TALLINN - Imagine the intensity of the creative atmosphere at the Tallinn Art House when 32 prominent painters gathered there to create their exhibition pieces for the annual show of the Estonian Painters' Union just four days before the opening.
The rooms of the exhibition hall were turned into one giant workshop as the paintings were created right there and then on the walls, which helps to explain why most of them were made with quick-drying acrylic paint.
Jaan Elken, the man behind the idea, said the paintings would be destroyed at the end of the exhibition and would be saved only in the form of digital pictures and photo slides.
"This is something of a protest action, an auto-da-fe of Estonian painters. This is to raise the question of whether anybody needs contemporary Estonian paintings in Estonia today," said Elken.
He ironically added that an added benefit of this new creative approach was that it saved on the cost of transportation and storage.
Named "Ich bin ein Maler" (German for I am a painter) in a subtle reference to the Berlin Wall-like divisions between art critics, artists and the public, the exhibition bears impressive witness to the stylized techniques used by each of the artists.
Juri Arrak is representative of Estonian art during the last decades of the 20th century. His neatly framed "Dialogue" is one of the most recognizable works for anyone familiar with contemporary Estonian art. This also is one of the few oil paintings on show.
The recent political struggles surrounding the Center Party and its leader Edgar Savisaar, who is also the mayor of Tallinn, apparently inspired at least two pieces.
"Rhino's Leaving" by Leonhard Lapin looks like a transparent reference to Savisaar's nickname – the "Rhinoceros." Another creation featuring Savisaar is Toomas Sarapuu's vision of what Savisaar's bankcard should really look like.
The two works by Marit Murka, one of the youngest of the artists, really stand out from the rest of the paintings. At first glance it's not at all clear whether they are vector graphics created with a computer or hyperrealist painting.
Juri Kask's "Belly Button Drawing" is essentially comprised of three painted carton figures, and Tiina Tammetalu's "Signed Landscape. 6 m? Oak-Parquet Vabaduse Square 6, Tallinn" uses the floor of the main room of the gallery.
Toomas Altnurme's work is based on an allusion to Eduard Wiiralt, an old master of Estonian painting. The tiger from Wiiralt's famous sketch comes alive in Altnurme's work and bites (sic!) an ear off an African woman. But the giant painting is effectively full of wry humor.
The exhibition will end with a performance by Erki Kasemets at 5 p.m. on June 6. The remnants of the paintings, their nametags and installations will be buried in a plexiglass cube that will later be presented to the Estonian Art Museum.
This is a good opportunity for art lovers to see the state of contemporary Estonian art, as this annual exhibition is one of the most influential get-togethers of artists in the country and generally sets the current artistic agenda. o
Ich bin ein Maler
Tallinn Art House,
6 Vabaduse Sq., Until June 6
Open: Wed - Mon Midday – 6 p.m., closed Tuesdays.
www.kunstihoone.ee
