Peeter Langovits photo exhibition “Retrospective – Paris 1991, 1992”

“At my heart I am a street photographer, a chronographer of life who, as an invisible observer, is always looking for capturing moments that express my relationship with my surroundings,” says Langovits. “For a long time I had dreamed of visiting Paris, the city of which I had seen so many exquisite pictures by the classics of photography. My soul yearned to experience the everyday rhythms of a metropolis, to enjoy its atmosphere even just for a moment. After the Estonia’s restoration of independence, in two Decembers in a row I happened to go to Paris for work trips, and spent my every waking moment outside of work tasks aimlessly wandering around the city, capturing everything that appealed to my senses. Architecture, people on the streets, mundane everyday situations, most ordinary things. Even though I have been to Paris later in my life as well, everything I captured at that particular time then and there carries a special meaning – these were the first emotions of an environment alien and endless to me. A sip of freedom.”

Peeter Langovits (b. 1948 in Tallinn) has worked for more than 30 years as a press photographer. In 1987–1995 he was the editor-in-chief of the ETA (Estonian Telegraph Agency) photo office; in 1995–2014 he worked as a photojournalist in “Postimees”, the biggest daily newspaper in Estonia; and from 2014 to this day he is a freelance photographer. As an author of many documentary photo exhibitions he is a devoted chronographer of everyday life with a professional aim to inspect, in photos, our relationships within rapidly changing environments. Langovits can be said to be a representative of subjective documentalism. As a native urbanite, the city has always been his source of inspiration. His work has brought him together with numerous politicians, economists and cultural figures whose photos he has also presented at different exhibitions. Since 1973 Langovits has participated in more than 350 different exhibitions or competitions, and organised more than 70 solo exhibitions in Estonia and abroad. Via photo agencies like Scanpix Baltics, AP, and others, many print and media publications have made use of his photos. Langovits’s job has also often been to prepare different photo exhibitions and organise photo events.

A selection of photos at this retrospective exhibition have been previously presented in Pärnu Modern Art Center in 1994. The current exhibition, “Retrospective – Paris 1991, 1992”, came into life thanks to the Institut français d’Estonie, Juhan Kuus Dokfoto Keskus, and Digifoto OÜ.