Return of the Living Dead, 2025

Akrüül värv, erinevad kleepe ja kinnitus ained, lakk, Lõuendil

I began this painting in 2022 while staying in a Buddhist monastery in Sri Lanka. My initial plan was to offer the work at a young art auction to raise funds for the journey back to Estonia together with the monks. The inspiration came from a photograph I discovered in my hometown archive, showing old veterans posing in front of a tank. It reminded me of a similar image from my own childhood, when my friends and I played war around that very same tank. I realized that we are, in a way, the same reborn veterans who once posed beside the tank on commemorative days. We are those same long-gone old men, continuing our war games each time we once again raise our heads into existence. I was halfway through the work when the news broke of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. At that moment, the painting no longer felt appropriate. Now, however, I hope that its completion marks a time when war has ended, when old men can once more pose by tanks, and children can continue their endless, familiar games. I wish for this painting to remain both a memory and a reminder of the world we live in.