The point of departure for the duo exhibition in Hobusepea gallery is the painting The Sculptor Modelling My Portrait by Katrin Piile. The focus of the painting completed in 2020 is set on the painter’s portrait being modelled. The identity of the sculptor working behind the portrait is concealed, indicated only by a photo of his earlier sculpture hanging on the wall. Self-centeredness, veiled in a shade of irony, is the starting point of the exhibitionn. Despite the self-centered approach, the collaboration between the two authors is built on the principle of correlation. The creative impulse of one author sets in motion the creative work of the other, which, in turn, is put into service for creating the work of the one giving the initial impulse. Due to the interconnectedness of their creative process, the artists are only partially in charge of the work, touching upon the boundaries of authorship.
The artistic activities of the two authors have prepared an excellent surface for this exhibition based on the principle of correlation to flourish: Piile has previously worked with objects that are constructed on the canvas in a hyperrealistic painting style with a framing typical of photodocumentalism; Allmägi’s previous works contain references to different artists and fictitious collaborations with other authors.
The focal point of Piile’s and Allmägi’s work process is to creatively reflect one another’s practice and to document it based on their chosen media. Through this structure, the characteristic aspects of painting and sculpture are explored – what is gained and what is lost as the subjects move from flat surfaces to three-dimensions (or vice versa). The holy trinity of the art world – author, idea, work – is redefined as an object of study. While exploring the principles of creative work as a collaborative project, the authors try to blur the relationship between the work and the author. At the same time, it takes the viewer down a rabbit hole, to a world where believing in the visible leads the visitor to the wrong path.
Art Allmägi (1983) is a sculptor and installation artist. He has studied sculpture at the Pallas University of Applied Sciences (BA, 2008) and the Estonian Academy of Arts (MA, 2011).
Allmägi’s exhibition projects are characterised by a thematic seriality. In this exhibition series, the author explores creation based on collaboration. Previous exhibition series have been Russia-themed and narrative-centric.
Katrin Piile (1987) is a painter and penciller, whose artistic repertoire transcends the boundaries of traditional painting to encompass objects and installations. The quest for formal abstraction of realistic objects can be seen throughout the artist’s work. The paintings are often executed in a hyperrealistic style, yet the shapes distorted in search for an uncanny technique that would be eating itself from the tail. Piile graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2010 with a degree in painting. From 2019, she belongs to the Estonian Painters Association and from 2023 to the Estonian Artists’ Association.
Exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
Exhibitions in Hobusepea gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko AS.
