Tarvo Hanno Varres (b. 1970) is an artist living in Tallinn who works mainly in photography, video and installation techniques. He deals with personal time, memory and the fragility of objects and individuals. He has exhibited since 1991. His works can be found in the Art Museum of Estonia’s contemporary art collection, and from 1996 he has worked as a teacher at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
“Shadow of a Flame” (2013) is a work that in its spare, koan-like “one hand clapping” material embodies a simple physical fact that nevertheless seems curious – a candle flame, though itself a light source, casts a shadow when backlit by stronger light. The nature of the heat of the flame, the different layers of temperature become plain in the shadow, although they would otherwise be invisible to the eye. The work conjures up a sense of paradoxes in the world we take for granted.
