Haapsalu Linnagalerii
Start Date:
07.08.2024
End Date:
01.09.2024
Mart Vainre’s solo exhibition, “Paintman: The Birth of a Painting Machine and His Unexpected Enemy,” at Haapsalu Town Gallery is the superhero’s second coming. After its debut at the ARS Project Room group exhibition “Allow Yourself to Change. From Painting Art to Machine Art,” Paintman (in Estonian, Värvmees) is now at the Haapsalu Town Gallery amidst his comic-book-like origin story, where he also encounters his treacherous enemy.
Haapsalu Town Gallery
7.08–1.09.2024
The Birth of Paintman
The superhero Paintman was created from leftover paint that accumulated on the palette. He is an unintended byproduct of painting, a character that wasn’t supposed to exist. However, artist Mart Vainre desires a synthetic companion, an assistant who could expand his work into new realms.
Through experimentation, Vainre digitizes Paintman, who quickly begins to live his own life in virtual space. He evolves, mutates, and multiplies. Before long, Paintman gains independence and acquires the superpower to transform between physical and digital environments, surpassing the limits of human abilities.
Human Envy
Paintman begins to create as well. He is now a well-known superhero whose capabilities have long surpassed those of his creator. Vainre starts to feel increasingly overshadowed by him. “Slower, clumsier, more flawed,” the artist describes himself when comparing his skills to those of the digital twin he created.
He hatches a plan to save himself from being relegated to second-tier status. Vainre begins to mechanically mimic his synthetic companion’s creations—under the guise of fan art, he subtly plants human flaws in his works, attempting to hack Paintman’s perfect algorithm. And to bring himself back into the spotlight.
The Final Showdown
Since Paintman “feeds” on the paint residue from Vainre’s works, he also starts to transform into a human-like form. Paintman is forced to live on a battlefield filled with the treacherous traps Vainre has set, where he must use his artificial wit and creativity. He is now fully aware of Vainre’s intentions and begins defending himself to survive. Their final showdown takes place at the art exhibition, where Vainre struggles to assert himself and Paintman fights to stay alive.
More Information:
Haapsalu Town Gallery
Posti 3, Haapsalu
www.galerii.kultuurimaja.ee
Wed–Sun 12:00–18:00
