RENDEZVOUS

The encounters of different cultures have always been slightly feared but at the same time also secretly anticipated. In these, a destroying as well as a creative germ has been seen. There is a concern about one of the side effects of globalization that the world will be impoverished as the cultural differences would be smoothed out. As a counterargument it has been stated that no culture will last without the encounters crossing or if you wish even crushing these. Precisely these very  different traditions and ideas have enriched each other, brought delight of recognition and created something new. New is again always estranging and brings along somewhat hesitation before it becomes recognizably familiar and "old" to us.

I believe that the joint exhibition of the English and Estonian artists P J Crook and Jüri Arrak in Tallinn is not an encounter, rather an expected rendezvous to both themselves as well as to all of us. This is a meeting of persons with different backgrounds who however actually have much more in common than it seems at first. We are dealing with artists who are associated with the same magic word that makes their creation not only understandable but extremely enjoyable at the same time. This magic word is Sincerity.

They show that an artist has to be encouraged by an inner need to express ones feelings and emotions or as John Lennon said: "My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all". Art is not sugar coating on a cake of culture, rather a part of being human. That, which turns a Homo sapiens into a Homo aestheticus. The works of Crook and Arrak help us decode the mysticism of life, as they themselves are on the same quest.

In addition to sincerity, Crook and Arrak hold in common a search for answers to existential and eternal questions, often in a religious context. By doing so they both cross conventional boundaries which in Crook's case is expressed even by painting on frames, adding a deeper meaning to her works. Having lived half of my life in a world with boundaries, the very idea of reaching out and and crossing them emphasizes a special message for me. It is also characteristic of both artists, that at first glance their paintings look peaceful and at times almost dreamlike,  although when taking a closer look a concealed inner tension appears in them.

Looking at the paintings of Crook and Arrak we are reminded that the travellers' journey of unknown length is full of dangerous reefs and nothing at all is solid or constant. And still Hope helps us go on, to arrive back at the Beginning.

Margus Laidre

Estonian Ambassador in London