He Will Never Become a Human Anyway

Autofiction, or fiction based on the author’s own life, plays a role in the work of both Ilus and Kuimet. Although all of Mihkel Ilus’ men-easels scattered around the exhibition space could be viewed, under certain conditions, as the clones or placeholders of the artist himself, two of them embody him more clearly than others in this exhibition.

Upon entering the exhibition, we can see an immense wooden man-easel hovering above the stairs, as if taking a dangerous leap into the void. Is this the painter? But who is then going through a surgery over there? The title of the work, He Will Never Become a Human Anyway is borrowed from Raimond Kaugver’s story Sixth Surgical. It could be further modified by saying: “He will never become a painter anyway.” Is an artist who uses lighting and creates spatial installations a painter simply because most of his materials, i.e. wood, canvas and oil paint, belong to the realm of painting?

It seems that Ilus has taken on the role of Sisyphus in trying to create art that is clearly based on the tradition of painting. Inevitably, however, he is distracted by the murky field of art, which supplies him with tools from the toolkit of performing arts and conceptualism.