Architect Miia Masso. In Five Acts

A personal archive reflects the unpredictability of a life. The studio archive of architect Miia Masso contains material that reveals the breadth of a career spanning more than 50 years. The exhibition moves both chronologically and thematically backwards through time, dividing the architect’s work into five thematic acts. Each act is anchored by an object that accompanied Masso throughout her life – an artefact that reflects the more significant contingencies that shaped her life.

The work of an architect whose career unfolded partly in Soviet Estonia and partly in Estonia after the restoration of independence reflects the characteristic projects of each period: apartment buildings, summer houses, private homes, public buildings, urban plans and commercial centres. From the personal archive, a number of distinctive original works and documents are presented alongside copies that the architect regarded as an essential part of her portfolio. As a result, the exhibition feels personal: through these selections we glimpse the individual behind the work – her aesthetic sensibility, her values and her reserved charisma.

Curators: Triin Reidla, Siim Tanel Tõnisson

Graphic design: Tuuli Aule

Exhibition design: stuudio TÄNA (Ra Martin Puhkan, Kertu Johanna Jõeste, Siim Tanel Tõnisson)

The exhibiton Architect Miia Masso. In Five Acts opens on the 11th of June at 5pm and will remain open until 23rd of August. The exhibition is supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts, Bauroc and Estonian Association of Architects.