Kadri Toom is the Artist-in-Residence at the Cotton Factory

Kadri Toom is the Nordic Artist Exchange Resident at the Cotton Factory in Hamilton in 2025.

During the residency, Toom will explore local architecture, focusing particularly on the contrast between neoclassical buildings and new developments. She will use pinhole photography techniques and photo-drawing collages as her main artistic tools. Additionally, she plans to collaborate with the contemporary print and photo center Smokestack Studio in Hamilton and engage with the creative community at the Cotton Factory.

Kadri Toom says: “Canada has a strong and continuous tradition in printmaking. Since printmakers from around the world will gather here in 2025, this is the perfect time and place to experiment, learn, and share ideas.”

During the residency, the artist will have access to a studio located in a historic cotton factory in the heart of Hamilton. Built in 1900, the former industrial building has since evolved into a vibrant creative hub, home to a wide range of local artistic activity and numerous diverse events. It houses artisans, small-scale manufacturers, artists, designers, curators, and other creatives. The resident artist will have the opportunity to present their work and artistic practice to local colleagues and art professionals through a variety of public events. The residency includes a stipend and production support; living and travel expenses are also covered.

Kadri Toom (b. 1984) focuses on combining various printmaking techniques and experimenting with color fields, aiming to move beyond traditional graphic forms. Her recurring themes often relate to the experience of living environments, space, and landscapes. Toom has exhibited widely in Estonia and internationally. In 2021, she was named Printmaker of the Year by the Association of Estonian Printmakers. Her accolades include the Estonian Cultural Endowment annual award and the Wiiralt Prize in 2022. Her works have been shown in exhibitions and projects across Europe. Toom holds a BA in painting from Pallas University of Applied Sciences and an MA in printmaking from the Estonian Academy of Arts. She is a member of both the Estonian Artists' Association and the Association of Estonian Printmakers. In addition to her artistic practice, she teaches and mentors printmaking students at the Estonian Academy of Arts and Pallas University of Applied Sciences..

Estonian artists who have previously participated in the program include Marko Mäetamm, Kai Kaljo, Britta Benno, Peeter Laurits, Johanna Ulfsak and Kärt Ojavee, Taavi Talve, and Edgar Tedresaar and Regina-Mareta Soonsein. Canadian artists who have worked in Estonia include Tor Lukasik Foss, Tyler Tekatch, Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay and Lisa Pijuan-Nomura, Andrew McPhail, and Jacqui Oakley. In 2024, the exchange program took place in the framework of the European Capital of Culture, in collaboration with the Tartu Artists' Union.

In 2025, Hamilton-based artist and filmmaker Lesley Loksi Chan will be in residence in Tallinn. Read more here.

More info:
https://www.eaa.ee/residentuurid
https://www.cottonfactory.ca/nordic-artist-exchange/

Photo: Haide Rannakivi