Self-Portrait in Eight Pieces

Hedi Jaansoo is a photographer and installation artist known for capturing subtle, everyday moments. With her space installations at exhibitions, I often find myself moving more quietly and contemplatively through the gallery, as her works seem to whisper – inviting a slower, more mindful engagement. When art speaks in such a hushed tone, rushing through the exhibition space feels impossible.

Although self-portraiture is not unfamiliar to Jaansoo, this particular work feels distinct within the context of her broader body of work. The artist looks directly at us, unmasked and unguarded. Like Morozova, Jaansoo’s approach is more intense and raw compared to Eher’s restrained style. In this piece, the viewer can engage with the gaze just as boldly as the cats in Maie Helm’s print, prompting reflection on the last time one experienced a similar emotional state.

Jaansoo also indirectly explored the theme of presenting one’s best or most curated side to the world when, in 2017, as part of the Neanderthal Cave School project at the Museum of Contemporary Art, she allowed the audience to apply makeup and costumes according to their own whims. In the dimly lit space, the artists provided an opportunity for participants to become someone else for the evening and take photographs in a new outfit. However, amidst the playful atmosphere, one could not help but notice Kim Kardashian’s photobook Selfie, which, as the title suggests, featured self-portraits of one of the most influential beauty standards of the 21st century. Through heavy makeup, one can disguise themselves as someone else, but in the end, the surface does not alter what lies beneath. On one end of the conceptual spectrum are Kardashian and her followers’ carefully curated images, while at the other end lies the raw, unfiltered photograph.