Juss Piho’s personal exhibition Punctum

Reet Varblane has stated that „Juss Piho’s paintings can be called metaphysical due to the theatrical space with some culturally charged details in the art of painting, but also surrealistic while thinking about weird features. And yet, when quoting Toomas Raudam then these weird details can be as familiar and cosy as a dust cloth or a chandelier or the broom with a red handle in front of a stove. Because it is immediately clear what has been depicted. Majority of Piho’s paintings are figurative, depicting either men or animals. His paintings can be characterised as staged narratives where the characters are interconnected but it remains unclear what kind of relationships they are having. There are usually several small, seemingly occasional stories and mises en scène inside of a big narrative. When thinking of Roland Barthes’ vocabulary related to photography, the charm and also the intrigue in Juss Piho’s paintings won’t lie in studium or the composition but in punctum, or in other words in details, gestures, facial expressions, gazes that may be first disregarded. This is specially the case when the expression or gaze is imaginary, since the figure lacks either a face, eyes or a mouth. The artist doesn’t use a brush when painting – among this tools there are palette knives and scrapers of various sizes. He won’t start painting on white canvas but using a dark ground coat in order to achieve mysteriously bright colour. Yet, similarly to a theatrical performance, Juss Piho’s paintings act in a completely different way in an every new composition and exhibition space. Instead of existential anguish, there is rather a hope of freedom in his work. Similar tendency can be perceived also with his other compilations. But as it is a common fact with Piho’s paintings, everything remains ambivalent.“

Juss Piho (1963) is a freelance illustrator and painter. Piho is a member of Estonian Painters’ Association, Estonian Artists’ Association, Estonian Graphic Designers’ Association and an honorary member of the International Board on Books for Young People. During his artist’s career, Piho has participated in numerous group exhibitions as well as held several personal exhibitions. His artwork has been acknowledged with several awards, including the special prize Gold Book by the National Library of Estonia (given to Juss Piho and Tiit Jürna in 2007).

Exhibition will be open until March 14, 2020.

Exhibitions in Draakon gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko Ltd.