“Parallels” brings together the work of the two artists, their different views and approaches. For a moment, two otherwise independent entities collide and intersect, creating new perspectives and entering into a dialogue.
“Parallels” highlights the creative processes of Sirp and Ostra, their dialogue with each other, as well as the conversation between the works – while Ostra’s compositions are dynamic and in a constant, balance-seeking movement, Sirp’s quiet and monotonous approach balances and frames the space from another angle. Together, they offer a way to sense the harmony of opposites and find a new perspective where commonality and difference merge into a whole.
The space of the exhibition thus becomes not only a place for presenting the works, but also a visual landscape where the viewer can discover for themselves how the two artists’ work supports, complements and challenges each other.
The exhibition includes Tauno Ostra’s works on the theme of balance and Sandra Sirp’s painting series “Growth” from 2024.
Ostra’s works are based on the physical phenomena that affect balance – mathematically abstracting the search for, rejection of, or simply imagining and questioning balance. The drum used in the installation is a metaphor for a timekeeper – in a band, the drummer sets the tempo and decides how long the song lasts.
Sirp’s series of 36 paintings “Growth” tells the story of the different stages of growth, its twists and turns, and its tones. The gradual and regular growth of the paint surface is interspersed to create different compositions. Just as growth is not linear, as time passes, the different stages can form ever new views.
The exhibition invites us to notice what is born at the intersection of two creators and offers the opportunity to experience the world from a fresh perspective.
Tauno Ostra‘s (1991) work is characterised by a precise composition and graphic sensibility that draws on the traditions of Suprematism, Minimalism and Deconstructivism. In addition to canvases, Ostra’s compositions can also be found on the human body, as tattoos, and as wooden objects. His works sit on the border between chaos and order, leaving room for the viewer’s interpretation.
Ostra graduated from Tallinn Art Gymnasium (2010), BA in Art Education from Tallinn University (2015), and studied one year of printmaking at the Estonian Academy of Arts (MA, 2016-17, not completed). Ostra is a member of the Estonian Association of Printmakers from 2022 and the Estonian Artists’ Union from 2024. His works on canvas can be found in private collections in Estonia, Latvia, Switzerland and Romania, as well as tattoo compositions in urban settings across the Baltics, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Uzbekistan, Georgia, USA, Brazil, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Hong Kong. www.tostra.net
Sandra Sirp (1988) expresses herself through a minimalist geometric visual language, through emptiness and space, where time and the process of making the work play an important role. Sirp holds a BA in Art Education from Tallinn University (2012), a BA in Media Graphics from the Estonian Academy of Arts (2017), a BA in Painting from the Department of Liberal Arts, University of Porto (2015/2016), and a Master’s degree in Art Education from EKA/TLU (2019-2022). Sirp is a member of the Estonian Association of Painters since 2023. Sirp’s works can be found in private collections and in the EMMA collection of the Espoo Museum of Contemporary Art.
Exhibition opening. The exhibition will remain open until 15 February 2025.
For more information, please contact Siim Raie, gallerist at Artrovert Gallery (5076807, galerii@artrovert.ee).
The gallery is located at 10 Ristiku Street, Tallinn, we are open Tue – Sat 12:00 – 18:00.
