On Friday, 25 July at 15.00, the exhibition “Artificial and Ornamental” by the legendary graphic artist Vello Vinn will open at Vabaduse Gallery. The exhibition, where play with language and symbols takes on a whole new meaning, is curated by Andra Orn.
The exhibition at Vabaduse Gallery offers an opportunity to see two important strands of the artist’s work: entirely new print series that have taken more than four years of dedication to complete, and large-scale drawings that have not been widely exhibited to the public before.
Vello Vinn’s new graphic trio series, completed between 2021 and 2025, highlights the artist’s attention to detail, playfulness of language and optical refinement. Allegorical shapes intertwine with visual paradoxes and hidden layers, offering the viewer multiple levels of interpretation.
For example, the series “Artificial and Ornamental Vehicles” (2025) deals with modern technology in its aesthetic and religious dimensions. Vinn adds with his own playful humor: “Vehicles can be on the ground or in the air, move on wheels or fly — they can be artificial intelligence, artificial thinking, artificial angels, or even drones.”
The exhibition also features details of the artist’s relief prints, providing a unique opportunity to see how thoroughly and devotedly each work has been created and how Vinn technically executes his works.
Books and texts have been recurring motifs in Vinn’s work. This year, which marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of the first book in Estonian, special attention is being paid to his 12-part series of large-scale drawings entitled “Book,” created in 1996. Here, the artist reveals different aspects of words and symbols, playing with their content, meaning, and function.
The curator of the exhibition, Andra Orn, adds that “Vello Vinn is primarily known for his relief printing and etching techniques, but the spectrum of his work is much broader and includes a number of experimental drawings whose role and significance are only now becoming apparent to a wider audience.”
Vello Vinn (b. 1939) belongs to a generation of Estonian graphic artists who emerged in the 1960s, and whose work is characterized by a symbolic approach, precise composition, and a playful treatment of visual references. Vinn’s works combine optical effects, symmetry, wordplay, and surrealistic motifs that create intellectually intriguing worlds. His works are characterized by a mirror-image structure, where images create repetitions and shifts, inviting the viewer to perceive the multi-layered nature of meanings, the importance of cultural identity, and the interaction between words and images. Vinn is also known for his socially critical and philosophical approach, in which humor and irony are intertwined with existential questions.
His work is included in several art collections, including the Art Museum of Estonia, the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Kiasma in Helsinki, and the Zimmerli Art Museum in New Jersey. Vello Vinn’s work has been recognized both in Estonia and internationally, and he has participated in numerous art exhibitions and biennials.
The exhibition will remain open until August 20, 2025.
The gallery is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, and Liviko Ltd.
Vabaduse Gallery is managed by the Estonian Artists’ Association.