Helena Pass ⎜Children’s literature residency (Estonia)

BIO:

Helena Pass is an artist and illustrator based in Tallinn, Estonia. She studied graphic arts at the Estonian Academy of Arts and photography at Pallas University of Applied Sciences. Her practice combines drawing and printmaking, with drawing functioning as her primary tool for artistic research. She often brings together visual documentation in the form of artist books, which she values for their ability to hold both structure and intimacy. Through a mix of observational methods—drawing, photography, found materials, and interviews—she explores peripheral and transitional environments. Her ongoing interest lies in the relationship between humans and nature, particularly in spaces at risk of disappearing, such as dacha communities.

PROJECT:

During the residency, Helena will continue her exploration of dacha culture by developing an interactive children’s book based on the unique summer house district in Kulgu. The project combines drawing and collage to depict the eclectic architecture and gardens of the area, which readers can cut out and reassemble into their own imagined dacha structures. Alongside illustration, Helena will document stories and visual details from the local community, reflecting both the richness and vulnerability of these spaces. The book will serve as a playful yet reflective archive of a distinctive urban-nature environment on the edge of change.