Tõnis Saadoja

Estonia

Tõnis Saadoja is a young successful painter who has developed an original and contepmorary version of photorealism which concentrates on detail and attitudes of today’s society. Last year he had a very successful exhibition „Hometown Tallinn” in several venues, and he has also been actively exhibiting for the past two years. Saadoja deals with the present, what happens here and now applying to his work a subtle touch of intimacy.

Tõnis Saadoja

Born in 1980
Lives and works in Tallinn

Education

2005-2006 University of East London, postgraduate program in Fine Arts
2000-2004 Estonian Academy of Arts, Department of Painting
1999-2000 University of Tartu, Department of Painting
1988-1999 Tallinn English College

Personal exhibitions

2009
(with Flo Kasearu). Pärnu Art Hall

2008
(with Flo Kasearu). Tallinn City Gallery
Hometown Tallinn. Apartment exhibition at Põhja pst. 21-45, Tallinn
OLE/SAADOJA (with Kaido Ole). Riga Art Space, Latvia

2006
9th December 2005. My Notebook. Tallinn City Gallery
Mainstream. Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn
9th December 2005. New Realms Gallery. London, UK

2004
Exercise. Tallinn City Gallery

2003
Estonian Boy. Estonian Girl (with Maarit Murka). Vaal Gallery, Tallinn

Selected group exhibitions

2007
Ich war hier. Künstlerinnen und Künstler aus Estland. Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin
New Wave. 21st Century Estonian Artists. Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn

2005
Painting Prohibited. Tallinn Art Hall
Identities. Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn

2004
Here, but Not Now. Kaunas Picture Gallery. Kaunas, Lithuania
Notes about Painting. Vaal Gallery, Tallinn
Like Humans Do. Art Museum of Riihimäki. Riihimäki, Finland
Excursion. Estonian Academy of Arts, Department of Fine Arts travelling exhibition. Haapsalu City Gallery. Rapla Culture Centre. Narva City Gallery.
Kohtla-Järve City Gallery. Viljandi City Gallery

2003
Mort. Vanemuine Theatre, Tartu
Chart. Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn
Inevitability to Live in an Era. Post-Second World War Estonian Art. Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn
Living Room. Gallery 008, Tallinn

2002
Painting 2002. Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn

2001
Real Realism. Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn

Works in art collections

Art Museum of Estonia, private collections

Awards

Estonian Culture Capital. Endowment for Visual and Applied Art, Annual Award 2008
Estonian Culture Capital. Endowment for Visual and Applied Art, Annual Award 2006
Vaal Gallery Young Artist Award 2004

Bibliography

Newspapers

Urmas Oja, "Saadoja’s Messages from the Present Time". Eesti Ekspress, 30.10.2008
Eero Epner, "Sky above Tallinn". Sirp, 24.10.2008
Ants Juske, "Hometown Tallinn Apartment Exhibition – New Form of Exhibition in Estonia?". Päevaleht, 20.10.2008
Maarin Ektermann, "Saadoja is Photoshop". Agent, 07.2007
Elnara Taidre, "Herald of Diary Mania". Eesti Ekspress, 19.10.2006
Urmas Oja, "Photo Paintings of an Estonian Boy and an Estonian Girl". Postimees, 10.07.2003

Magazines

Jarmo K, "Oh Tallinn, Dear Tallinn, You Are the Dearest to Me". Eramu & Korter, 5/2008
Ellu Maar, "Watching the Ice Cube Melt: Tõnis Saadoja’s Photorealism". Estonian Art, 1/2007
Eha Komissarov, “Estonian Boy. Estonian Girl”. Vikerkaar, 7-8/2003

Catalogues

“Painting Prohibited”, text by Anders Härm. Tallinn Art Hall Foundation Fund, 2005
“New Wave. 21st Century Estonian Artists”. Tallinn Art Hall Foundation Fund, 2008

Other printed materials

“Estonian Artists 3”, text by Anders Härm. Estonian Centre for Contemporary Arts, 2007
“22+ Young Estonian Artists”. Karin Laansoo. Estonian Academy of Arts, 2005