fbpx
NOBA Nordic Baltic contemporary art platform

Marko Toomast opens his second solo exhibition at the Artist House in Pärnu

Marko Toomast was born in 1970 in Pärnu. He has completed his education in photography at Gammleby School of Photography and at Academia Valand in Sweden. He has worked for many years as a photo assistant in the studio of renowned Swedish photographers Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and Christer Jansson.

Marko Toomast became interested in the photo as a child. At the age of 12, he got into the photo circle of Aado Viik and it was clear that he was fascinated by the photo. “The photo seemed to have some ‘aura’. There was a mystery in it. The time spent in the darkness was full of magic that has been stored in body memory and has not disappeared to this day, ”the artist describes his first contact with the photo. As many arrive at their vocation through tricky paths and mistakes, for Toomast, recognition came immediately. He considers photography as her main means of expression. For the eye, mind and heart – these are the basic filters, all of which are visually perceptible through the flow.

A devoted fan of photography can still be today, with digital photography making the breakthrough. Because the principle and the nature of the photo are the same – just the smell of chemistry is gone! Toomast is fascinated by the diversity of photography and the opportunity to approach photography as a genre through a variety of approaches and perspectives. Toomas himself approaches photography as a game and experimentation plays a central role in this process. He also finds it interesting to include the potential of technology in the creative process.

In his creation, Toomast gives chance a chance – he often processes the original shapes until something new is born. The style is characterized by its graphic art and minimalist visual language, and influences can be found above all in pure and crisp Scandinavian photography. As part of Toomast’s photographic work has passed in Sweden, the Nordic aesthetics are self-evident in his works.

With this exhibition Marko explores the photo as an aesthetic object. The exhibition consists of works and important moments from the last five years. As the artist’s work is largely inspired by inner impulses, these actions carry an expressive message. Many of his works have been inspired by music as well as literature and art in general. The works have been influenced by Miles Davis’ music, which the author finds extremely photogenic. The much-quoted “Bible” of photo artists by Roland Barthes, “Camera Lucida”, which has a slightly bleak undertone, but which provides a very interesting starting point for analyzing a photo, has given its impulse to the series as it is.

Many thanks to all my relatives and teachers, as well as those who have supported me in any way in this process. Thanks to you, I have been able to explore photography and its many ways to explore it from every angle!

NB! The artist is present in the gallery on a daily basis and is ready to answer any questions that may arise and to explain the works in detail.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Gallery name: Pärnu Linnagalerii Kunstnike Maja

Address: Nikolai 27, Pärnu

Opening hours: Tue-Fri 11:00 - 17:00, Sat 11:00 - 14:00

Open: 19.02.2020 - 21.03.2020