The new paintings by Siim-Tanel Annus laugh and cry at the same time.

Sometimes, while being in the studio of Siim-Tanel Annus and diving into his pictures, a strange presentiment comes over me - I feel as if I was standing in front of some kind of mythological map. This map does not refer to any  actual or fabulous place, there are no place names, height identification lines, there exists no legend and cannot be foud road signs. The filigree lines of Annus have rather created a thready network that tries to put on a map the Recognition, proceeding from the artist\'s inner world, palpating it carefully and making it gradually more and more visible.

In the Haus Galerii are exposed the newest works by Annus that were made either last year or even this year. Less than two dozen works are placed into the room so that between the works are formed such spaces that could be called \"pauses in speech\". \"I am tired of the thick wall,\" confesses the artist himself. Such pauses take up in a paradox manner a conversation with the \"quiet\" works by Annus. These paintings show the artist\'s reservness and expose Annus\' longing for technical correctness and detailed planning. This side is especially well represented by a series of  six paintings, where from canvas to canvas is repeated the motif that on its journey undergoes a certain discreet process of changing of angles of vision. Motif  that Annus examines, does not undergo any kind of essential expressive dislocations - changing of angles of vision can be detected, but simultaneously it is carefully controlled and thought through. While walking in front of the paintings, rolls up an an almost invisible parchment, which shows six different states of one moment. A dislocation in the world system, in the Universe, if you wish, is hardly detectable, but important and essential.

But in case of paintings by Annus we can not (must not!) limit ourselves with emphasizing of painting-technical originalities, we can not keep on talking only about the choice of motifs and changing of focuses. These are paintings, which enable us to move to a certain wider level and which let us draw conclusions, the results of which reach the borders of psychology and religion. \"I guess I strive towards such eternal picture of the world,\" has said Annus himself. Such artist\'s becoming absorbed in one thought (not a theme!) forms while walking from picture to picture a specific stairway to heaven (let us remember here also the \"Heaven Towers\" series) that the artist is constructing step-by-step. It seems that with these works he reaches almost the last steps, the heaven and everything behind it can already be reached, can already be put on a map by an inkling.

At the same time the mentioned series can also be viewed as a psychological phenomenon: as a mirror for a human being. The mirror notion becomes especially well recognized, when we compare the rational, clean-bordered works, which are held in check with other works, being exposed at the Haus Galerii. With the latter Annus continues the topic of technical innovations, moving at the touchpoint of painting and graphical art.  Instead of the black background the artist now  uses brownish, rusty shades, but it is more important to detect such emotional charge of these works that even in the paintings emerges situation, where in places we can talk about exaltation, disappearance of limits, final rejection of rationality. Items, added to the painting surface from the artist\'s private world (feathers, leaves, scrabbles, etc) \"oppose\" to the controlled clear borders and finally create the general impression of the exhibition, which is simultaneously wearing a smiling and a crying mask.

While looking back along the creative way of Annus, we see among others ultra filigree networks of lines, which were made in the end of the 1970ies in the studio of Tõnis Vint, where was formed own system, own breathing and rhythm. Such stable cardiogram has now been replaced by a considerably more impulsive and impetuous cardiogram, an art freak has deliberately (?) given up the consciousness and gives in to his emotions, hurling it into lines and through the lines into the paintings.

With the current exhibition has been added into the religious, sacred dimensional perception of the universe of Annus a strong human psychology-related moment: while exposing the controversy of the human inner world, Annus also exposes harmony that is impelled from the mentioned contradiction. Here the world is suddenly in a nut-shell, the eternity has dived into man himself. Our first impression does not deceive us: in a certain sense we are dealing with a joint exhibition of two different artists. But the way Annus is able to put with his paintings on a map human depths and to find from there something joint for everybody and so for Everything, is admirable.

We do not need a matching legend here. Only eyes, to see and look ourselves. And to find.