Some time ago, Vilen participated in a shamanic practice in Lithuania. It was a journey of the mind led by the renowned Hakassia shaman Valeri. A small group of participants (7 people) lay in a radial pattern on the floor in the shape of a chamomile flower, while the shaman sat by the window, guiding the entire experience with the power of thought. For two hours, Vilen flew on the back of a bird over lands and seas, encountering events and people from the past, present, and future. As a result of the journey, Vilen later created a painting titled “VILLU LENDAB” (“Villu Flies”).
The circular painting “VILLU LENDAB” serves as the focal point of the entire exhibition. Everything else revolves around it. Earlier paintings by Künnapu depicting various houses, cities, islands, and natural places are presented, along with some portraits and human figures in different environments. There are also some paintings based on the experience of Renaissance and early Renaissance art. These are religious paintings, but in reality, the entire exhibition is a kind of spiritual journey. “God is everywhere and in everything,” says Vilen. Various images seem to fly around the central round painting. This flight is also facilitated by the gallery’s roundness. The cylindrical shape gives the space a certain sacred dimension, and this is also the basis of the entire exhibition.
In the viewing hall on the second floor, a segment of the still-in-progress documentary film about Vilen by Nando Grancelli is presented. Nando Grancelli is primarily a documentary filmmaker and film educator based in Los Angeles. Vilen has lived with his wife Liivi in Viimsi for years and is a great patriot of the peninsula. This positivity and love for the sea can be discerned throughout the entire exhibition.
