Hanno Härm - Metaphysical Viljandi

4.06.-29.07.2020

"Metaphysical Viljandi". Paintings by Hanno Härm

Hanno Härm (1952) is one of the most interesting among Viljandi artists. The works gathered to the exhibition are mostly from private collections and they depict silence: the town is deserted, even the sun is not shining, the wind is not blowing, the snow is not melting. This dreamlike state recently became a reality in both Viljandi and other cities, but the frozenness in Härm’s paintings lacks the premonition or the reverberation of a catastrophe. “There’s a still life, a beautiful natural moment, wonderful sky in a good dream – everything is beautiful except what was created by man – the technology,” the author has said, describing the magic realism of the world of his paintings.

The exhibition also presents a selection of railway pictures by Hanno Härm. These paintings make up the most intriguing part of his work. His earliest pictures of railways without trains date from the 1970s already, and they required thorough knowledge and precise calculation skills. The artist has equipped some of these with a system, which, when activated, turn on signalling on the painting. As red lights turn on, everything is closed, and silence prevails.

Mari Vallikivi