Jaan Toomik (EE) | Communion

SYNOPSIS

The visuals of the first short feature movie by Jaan Toomik are definitely painterly. The expressive forced contrest between bearing area and destruction, female and male, hopeful and despairingly obsence is enforced through single repetitive symbolic sequences. We are told a story about a middle aged man and middle aged woman, about their relationship, desperate attempt to get pregnant by the woman and the fear of the man facing any commitment. The imagery and the cyclic nature of the movie – there is no dialogue used – takes us occasionally from the main narrative to the atmosphere of Toomik´s earlier videoinstallations. The music, playing a crucial part in emotional tuning of the movie, is written by Rainer Jancis.

ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY

Jaan Toomik was born in 1961 in Tartu, Estonia. Between 1985 and 1991 he studied painting at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Currently he lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia. He works as a professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts. In 2007 his work was shown in two solo exhibitions at Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia and at Kumu Art Museum, Estonia. In 2007 his work has been shown also in various international events and festivals, among others at Shadow Filmfestival in Amsterdam, at the Bonniers Konsthall and at the Kalmar Art Museum in Sweden, at Galleria ARTRA in Milan, Giorgio Persano Gallery in Turin and at Progressive Nostalgia in Prato, Italy.

FILMOGRAPHY

• Father and Son 2, 2007, 1'40", HDV, video installation
• Communion, 2007, 12'00", film 35mm
• Jaanika, 2007, 5'15", HDV, vdocumentary film
• Hare, 2007, 1'46", HDV, video installation
• Waterfall, 2005, 1'45", DVD, video installation
• Seagulls, 2004, 1'47", DVD, video installation
• Invisible Pearls, 2004, 12'15", DVD, documentary film
• Liina, 2003, 5'30", DVD, documentary film
• Dancing with Dad, 2003, 3'55", DVD, video installation
• Untitled, 2002, 1'00", Beta SP, video installation
• Peeter and Mart, 2001-2002, 4'35", Beta SP, documentary film
• Jaan, 2001, 00'50", Beta SP, video installation
• Untitled, 2001, 1'55", Beta SP, video installation