The art of Ivar Veermäe (born 1982, works in Berlin and Tallinn) evolves similarly to the thread of a networked world while keeping a sharp eye on the functioning of an uncontrollable whole. It documents individual parts of this whole; adds to and nuances the themes under examination; it uses existing images in different combinations; changes measurement scales and presentation blueprints; and confirms the inevitability of universal interconnectedness. The research about how large corporations process data begun a long time ago and formed the basis of the powerful video installation “The Centre of Doubt” (exhibited at the Riga Biennial in 2018). St Ghislain’s Clouds, exhibited at the Tallinn City Gallery in 2013, was one part of this.

Veermäe’s detective work makes abundant use of videos. Despite lacking material weight, it has little in common with conceptual art. Rather, his activities resemble a test of strength with a reality that is both total and difficult to interpret. Such a reality provides no alternatives for parallel existences, which the viewer senses acutely. The anxiety felt by visitors who dive into Veermäe’s installations could be caused by a premonition of a future where the individual initiates, intermediates or completes nothing. Or with a similar fear of venturing into the past, where pre-civilizational tribal cave drawings tell an eerie story of uniting with power rather than being an artistic statement.