Mauri Gross’s tool is fragmental oil paintings presenting a shift in position, with entry into the picture via the details and, in a good way, becoming stuck inside.

With their dreamy and dim state the paintings contain figures with a certain meaning and direction, which create a feeling in the viewer of almost being left out of something, and in that way directing them to continue thinking, fantasising, drawing connections for themselves, with the result being that their attention has been grabbed and engaged. Paintings from the so-called cherry-rain series work in a slightly opposite manner, albeit one that is fascinating and attracts attention. Taking a closer look at the dense berry matter, the ability to grasp the whole is lost; rather quickly the viewer absorbs a single berry at a time, while still perceiving the whole. In both instances the goal is to suggest the viewer into the picture.

When viewing the paintings and becoming absorbed with something so static at the present day pace of life, confidence in one’s self is enough to move one step closer to the awareness of hypnosis. An altered state of consciousness can be achieved by peddling a bicycle to the limits of one’s physical abilities, arriving in the future with muscles (Stays in the Saddle II), and the same state can be achieved by a poet who is dreaming of an airy, illusory peony (Decent Man With Peony), or a third person, sipping their cooled cup of morning coffee at their summer home (In the Summer House).

Mauri Gross (1969) graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts (EAA) in 1997 with a specialty in scenography, and later worked at the EAA as an instructor Today, he is working as a freelance painter, artist and curator, participating in individual and group exhibitions, and also taking part in various art projects, and is a member of the Estonian Artists' Association and the Estonian Painter’s Association. By using traditional and academic styles of painting with a dedication to continuity when addressing his favourite motifs, he deconstructs them time and again under a new angle to create a whole.