Flow of Patterns. Works of Jaanus Samma

Jaanus Samma’s work is known for queering seemingly harmless subject matters on national identity and representation through an exploration of sexuality and notions of ‘publicness.’ The concept of folklore also recurs throughout Samma’s work as a form of cultural circulation and exchange open to queer reinterpretation. By using traditional techniques, the artist navigates through various modes of communication, which at first seem innocent but on closer inspection reveal an array of gay and queer symbolism. Through archival research he has found ways of broadening sociopolitical perspectives on national and sexual identity by offering alternatives to recontextualize the past.Flow of Patterns is Samma’s first monograph and presents works from the past twenty years—from his graduation work on swimming pools to his recent exhibition, Iron Men, which scrutinized masculinity as a form of national representation. The publication is edited by Krist Gruijthuijsen with in-depth essays by Linda