My mother once told me that some artists love drawing so much they don’t even eat breakfast first. They brush their teeth and get right down to work. As an adult, I had a dream in which the gem of a ring someone gave me was melting like a lollipop. It came to mind about a decade later, so I learned the basics of faceting to cut a melting gemstone. The first composition assignment I was given at the Estonian Academy of Arts was to draw a single line across paper; twenty years later, my dripping jade brushstroke received international acclaim. I was recently asked to recall the most impactful first exhibitions I encountered: they were Kaarel Kurismaa’s kinetic sculptures and Viktor Vasarely’s optical paintings, both of which were in early childhood.
At the Estonian Academy of Arts, I found myself working on my bachelor’s thesis under Kurismaa’s direction and ten years later, I began cutting gems that dripped and bubbled. Sometimes I start working right after getting up, not even dressing first.
The stories and connections are already complete somewhere – their revelation is just a matter of time.
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Julia Maria Künnap graduated in Jewellery and Blacksmithing from the Estonian Academy of Arts under Professor Kadri Mälk (BA 2001, MA 2004) and has further developed her skills in Stockholm, Florence, and Idar-Oberstein. Her work has received recognition both in Germany and in Estonia. In 2018, she was awarded the Herbert Hofmann Prize in Munich, and in 2023 she received, among other honors, the Estonian Fashion Award Silver Needle (Hõbenõel).
Her jewellery is included in the collections of the MAD Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design. In addition, her works can be found in private collections in Asia, Europe, and the USA.
She has designed the ceremonial chain of office for the Rector of the University of Tartu and the communion vessels for St. John’s Church in Tartu. Her furniture design has been awarded the Red Dot Design Award. She has taught and supervised students at universities in both Europe and the United States.
She currently lives and works in Tallinn and is pursuing doctoral studies.