Kaido Ole was born in Tallinn in 1963. He enrolled at the Estonian Academy of Arts in 1982 and graduated in 1992. He then immediately secured a position as a teacher of painting at Tallinn Art School from 1992 to 1993. He would rekindle this experience at the academy a decade later, teaching drawing and painting from 2003 to 2010.
Despite a penchant for the figurative, Ole’s work is more often than not referred to as conceptual. This somewhat erroneous description is partly due to the highly calculated, methodical and seemingly machine-made accuracy of his paintings. However, he is not adverse to little mistakes and can allow them to redress if not guide his approach. His technique is brought to bear on highly dramatised compositions which are truly synonymous with his work. A cast of schematised characters play out tragic, humorous or absurd scenes which, after eliciting an initial note of surprise, embody a universal nature through the simplicity of geometric lines and shapes.
Through simplification, Ole allows himself to speak about fundamental issues relating to the human condition without being tied down by contemporary events or concerns. His small characters transcend space and time, illustrating the implications of power, its dynamics and its consequences.
His recent exhibition highlights include: Dance at the Lonely Hearts Club, Latvian National Museum of Art, Arsenāls Exhibition Hall, Riga (2019); Blind Date, Triumph Gallery, Moscow (2017); Nogank Hoparniis, Tallinn Art Hall (2016); The New Building, Tartu Art Museum (2015); The Meaning of Life, FUGA, Budapest (with Marko Mäetamm, 2015); Freaks, Tallinn Art Hall Gallery (2014); Typical Individuals, Tartu Art Museum (2014); 100 Painters of Tomorrow, One Art Space, New York (2014); … oh, and also …, Temnikova & Kasela, Tallinn (2013); Archaeology and the Future of Estonian Art Scenes, Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn (2012); 2003–2011, Novy Museum, Saint Petersburg (2012); Handsome Hero and Plenty of Still Lifes, Kumu Art Museum (2012); and Collection of Desires. Privatised Art, Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia, Tallinn (2012).
In 2003, he represented Estonia at the 50th Venice Biennale under the alias John Smith alongside fellow artist Marko Mäetamm. He is the recipient of the Kristjan Raud (1998) and Konrad Mägi (2012) awards, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (1999 and 2005) annual art prize, and the Order of the White Star III class (2014).
Ole lives and works in Tallinn.
