Meet the „In Bloom“ artist: Heikki Leis Tartu studio

"In Bloom" highlights the interpretations of 17 artists on the relationship between humans and nature, intertwining photography, video, and sculpture, with an inspiring and philosophical reflection on the transience of time in the background. Alongside international artists, the exhibition also features Estonian photographer Heikki Leis.

Photography enthusiasts have a unique opportunity to meet Heikki Leis in his own studio (at Tartu Art House, Vanemuise 26) on August 5th to explore his work and the processes behind it. The visit is free with prior registration. The number of places is limited.

Heikki Leis

Heikki Leis is an Estonian artist and multi-talent, whose means of expression range from sculpture to delicate pencil drawings and photography. His photographic work is extremely multifaceted, inventing a new visual language for each new project, and this spectrum is very broad: staged costume scenes, era simulations, distorted documentary, and frames from imagined films.

Heikki Leis' collection "Afterlife," developed between 2005–2016, consists of studio-shot macro photographs of various mold communities, hyphal networks, moisture droplets, and the microscopic structures of spore fields, which, when magnified, form strange landscapes. He used the light painting method for shooting, moving the light source at different angles during a long exposure to achieve dramatic light atmospheres. Thanks to the long exposure, he could use a smaller aperture, giving his macro photos an unusually large depth of field.

He grew the molds himself on various vegetables, observing the life cycle, preferences, and habits of the molds over the years. The title "Afterlife" refers to the role of fungi in nature – decomposing everything into the basic components of new life. In 2017, the book "Afterlife" was published, featuring texts by mycology professor Kathie T. Hodge and death researcher Karl Käsnapuu.