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Ilmar Malin (1924–1994) is recognised in Estonian art history as one of the most consistent surrealists. He began his creative journey during a time when life was lived under foreign rule and the art world was strictly controlled. Yet Malin increasingly immersed himself in what was then considered a “forbidden” realm. He was drawn to abstraction and surrealism, though his inspiration came not from fantasy but from heightened reality and the world of science. Through the microscope, the artist began studying cellular structures and became fascinated by what he saw. He then set about translating this invisible world onto canvas.Malin’s paintings function like magnifying glasses – what appears to be abstraction is, in fact, reality seen in extreme close-up.
