For the past four years, documentary filmmaker and youth artist Marta Vaarik and her team have been developing the participatory art project “Hold Me Close”.
In August 2026, an exhibition of the same name will open in the courtyard of the Kumu Art Museum, focusing on young people’s mental health, the impact of childhood, and the importance of empathy.
Why is this project necessary?
In today’s urban environment, many young people are left to cope with their problems on their own. The sense of community is weakening, people are less attentive to one another, and people tend to judge each other based on first impressions.
The “Hold Me Close” project helps break down these barriers.
It encourages us to look deeper—to see beyond a person’s behavior and understand their story.
This is especially important when it comes to young people who engage in risky behavior. Often, a tough or aloof exterior hides pain, loss, or loneliness. If you really look people in the eye, you’ll find that most of them are actually nice.
It’s the same story with the young people in secure juvenile facilities who exhibit risky behavior. They’re loud, energetic, and sometimes the kind of guys who swear like crazy, but when Marta and her team sit down for a one-on-one interview with a 16-year-old boy, he suddenly turns into a four-year-old child whose father died and whose mother moved in with a new man the very next day, leaving him home alone for two weeks. .
The exhibition, created in collaboration with the Kumu Art Museum, is a major part of the documentary film of the same name set to premiere in 2027, which tells the stories of these young people’s lives. Funding for the documentary has been secured. The aim of the exhibition is to give these young people the opportunity to be heard, to take the lead and think for themselves—and thereby create their own art. It has been proven that if a young person exhibiting risky behavior has even one supportive adult who believes in a better future for them, their future will actually improve.
We believe—help us believe, and please start believing yourself!
If you donate money, Marta Vaarik’s team can bring young people’s ideas to life—for example, by making a real action movie with the boys so they can see that there are other ways to get a thrill besides drinking and fighting. There are completely safe and legal ways—such as filmmaking, art, and creating music. The youth art projects in need of support take various forms: short films, photography, music videos,
installations, sculptures, etc.
All nine of these works will be on display in the courtyard of the Kumu Art Museum in an exhibition curated by Anders Härm. Admission to the exhibition is FREE for everyone. We are creating opportunities for leisure activities at the exhibition to bring together art lovers and young people, so that we can all feel comfortable there while viewing uncomfortable art..
The opening of the Kumu exhibition is the final scene of our documentary—the moment
when we see the faces of the young people featured in the film for the first time, all together, among the crowd, alongside the President of Estonia, influencers, politicians, and YOU!
After all, we live here like in a small village; everyone knows everyone—we look out for one another as a community should, and together we are building a better future for everyone. Your support helps us change the world. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Children are the most vulnerable people in the world, and they have the right to be respected, listened to, and loved.
The non-profit organization Sa Suudad is a partner of the "Hoia mind kaisus" team in raising charitable funds.
Mittetulundusühing Sa Suudad
IBAN: EE587700771010145417
Reference: Hoia Mind Kaisus
If you’d like to donate more money or join us on a day of filming, or if you have any ideas or questions, please feel free to contact us. If you’d like, we can send you a video preview of the film in production.
tel: +372 5340 4940
email: martavaarik@gmail.com
Marta Vaarik, Juri Krutii and the Hoia Mind Kaisus team
All donations will be used exclusively to support youth creative projects within the framework of the statutory objectives of the NGO Sa Suudad.
Donation starting at €5,000
Opportunity to attend a private screening of the film’s premiere for sponsors,
name or logo in the film’s end credits and on all media materials related to the exhibition, invitations to the exhibition opening at the Kumu Art Museum, and acknowledgments in the opening speech.
Donation starting at €2,000
Opportunity to have your name or company name listed in the film’s end credits and invitations to the exhibition opening.
Donation starting at €100
Opportunity to have your name listed in the end credits of the film “Hold Me Close.”
100% of all donations go toward:
creating works by young people;
working with young people outside of KLAT;
conducting educational programs;
a public awareness campaign;
a follow-up program,
which supports young people’s self-realization.
Brief descriptions of works created by young people:
- “Hiding” (music video)
Original music + a production exploring the theme of gender identity. - “Slippers” (short film)
A story about girls who turn the manipulation of adult men to their own advantage. - “I Have Nowhere to Go…” (documentary-hybrid film)
The night the boys escaped from KLAT and drove through southern Estonia in stolen cars. - “Overvoltage” (photo installation)
A photo installation exploring experiences of bullying and social isolation. - “Balance” (documentary photographs)
Black-and-white photographs in frames made by the young artist herself. - “Hope” (autobiographical film)
A film about a journey through the darkest corners of life. - “Dog” (sculpture)
A life-size dog on a chain—a symbol of restrictive care and, at the same time, of cherished friendship. - “Things That Hurt” (sculpture)
A vertical bed with objects attached to it that can be used to injure oneself. - “Fear” (photos)
The work explores bodily memory.
Previous media coverage of the “Hold Me Close” exhibitions (from the perspective of the project involving the previous collaboration between Marta Vaarik and Enelis Linnas, the leader of the NGO Sa Suudad):