Meeli Kõiva

Meeli Kõiva (known professionally as Mery Crystal Ra; born 14 January 1960, Tartu, Estonia) is an Estonian-American artist, curator, and art filmmaker who primarily works with architectural glass, light and multimedia. She is active in Finland, Belgium, and the United States, where she has produced a range of paintings, architectural lighting sculptures, multimedia installations, videos, and architectural stained glass. She pioneered a new era of architectural light-art space by bringing in the participation of light observers, focusing on "light motion via glass surfaces and esoteric meanings: limits of the mind and body"

Career Kõiva studied painting and worked with glass, plastics, and lasers at the Estonian Academy of Arts (formerly the Tallinn Art University), graduating in 1984. Her first exhibition was held in 1991 at the Estonian Fairs in Tallinn, Estonia. She is a member of the Estonian Association of Artists.

In 2013 and 2014, Kõiva was a winner of the Light In the city, Northern Light competition. In 2015, she was awarded the "Public Choice Video Award" by CODAworx. Kõiva was invited to speak at the 2016 closing ceremonies of the United Nations International Year of Light in Mérida, Mexico, where she also installed an exhibition, "Light for Peace." "Scratching Horizon," The Port of Tallinn, Estonia, 1993 "Flying Sheets of Paper," Glaston Corporation, Tampere, Finland, 2012 "Golden Gate Meets Golden Gateway," TETRA building, Mäetaguse Parish, Mäetaguse, Estonia, 2014 "Light for Peace," International Year of Light 2015 closing ceremony, Mérida, Mexico, February 4–6, 2016.

Films Light for Peace, 2:42 min. Parasite Beach, 4:39 min. Golden Gate Meets Golden Gateway, 2:54 min. Flying Sheets Of Paper, 3:14 min. Human Touch /Serendipity Dating At Baldachin Bed