1936–
The artist who gave the Singing Revolution its name
On 11 September 1988, from the stage of Eestimaa Laul before 300,000 people, he declared: "One day, no matter what, we will win!" Those words became the slogan of Estonia's freedom struggle.
An Estonian artist and caricaturist, Valk coined the term "Singing Revolution" in an article published in Sirp ja Vasar on 17 June 1988, a week after the spontaneous night-singing demonstrations at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds. At the Eestimaa Laul gathering that September, he declared before 300,000 people, "One day, no matter what, we will win!" (Ükskord me võidame niikuinii!), a phrase that became the independence movement's defining slogan. A founding member of the Estonian Heritage Society and the Popular Front (Rahvarinne), he served in the Estonian Supreme Council from 1990 to 1992 and voted on 20 August 1991 for the restoration of independence.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1955–1961Studied metalwork at the Estonian State Art Institute, graduated
- 1972–1976Chief artist of the Estonian SSR Art Fund
- 1979–1987First Secretary of the Estonian SSR Artists' Union board (non-party)
- 1987Founding member of the Estonian Heritage Society
- 1987–1989Lecturer at Tallinn Art University
- 1988Co-founder of the Estonian Popular Front (Rahvarinne), designed its logo
- 1990–1992Member of the Estonian Supreme Council; voted for the restoration of independence on 20 August 1991
Related historical events
Creative-union activism and the mass independence movement
In 1988 Valk took part in the joint meeting of Estonia’s creative unions, which voiced dissatisfaction with the Soviet Estonian leadership. He joined the Estonian Popular Front, founded that spring, and designed its logo. He spoke at the Front’s founding congress in Tallinn and, at the Eestimaa Laul gathering on 11 September, addressed an estimated 300,000 people with the words that became a movement slogan: “One day, no matter what, we will win!” In 1989 he took part in the Baltic Way, organized by the Popular Front. In 1990 he attended a Popular Front rally and a session of the Estonian Congress; that year he was elected to the Supreme Council and participated in the 1991 vote to restore independence. These activities trace his public role from artistic intervention into organized and mass political action.