PRESS RELEASE

MARE VINT (1942) and VILEN KÜNNAPU (1948) will open their co-exhibition Dialogue in Hobusepea gallery at 5pm on July 28, 2010.

The idea of holding a co-exhibition by Mare Vint and Vilen Künnapu may sound suprising – however, while taking a close look at both artists's work of the present day and of the recent past, then one can perceive mysterious interconnections that allow to interpret their work presented together in one room.

The first common feature of their work is metaphysics - the space and the object that besides their physical legibility and characteristics include directly perceptible spiritual power which, however, exists only when the viewer is open to spirituality. The question is whether we use that potential that has been given to all of us, just like learning to swim or cycle.

The interconnections between the objects in the drawings dating back to 1970s by Mare Vint and the surroundings are quite conventional; throughout her artist years the metaphysical immensity goes gradually deeper and reaches the highest point in her recent paintings where Vint has used the pencil with extreme sensitivity. It can be stated that Mare Vint has found her Own Self: her work belongs to the world that is untouched by the ordinary and the new „paradigms in art“. Vint creates will full self-confidence and independence, just like other highly educated female art historians whose daily work is accompanied by computer keyboards - only that their paths never cross.

Such is the difference between the fields of artists and art critics in Estonia today. It is a pity, as artists are able to apprehend the multifoldness of existence, many „curators“ of today's art scene can understand it only from the point of view of temporality and equability that are directed by the monsters called mass media and consumer society.

The influence of symbols and unreal room concepts was strongly perceivable already in Vilen Künnapu's first art projects and at the beginning of 1970s. In fact, Künnapu first declared metaphysical art culture in Estonia in 1980s, while influencing young artist generation (for instance interior designer Mari Kurismaa and art grouping T-rühm) with his lectures and writings. Seemingly illogical connections can be recognised in almost all his objects, even those that have been realized – this is uncommon to Estonian architects who would normally find an excuse for the use of every screw. Yet, metaphysics does not only associate with immateriality: we can dream in the middle of the day, fantasize in the real city, and see revelations in existing objects. The question is whether we simply cast our eyes on something or contemplate it; whether we attach the dimension independent from indirect consumption to a real object.

Poet Juhan Viiding (alias Jüri Üdi) was a genius who taught us to contemplate while wandering and strolling around. Among his followers are Vilen Künnapu, Leo Lapin, Andres Tolts, Ando Keskküla, Jüri Okas, Ott Arder and others who have simply walked around and contemplated the city, its houses, ruins, wasteland, the layers of painted walls and many other details. Metaphysics was born in the depths of such contemplation – we ourselves discovered the sacredness in those objects and the fact that the upper layer of all surroundings is only a decoration that is hiding the more complicated, the real world.

Similar world, the moment between the idea and the project, is one of the intermediate phases in architecture. This includes both the physical and spiritual reality. However, the final result is often taken as the most important, leaving those moments of eternity without attention. One delves into the ordinary, just like the snow in winter that is beautiful but it is gone by summer.

While the works by De Chirico (the founder of metaphysics) and Kazimir Malevich in 1930s can be associated with anxious metaphysics, mostly because of the times between two big wars, then today's artists Maret and Villu can be associated with the metaphysics of peace.

Even if wars are held all the time around us, we have not experienced one: what we can do is to forward positive powers with our art, escaping both personal and general misery. Mare Vint is depicting the Cities of the Past and the South that are literally the revelations of her today's state of mind, thus those are the Cities of the Future. Vilen Künnapu is building sacred architectonics, stupas that express directs messages from the better world that is being built right here and right now!

Leo Lapin       June 2010

Exhibition will be open until August 9, 2010.

Exhibition design Andres Tolts.

Supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Estonian National Culture Foundation and Estonian Artists' Association.

Exhibitions in Hobusepea gallery are supported by Estonian Ministry of Culture.

MARE VINT

Born on September 15, 1942 in Tallinn, Estonia.
1962 - 1967 studied at the Tallinn Art University.
Member of the Estonian Artists Association since 1973 and the Association
of Estonian Printmakers since 1992.
Since 1968 exhibits regularly her drawings (Indian ink and coloured pencil), serigraphs
and lithographs in Estonia as well as abroad.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2010 Tam Gallery, Tallinn ( with Jaanus Samma )
2008 Estonian Embassy, Paris, France (with Andres Tolts)
2007 Gallery of the Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn, Estonia
2007 Gallery Chapelle des Ursulines, Lannion, France (with Andres Tolts)
2005 Gallery G, Tallinn ( with Peter Rieder )
2004 Estonian Embassy, Brussels, Belgium
2004 Gallery of Ühispank, Tallinn
2004 Gallery G, Tallinn
2002 Deco Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
2000 Gallery of the Tallinn Art Hall, Estonia
1998 Kunstverein Sentmaring, Münster, Germany
1995 Estonian Embassy, Washington D.C., USA
1993,1998 Munkinseudun Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
1993 Estonian House, Stockholm, Sweden
1992, 1996 Vaal Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
1992 Torni Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
1992 Hermann- Ehlers-Akademie, Kiel, Germany
1989 Tartu College, Toronto, Canada
1989 Porvoo Art Hall, Finland
1987 Artist's House of Tartu, Estonia
1983, 1988 Draakon Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
1983 International Images Gallery, Sewickley, PA, USA
1982 Pori Art Museum, Finland
1979 The Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn
1973 Gallery of the Tallinn Art Hall, Estonia

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010 EXPO 2010, Estonian Pavilion, Shanghai, China
2009 POPkunst forever!, Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia
2009 Gallery of Endla Theatre, Pärnu, Estonia
2009 Galerie Bengelsträter, Düsseldorf, Germany
2009 Gallery Melnikow, Heidelberg, Germany
2008 Foreign Art Museum, Riga, Latvia
2006 Gallery Bourglinster, Luxemburg
2006 Gallery - Museum Lendava, Slovenia
2006 Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
2006 Gallery Joella, Turku, Finland
2005 Gallery 34, Brussels, Belgium
2005 Artrium Gallery, Bad Birnbach, Germany
2004 Kunsthalle Obernberg, Austria
2004 Kostrewa Gallery, Neustadt, Germany
2004 Gallery G, Tallinn
2004 Retretti Art Centre, Punkaharju, Finland
2004 The Diakonie-Zentrum Gallery, Salzburg, Austria
2003 The Art Line Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
2003 The Lemonstreet Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
2002 The Art Museumof Estonia, Tallinn, Estonia
2001 Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell, Iowa, USA
2001 Deco Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
2001 Tallinn City Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
2001 Art Hall of Toompea Castle (Estonian Parliament), Estonia
2001 Gallery Tersaeus, Stockholm, Sweden
1999 Landestag Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
1996 Gallery of the Tallinn Art Hall, Estonia
1995 Gallery Sperl, Potsdam, Germany
1995 Gallery Margarethenhof, Bonn-Königswinter, Germany
1994 Gallery Bellarte, Turku, Finland
1994 Neustädtisches Palais, Schwerin, Germany
1993, 1995 International Images Gallery, Sewickley, PA, USA
1990 Gallery GKM, Malmö, Sweden
1988 Tampere Museum of Modern Art, Finland
1983 Galerie Ossenpohl, Bonn, Germany
1979 Tartu Art Museum, Estonia
1977 "New Art from the Soviet Union", The Arts Club of Washington, Washington
     D.C., USA
     The Kiplinger Editors Building, Washington, D.C., USA
1976 "New Art from the Soviet Unio", The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaka,
     New york, USA
     Cornell University, Ithaka, New York, USA
1975 Galerie Albertstrasse, Graz, Austria
1973 "SAKU '73", Institute of Agriculture, Saku, Estonia

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS

2009 University of West of England, Bristol, England
2009 Galleria Joella, Turku, Finland
2009 Tallinn Drawing Triennial MANU PROPRIA, Tallinn, Estonia  
2008 ARS BALTICA 2008, Gallery Berchtoldvilla, Salzburg, Austria
2007 14th Tallinn Print Triennial 2007, KUMU Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia
2002 4th International Lithosymposium-Exhibition in Tidaholm, Sweden
2001 12 th Tallinn Print Triennial 2001, Tallinn, Estonia
1999 12 th Norwegian International Print Triennale Fredrikstad 1999, Norway
1996 1st Internationale Lithografie - Biennale der Ostseeländer Nidzicia '96, Poland
1994 International Art Fair, Stockholm, Sweden
1993 Baltic Print Biennial, Falun, Sweden
1993 1st International Print Biennial, Maastricht, The Nettherlands
1991 International Print Exhibition "Miniature 6", Gallery Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad,
     Norway
1989 15th International Independent Exhibition of Prints in Kanagawa '89, Japan
1988 12e Biennale Internationale de Gravuere, Cracow, Poland
1987 5th International Print Triennial "Graphica Creativa '87", Jyväskylä, Finland
1982, 1995 6th, 11 th Norwegian International Print Biennial in Fredrikstad, Norway
1975 II Wiener Graphikbiennale Austria
1975 9th International Biennial Exhibition of Prints in Tokio Japan
1974 V Poster Biennial, Warsaw, Poland
1974 I Bienal Internacional de Cebra Grafika y Arte Seriado, Segovia, Spain
1973, 7975, 1981 10 th, 11 th, 14 th International Biennial Exhibition of Print in
Ljubljana, Yugoslavia
1973 XII Premi Internacional Dibuix Joan Miro, Barcelona, Spain
1972, 1976 III, V Exposition Internationale de Dessins Originaux Rijeka, Yugoslavia

PRIZES

2009 Tallinn Drawing Triennial MANU PROPRIA, Estonia – a diploma
2007 Annual art prize of Gallery G, Tallinn, Estonia
2001 The Kristjan Raud art prize, Tallinn, Estonia
1986, 1989 7th and 8th Tallinn Print Triennial, Estonia - a diploma
1984 Jaan Jensen prize, Tallinn, Estonia
1977, 1992 4th and 9th Tallinn Print Triennial, Estonia - special prize
1975 11 th International Biennial Exhibition of Prints in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia - prize
     of the city Ljubljana
1972 III Exposition Internationale de Dessins Originaux, Rijeka - special prize

WORKS POSSESSED BY

Estonian Artist's Association, Tallinn, Estonia; The Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn; Tartu Art Museum, Estonia; Pushkin Art Museum, Moscow, Russia; Tretjakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia; Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany; Library of Congress Collection, Washington D.C., USA; Sammlung Villany, Brandenburg, Germany; The New Orleans Art Museum, USA; Gallery GKM, Malmö, Sweden
Central Office of Warsaw Art Exhibitions, Poland; Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey, USA
South-Karelian Art Museum, Lappeenranta, Finland; Emil Cederkreutz Museum, Harjavalta, Finland; Kanagawa Arts Foundation, Japan

VILEN KÜNNAPU

Arcitect and artist, born in Tallinn in 1948. Graduated from the estonian Academy of Art in 1971. He is the author of numerous remarkable buildings, together with arcitect Ain Padrik has won many awards at international competitions (Arctic Centre, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1984; West Coast Gateway, Los Angeles, USA, 1988; Marja-Vantaa planning, Finland, 1992). From 1992 works at the company „Künnapu & Padrik“ together with Ain Padrik (Estonian Methodist Church, 1994; Hotel Radisson SAS, 1999; Viru Centre, 2004, all in Tallinn and Snailtower in tartu, 2008).

He has published books about art, life and architecture: „Künnapu & Padrik. Selected works“ in 1999; „Across the Red River“ in 2001; „Temples and Towers“ in 2006; „Place. Image. Energy“ in 2010. Künnapu has participated in many art and architecture exhibitions with sculptures, models and public space installations („Taiwan Design Expo 2005“, Venice Biennale 2006, 2008; London Festival of Architecture, 2010).

Has been a guest lecturer at universities in Scandinavian countries, Great Britain and Switzerland. Was professor of philosophy at Tartu University 2006-2007. He is currently professor of architecture at the Tallinn University of Applied Sciences and is co-owner of the company Künnapu & Padrik.