Tallinn-based gallery OKAPI participates in Photoville in New York

Tallinn-based OKAPI Gallery takes part in Photoville, one of the largest international photography events in the United States, held in New York City 7–22 June. The festival spans all five boroughs and features over 80 exhibitions showcasing the work of more than 300 artists from around the world. OKAPI Gallery will present the project Baltic Way as Soft Resistance, which explores the geopolitical, psychological and cultural dimensions of the Baltic Way. The open-air exhibition will be located at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Photoville unfolds across 20 parks and other public spaces in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Its central venue is the 34-hectare Brooklyn Bridge Park on the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, where exhibitions are displayed in repurposed shipping containers.
Founded in 2011, the festival is taking place for the 14th time this year. It is accompanied by an extensive public programme that includes artist-led tours, photo walks, workshops, artist talks, panel discussions and other events. In 2024, the festival attracted over 1 million visitors, and similar attendance is expected this year. Photoville partners with major media outlets, including The New York Times, National Geographic and The Washington Post, and collaborates with organisations such as the United Nations and the Pulitzer Center.

OKAPI Gallery presents Baltic Way as Soft Resistance, a documentary photography research project by photo artist and gallerist Temuri kHvingia and Ukrainian street and documentary photographer Andrii Mur. The project delves into the geopolitical, psychological and cultural significance of the Baltic Way—a peaceful protest that united Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1989.

Through powerful documentary photography, the exhibition introduces New Yorkers and international visitors to the recent history of the Baltic states, while also drawing attention to current geopolitical threats. The project invites reflection on the position of small nations, grassroots initiatives, collective efforts, and the value of freedom, along with the role each individual plays in achieving and sustaining it. It aims to foster cultural understanding and empathy, and to support ongoing dialogue and cooperation between Estonia and the United States.
The project features works by photographers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: Peeter Langovits, Mati Hiis, Aivars Liepiņš, Romualdas Požerskis,and Vytautas Daraškevičius. It also includes archival materials from the Tallinn Museum of Photography, the Latvian Museum of Photography and the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Lithuania.
This exhibition continues the gallery’s project Baltic Way 35 from 2024, presented in several locations in Tallinn to mark the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way.
At Photoville, OKAPI’s exhibition will be located in the open-air space at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This is the second time for the gallery to participate in Photoville; the first was in 2019.

OKAPI Gallery’s participation in Photoville 2025 is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture from the programme Estonian Culture Abroad. Project partners include the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tallinn Museum of Photography, Estonian Railways, the photography magazine Positiiv, print studio Craftrag and AS Balteco.

OKAPI Gallery is located in Tallinn’s Old Town and was founded in 2013 by Birgit Pählapuu and Temuri kHvingia. The gallery operates at the intersection of visual and applied arts, with a focus on glass and photographic art, while its exhibitions encompass a wide range of media. In 2022, the gallery launched an international artist residency programme.