Valeri Vinogradov: Ninotschka

Ninotschka
Valeri Vinogradov
4.7.-11.8.13
Kunstihoone, Tallinn
Paintings, collages

An exhibition by Valeri Vinogradov is never boring, there are always surprises and enjoyment. His grand solo exhibition at Tallinn Art Hall is not disappointing at all. Here are wonderful abstracts, weird collages, disturbing or hilarious picture modifications, hommages and self-irony, and some enigmatic cyrillic messages.


Mets (Forest)

These wonderful large-format abstracts remind me of doors, hatches or building materials. I am thrilled by the details of structure, form and color. 


Mets (Forest)


Siberiaad

My favourite part of the exhibition. Parts of it was exhibited last summer at Draakoni Galerii in Tallinn, then under the title "Nude Holiday". Here photos and pictures from various sources are modified according to the artist's fantasy - some people are undressed, some are redressed, and some are put in a new setting. The list of titles for all these miniatures contains names of places, situations and people, for instance the female caretaker of a factory machine in some named Russian village. According to the title these may be impressions on a fictive journey through Siberia.


Siberiaad


Siberiaad


Jumalal on palju nimesid (God has many names)

If this is irony, it is great humour. If this is serious, I am slightly worried. The canvases contain the name of  Jaan Elken, the president of the Estonian Artist Union, in different languages. Is he a god? For whom?


Absolut Valeri

And a good laugh in the end - a dark room is decorated like an Absolut vodka ad. Absolut Valeri. I am told drinks was served here during the opening. What later visitors get are the empty bucket and the ad.

Jass Kaselaan: Jumala Hääl

Jumala Hääl (The sound of God)
Jass Kaselaan
29.6.-21.7.13
Kunstihoone Galerii, Tallinn
Sculpture and sound art

The first room is filled with a gigantic submarine-like structure, while the back wall of the second room is covered with a black uneven wall. All is drenched in a loud continuous noise, so strong that the gallery guard needs to wear ear protection. My first thought is that this is what I see, a submarine, and entering the second room I enter the inside of a submarine, with no escape of the motor noise. The metal-plate-like structure on the wall seems to underline this impression. But I am wrong. The large sculpture is in fact a gigantic antenna, achieving the electromagnetic waves of all electronic devices in the environment. What I hear is not the noise of a single vessel under the sea far away from everything else. This is rather the sound of everything.. If these sounds should suddenly stop, we would be in serious trouble. This is the sound of our times, of our society, this is the sound of our god.

In 2008 I had the pleasure of experiencing the Electromagnetic Fountain by Amanda Steggel in Stavanger, a fountain reacting to electromagnetic waves close by. Now I have heard what electromagnetic waves sound like. I am sure  the amount of such waves has increased severely since 2008, and the amount is larger in electronified Tallinn than in Stavanger. What I hear feels like noise, but it represents all those handy and all those useless gadgets we love, and it represents the ability to get information and stay connected any time.  

Toomas Altnurme: Altart

Altart
Toomas Altnurme
12.-23.7.13
Vabaduse Galerii, Tallinn
Paintings and sculptures

Not sure whether I like or not this mass of color and form, in this exhibition it is hard to focus on just one artwork by Altnurme. Somehow the colors and forms seem to fight for attention. When I manage to focus there are some works that appeals to me, like the stripy landscapish painting and the black sledge.

Frank Åsnes: Tegning/modell/skulptur

Tegning/modell/skulptur
Frank Åsnes
13.6.-15.9.13
Sandnes kunstforening, Kinokino
Geometrical drawings, models and sculptures

At R-open 2011 I had the pleasure of seeing Frank Åsnes' work in progress, and was impressed by the details, uniqueness and simpleness of his works. Thus it is a pleasure to see his creations presented by Sandnes kunstforening at Kinokino. The whole thought and production process is present, from idea to drawing to model to sculpture. The sculptures covered with colourful clothespins are the climax of the process, but each step to get so far has its own beauty. The drawings and the naked sculptures are beauties themselves, but the whole range exhibited creates a whole experience.


Exhibition view


Skulptur med klesklyper


Tre hvite objekter

Tegneklubben: HIFILOFI WTF...

HIFILOFI WTF...
Tegneklubben
(Paul Dring, Terje Nicolaisen, Ulf Verner Carlsson, Martin Skauen, Bjørn Barre)
13.6.-18.8.13
Kinokino, Sandnes
Drawings in all kind of forms and topics

Tegneklubben (the drawing club) consists of five Norwegian men getting together to draw. No drawings are signed, and the range of expressions, topics and techniques seems endless. Some drawings are bitingly critical, some ironical, some repulsive, some self-promoting, and some just silly. Humour is present in most of the works, ranging from harmless to black humour. It takes time just to watch each A4-piece in the large gallery hall, even longer trying to figure the message of each drawing, or whether there is a message at all. What is apparent is that each meeting of Tegneklubben must be extremely creative and a lot of fun.

Relasjoner - Relay(tions)

Relasjoner - Relay(tions)
Kristian B. Walters
Kinokino, Sandnes
June 2013-
Explicit cartoons

The art relay in the basement of Kinokino goes on, and continues to take unexpected turns. So far we have seen crow meat served, marathon gardening and oil industry commercials, now the time has come for sexual perversions. The room is dark and hid behind a curtain, signed "suitable for adults only". Inside are black and white cartoons of the Pervo-Kris character. A tasteless, perverted guy so twisted he becomes hilariously absurd. I am seriously curious on what may be the next leg of this relay.