Kaljo Põllu’s Archetypes or In Search of Primal Elements

Exhibition: April 12th to June 16th 2024.

Kaljo Põllu was born in 1934 in Kopa village in Hiiumaa. He entered the Estonian art scene in 1962 as a glass artist but soon became known for his powerful graphic series on Finno-Ugric themes, such as The Primaeval Ones, Illumination, and others.

Between 1998 and 2001, Kaljo Põllu completed an entire series of paintings based on various signs and ornaments. These symbols and images have accompanied humankind since the beginning of time. And, most importantly, such ornaments can be found in the cultures of many peoples. This is undoubtedly a particularly colourful series, which in a way summarises the artist’s quest for the origins of folk culture. Each work is accompanied by a photo collage that explores or expands on its meaning. It is this very exhibition that confirms that the artist is kind of a collector of visual folk culture, as Riin Kübarsepp once described him.