Linnap, Peeter

Estonian, b. 1960

BiographyAn artist, educator, critic, and curator, Peeter Linnap is one of the major figures in the field of photography in Estonia. He became active as an artist in the 1980s and selections from his early black and white work are included in the Museum of Contemporary Photography's collection. Estonia gained its independence from Russia in 1991, after being annexed by the Soviet Union since World War II. By the mid-1990s activities in the arts in the country began to expand dramatically, and photography held a central position as it came to be recognized as an independent art form. Within this milieu, Linnap played a significant role.

Like certain other Estonian artists in the 1990s, Linnap used his work as means of social critique, addressing notions of national and personal identity, and his photographs began to be exhibited in Europe and the United States. He also authored numerous critical and theoretical articles on photography. In 1995, Linnap established the international Saaremaa Biennial. With his wife Eve Kiiler (then Eve Linnap) he also curated the first two editions of the event, which garned attention from American and European art publications and confirmed Estonia's place within the circuits of contemporary art. Linnap was also one of the founders of the department of photography at the Estonian Art Academy. He is currently the chair of the Photography Department at Tartu Art College.