Leho Rubis, Janno Bergmann
PERCEPTUAL FIELDS
7.02 – 1.03. 2026
The opening of the exhibition took place on Friday, February 6 at 18:00. At the opening, musician Sakiko Ishii (chromatic kannel) performed sound improvisations. Pictures of the opening of the exhibition can be viewed here.
In the media:
ERR Olev Kenk, Raplas avati Janno Bergmanni ja Leho Rubise näitus “Tajuväljad”
Raplamaa Sõnumid: GALERII | Uus näitus vaatleb inimese teadvuse ja tajuväljade suhet
For the first time, the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art brings together two artists who have celebrated their 50th anniversary, Janno Bergmann and Leho Rubis, whose exhibition “Perceptual Fields” examines the relationship between human consciousness and perception fields. Over the years, both authors have created thematically brief aesthetic worlds. It is a unique visual encounter where artists, using different technical techniques such as printmaking, photography, installation and painting, observe the relationship between human consciousness and the surrounding reality and culture. The human experience in this world can be described from the perspective of the world-perception of an intertwined genomic, cultural or empty consciousness freed from inner noise.
Janno Bergmann and Leho Rubis deal with these questions, trying to answer them not intellectually, but with the help of the central question of visual art – “how”. This means that one possible answer to the questions about our mortality, the nature of consciousness, etc., finds expression in the exhibition primarily in the complete aesthetic system created by the authors, alluding to the sacredness of existence, which is hidden in the deep layers of our own perceptual experience.
About the authors:
Janno Bergmann was born in 1975 in Pärnu. He began his art studies in 1994 at the art department of Pärnu Sütevaka Humanitarian Gymnasium and has been active in the art field since 1996. He has realised his work through a variety of mediums, including painting, printmaking, performance art, video art, conceptual art, sculpture, installation art, and photography.
Janno Bergmann is a founding member of the performance group Non Grata. He worked as an assistant to Ilya Kabakov in New York from 2000 to 2001. Since 2009, he has been associated with the Art Container group.
Since 2014, he has been working as a freelance curator, from 2017 to 2023 he was the coordinator of the Vaskjala Creative Residency, and since 2025, he has been coordinating the residency programme of the Pärnu Artists’ House.
Janno Bergmann has been awarded the Pärnu Annual Art Award 2013 and the title of Pärnu County Cultural Pearl 2025. Outside his homeland, he has exhibited his work in Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Norway, Georgia, Finland, Japan and Belgium. In her personal projects, he deals with the themes of art, culture and communication, reinterpreting the myths of contemporary art history and looking for poetic imagery in visual art.
Leho Rubis (1975) is an artist, musician and orientalist. He studied painting (BA 2001) and art history (MA 2010) at the University of Tartu. Since 2003, he has been involved in North Indian classical music and is involved in various music groups. The most important object of study in his art history is the history of Buddhist iconic art, with a focus on the possibility of depicting deeper states of consciousness. His interest in human consciousness is also directly related to the themes and motifs of his figurative painting. Inspired by various traditions of Asian canonical art and the history of European painting, he has created a style of expression in which the static nature of the figures creates a multi-layered perceptual fabric together with the liveliness of the textures. The main focus is on the indescribable yet ever-present consciousness.
His solo exhibitions have taken place in Estonia, India and Egypt. In 2010, he curated the joint exhibition of Estonian artists “A Gift to Arvo Pärt”, which was dedicated to the composer’s jubilee. He has also been the artistic director of the cultural festivals “Kolmkõla” and “PaIDA”. Since 2021, he has been the author of the Estonian Classical Radio series “Raaga aeg”.
Previous media covering of the authors
„Vikerkaar” (Leho Rubise „Poeetiliste sisemaastike“ tajuväljad , 12/2025 – Vikerkaar )
„Postimees” (INTERVJUU ⟩ Kunstnik Leho Rubis: aja jooksul on Eesti looduse askeetlik nüansirikkus mulle järjest huvitamaks muutunud ),
ERR (Pärnu kunsti aastapreemia Janno Bergmannile | Kunst | ERR, Galerii: Janno Bergmanni isikunäitus “Mikrogenees” kompab taju piire | Kunst | ERR ).
The exhibition is open 07.02 – 01.03.2026, Tue – Fri 15.00 – 18.00, Sat – Sun 12.00 – 15.00 at the Rapla County Centre for Contemporary Art, Tallinna mnt 3b