At the main exhibitions of the Venice Art Biennale in 2022 at Giardini and Arsenale, the curators had selected a lot of traditional painting; to express the focus of the Biennale in one sentence – nothing, nor nobody is forgotten, all art history is omnipresently vital, especially the experience of the 20th century modernism.
At the exhibition Reality and Imagination on the place of honour there are authors whose artistic independence is convincing, whose only common feature is ´artistic conviction´, belief in permanence of the chosen means of expression.
Lilian Mosolainen’s(1961) “Death of Jesus Christ” is bearing the subject of religious drama, an experienced veteran painter Einar Vene (1952) elaborates his canvases with the depth characteristic to icon painting, his cross bearing the motif of Calvary and Athena in the moment of rest are painted as super heroes from Marvel’s universe of cinema.
Piret Rohusaar’s (1961) opposite colours are too very savage for hipsters’ taste anyway, but the artist uses huge ceramic vases to balance her pair of paintings.
The annual exhibition in Pärnu has become a place to expose an enjoyable selection of legendary masters, and so in 2023 – Uno Roosvalt (1941) and Mari Roosvalt (1945). Their artworks have the touch of the time where the basis of painting was high-level-techniques. The oldest painter in this exhibition – Tiiu Pallo-Vaik (1941), nevertheless, is moving on with innovation in her work. Traditionalism and innovation are not in the least the meters of this exhibition, nor do these parameters synchronise with the years of birth of the artists. So, an artist of Udmurti routes, Stanislav Antipov (1976) kicks off from traditional realism but also seems to value light sensitive impressionism and juicy picturesqueness. Valeri Vinogradov (1952) and Anne Parmasto contribute to significant image – Seagull Gutting Baltic Herring and Apple Tree in Paradise.
This year the one artist to intensify the whole exhibition is Marko Mäetamm (1965). The five canvases of 1 m high come from the End of the World series and here Mäetamm exceeds all his previous MEs and EGOs multiple times. Hybrids of vicious pot plants and humans-devouring-flora (which aren’t humans any more but not plants yet) are sharply here and now – Jesus Christ is dead and moral rules are only for the weak.
Of the 10 artists invited from Finland (chosen by Satu Kalliokuusi from Artists’ Association of Helsinki) a marvelous colorist Mika Vesalahti (1967) whose perfect abstraction depicts forest as well as moor where independent brush beats create postures similar to crucifixes.
The curator of the exposition and designing: Jaan Elken, members of the team: Linda Elken, Marie Virta (MONA), Tiiu Rebane (EML)
Supporters: Estonian Cultural Edowment, Town Government of Pärnu, Ministry of Culture.
Museum of New Art
open W-S 11a.m. – 6 p.m..
Rüütli 40a, Pärnu
www.mona.ee
