Vello Vinn is one of the brightest talents in Estonian graphic art in the avant-garde of the 1970s. In addition to works that have strongly influenced the history of Estonian printmaking, Vello’sbook illustrations that have captured the memory of a wider audience.
In the era of strong censorship, artists used book illustrations to express themselves, which is why children’s books were often the most colourful and imaginative.
From childhood on, the children’s books “Insect Tales” and “Bumblebee” (Umbluu in Estonian), where funny stories were mainly based on word games, highlighting the plurality of meanings, are particularly vividly remembered.
In one interview, Vello referred to his works as “sur-symbolism” through a sense of humour. “Umbluu. Time and Space. Vello Vinn feat Kiwa” highlights and plays with everything the artist has been accused of – pop art, surrealism, psychedelic, harmony, balance, symmetry, oriental symbolic language, and so on. The title of the exhibition comes from Aino Pervik’s book illustrated by Vinn, and whose magic also infected Kiwa, among many others. The exhibition is organized by remixing culture, combining original classics with their new interpretations. The exhibition is curated by Andra Orn.
The exhibition is open until March 15 at Tartu Art House. Read more: https://noar.eu/en/exhibition-posts/umbluu-time-and-space-vello-vinn-feat-kiwa/
Check out the gallery!
Photos by Arabella Tammemägi
The exhibition was supported by Estonian Kultuurkapital.
