Laurentsius & AD - Two Recluses United
	Rainer Vilumaa

	In the beginning, there was Lauri Sillak. He didn't like being alone. So he started calling himself Laurentsius and began working in tandem with Tommy. The two artists blended into a kind of artistic Siamese twins - it was impossible to tell where one's work started and the other's ended. Together they created cynical visions, using a variety of techniques and materials. To a certain extent, this was shock art, based on academic drawing skills and contextual shift. Or rather on their contrast. Tommy & Laurentsius were also fond of giving their works long, confusing and literary titles. Even if a title included a specific character or other (Quasimodo & Esmeralda, Piérre de Cubertin, Laika, etc.), the works tackled much wider problems, e.g. fear of catastrophe, solitude, alienation. Tommy & Laurentsius actually seemed like a pair of DJs who mixed, scratched and sampled all sorts of art and non-art signs, bombarding the viewer with real MTV generation art. The two artists saw nothing good in human beings and relied on the principle of the presumption of guilt. If television has taught us anything at all, it is that everything can be chopped up and deconstructed, relocated and distorted. We are ready for such information, regardless of the context.
	Some time passed, early capitalism thrived, sign systems were now largely fixed, and Tommy & Laurentsius found that the time had come to go their separate ways. Let us focus on Laurentsius. He retained the name, rather than becoming Lauri Sillak again. Artistically congenial Laurentsius remained on his own but only for a short time. A new partner, this time a woman, clinched a creative pact with him. On her own, she was Anne-Daniela Saaliste, a metal artist. Throwing her lot in with Laurentsius, she became AD, which can be interpreted in several ways (Anno Domini or Anno Diaboli?). The new symbiosis had its effect on Laurentius. He slowly came to small lyrical rose paintings, with AD providing the frames. The precisely painted and crackled flowers are a perfect match for the slightly Jeff Koonsian camp frames, uniting church baroque, Soviet symbols and pure kitsch.
	It is hard to tell why Laurentsius prefers creative co-operation rather than working alone. Could it be his inability to produce anything on his own? Probably not - he has a vision of art which is wholly original. Besides creating, he is also capable of destroying his work, although for him destruction is a means of reinterpreting and creating new contexts. And this is how we should take it. Maybe he is a kind of art vampire who uses other artists in order to shine at their expense? This version, too, does not ring true. As an artist, Laurentsius is extremely flexible and keen on co-operation, adapting his own manner and style to that of others.
	Good examples here are the paintings by Laurentsius & AD. Having previously preferred huge formats, Laurentsius now adapts his pictures to suit AD's intimate jewel box-style frames. Or is it the other way round? It is probably not that important. Lauri Sillak (or Laurentsius) and Anne-Daniela Saaliste (or AD) are by no means the public's hot favourites. They are so shy and veiled behind their art that they do not attract the curiosity of the press, who are forever focused on charismatic and presentable personalities. Although their work does not contain anything particularly contemporary or ultra-trendy, they keep winning all sorts of awards and recognition. In the perhaps too trend-oriented Estonia, this is a good sign. In conclusion, we must go back to the beginning - the title has to be justified. As ascertained above, Laurentsius & AD as personalities are not widely known. An average person fails to recognise them in the street, will not ask for an autograph or chat about art. In that sense, Laurentsius & AD are reclusive and do not flirt with the public. This is largely due to their own attitude, as well as the indifference of the press. Whoever yearns to become a celebrity, can certainly turn up in front of cameras at the right place and at the right time and in the right company. In a country with such a small population it is disgracefully easy to become a celebrity. On the other hand, Laurentsius & AD constitute co-dependent symbiotic forms of life who could, on principle, exist separately as well, but choose not to.
	It is peculiar that the majority of tandem-artists produce camp or near-camp art. As if, while working together, it was only possible to fool around - Gilbert & George, Pierre & Gilles, living exhibits Eva & Adele, etc. Laurentsius & AD do not, strictly speaking, indulge in making fun of others, their jokes tend to be directed mostly at themselves. The soul selects her own Society... (Emily Dickinson)
	| Estonian Art 2/00 (8) | Published by the Estonian Institute 2000 | ISSN 1406-5711 (Online) | ISSN 1406-3549 (Printed version) | einst@einst.ee | tel: (372) 631 43 55 | fax: (372) 631 43 56 |