Kati Ilves said that the European Capital of Culture, implemented by the Tartu 2024 Foundation and its partners, will be Estonia's main event in 2024.

"My biggest challenge in the new role is to further develop and implement the artistic vision of Tartu 2024, so that the entire completed program will offer experiences for Estonians and guests from Europe with many different interests," Ilves said.

At the end of this year, the foundation will present the first part of the Tartu 2024 cultural program, which is based on the candidate bid book and the "Arts of Survival" creative concept.

"The primary program that will be presented to the audience as a result of the newly completed development process is in a very good condition," Ilves said. "From the artistic side, the overall picture is very diverse, the institutional level is represented in the form of several key organizations in Southern Estonia, as well as the grassroots view. Local issues are well balanced with global ones."

The manager of the foundation Kuldar Leisi said preparations for the European Capital of Culture have reached a new, fast stage of development.

"Kati Ilves is a top performer in her field with work experience with very different audiences in Estonia and Europe. Her knowledge and experience help Tartu and South Estonia offer a comprehensive program as the Capital of Culture. The goal is for Tartu 2024 to be outstanding both in Estonia and internationally," he said.

Kati Ilves (born in 1984) has curated solo and group exhibitions and managed research projects in Estonia and elsewhere in Europe. She has a master's degree in art history from the Estonian Academy of Arts, and has studied literature and film at the University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis.

She has worked with rapper Tommy Cash and fashion designer Rick Owens. In 2018, she worked as a guest curator at the Le Lieu Unique Art Center in Nantes, France where she created the international group exhibition "Beyond the Flowing Horizon".

The creative director was selected through a targeted search and will start work on August 2.

The Tartu 2024 Foundation started operating at the beginning of 2020. The aim of the organization is to implement the activities of the European Capital of Culture in Tartu and South Estonia.

Tartu and 19 other municipalities of South Estonia, were named the European Capital of Culture of 2024 in August 2019. The selection was made by an international independent panel of experts.

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