The exhibition features the artist’s work from the current year. “I like to try new things. To paint in a way that is unusual and unfamiliar to me, to create a challenge and see if I can chew through it and come out clean,” Laurentsius introduces his starting point of the exhibition.
Alongside the dislocated, dreamlike landscape motifs there are experimental abstract minimalist paintings, which only to a certain extent could be interpreted as patterns of sea. The exhibition is partly a continuation of his exhibition “The Group of One” at Draakon Gallery in 2021.
Laurentsius’ (b 1969) artwork combines academic painting with pop art. On one side, his work resonates with the classic still-life in the context of the 17th century Dutch painting school, on the other side, his works are often associated with kitsch and camp. Laurentsius skillfully uses the vocabulary of kitsch and his works also serve as the parody of kitsch while magnifying with great joy all the elements of kitsch to the maximum. Laurentsius has studied painting at the Estonian Academy of Arts. He has participated in various exhibitions since 1993 and has been rewarded with several prizes, e.g. Kristjan Raud Art Prize (2014), Estonian Cultural Endowment Annual Award (2011), Konrad Mägi Prize (1999). His works are included in various museums and private collections in Estonia and abroad.
Exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Punch Club.
“AED”
Laurentsius
07/12/2023 — 13/01/2024
Vaal Gallery
Tuesday–Friday 12pm–6pm, Saturday 12pm–4pm
Telliskivi 60A/5, Tallinn
Photography: Vaal Gallery
