Tanel Veenre: Jewel. Hesitations in Art

Tanel Veenre’s JEWEL/EHE is a self-portrait that tells the story of the relationship between artist and art.

Eschewing formal structure for a series of poetic vignettes, EHE interleaves scenes from the artist’s studio and jewellery with personal thoughts on art and culture. In words as gossamer as filigree, Veenre searches for the true essence behind the jewellery. Why does art come into existence at all? What to make of art? How to interpret it? How to love it?

Further affirming the special and candid quality of the self-portrait are fragments from the artist’s journey – not only finished jewellery, but close-ups of details, and inspiring moments from the environment and pictures from the studio. The pictures reveal the world of Tanel Veenre’s jewellery: powerfully singular and sensitive. The selection of materials used is also extremely insightful, a blend of organic (wood, coral, horn, seahorses, insects) and traditional jewellery (metals, gemstones). These pieces are fantasies and fairy tales that reflect the artist’s idealistic and humanistic values.

EHE features around 60 pieces of jewellery and about 30 thought clouds in Estonian and English.