pop art museum, which have operated in the M building so far, have played an important role in shaping Telliskivi as an international cultural destination, and the exhibitions have been visited by over a quarter million people in total. Within the walls of the building, several international popular exhibitions have been brought to the public, such as the street art exhibition "Banksy's Mystery – True Genius," the immersive exhibition "Da Vinci Genius," and recently the international LEGO art exhibition "Art of the Brick" ended in the M building, which was the last major exhibition in the M building in its current form.

According to Linnar Viik, director of the PoCo pop art museum, the organization of international, large-scale cultural and art experiences in Telliskivi is here to stay. "Operating on temporary space is only a step for PoCo in positioning Tallinn and Telliskivi as the hottest experiential art center on the Northern European map, and by 2028 we will have brought over half a million cultural tourists to Tallinn," he said.

Exhibitions move temporarily to weatherproof outdoor conditions

"Whereas previously exhibitions have been organized in special structures located inside the M building, in the future a comparable professional environment will be created in concert-type tents covered with durable covering material on a metal frame. These are not temporary air tents but a solution that allows us to provide a weatherproof and technically controlled exhibition environment even in outdoor conditions," explained Viik.

Although according to the PoCo director, the temporary solution brings certain spatial constraints, especially in terms of area and technical capabilities, the goal is to continue bringing international exhibitions to the public in the same volume and quality. "The smaller space does require careful planning and some compromises in the scale of the exhibitions, but we are not abandoning our substantive ambitions, and the temporary move outdoors is therefore part of a larger development story," he said.

In the new M building that will be completed in 2028, permanent, modern and technically high-level exhibition spaces will be created, which will allow us to bring even more demanding international art projects to Estonia in the future. "This way Telliskivi maintains its role as an international cultural center, while simultaneously shaping the M building and Telliskivi into a new level wellness and cultural center," added Šokman.