It is a well-known view that art—an artist’s own works—is the best monument to them.

In an obituary written upon Ülo Sooster’s death in October 1970, we read: “He was infinitely, improbably talented—both in art and in life. His unusual painting awaits its fame. In printmaking he forged his own style.”

And yet the idea of erecting a monument to Ülo Sooster on the island of Hiiumaa—in the town of Kärdla, opposite the school he attended—is a matter of principle. A principle for us, the living.

The example of Ülo Ilmar Sooster is that of a person who could remain free in captivity; who did not lose kindness and compassion in inhuman conditions. Nothing could prevent him from loving, from absorbing knowledge and impressions, and from creating—while remaining himself: THE ARTIST ÜLO SOOSTER.

The Sooster Foundation is pleased to announce that 24 Estonian sculptors, representing different generations and schools, have decided to take part in the competition for the monument’s design.

The winner will be announced no later than 15 April of this year.

The monument is planned to be unveiled on 17 October 2027—on Hiiumaa, the island that was always in Ülo Sooster’s heart, in sorrow and in joy. Hence, “in his work there blossomed the memories of childhood—junipers, fish, shells, birds. The dreams of youth—women. Meditations on knowledge and on the synthesis of Time and Space—the egg.”