DeStudio

Herkki-Erich Merila and Peeter Laurits founded the DeStudio art group in the summer night in August 1992, when two young photographers came to the conclusion: in turbulent circumstances, it is important to survive as artists. For this reason, a group was created that simultaneously made art and advertising.

DeStudio’s works are inextricably linked to the era of that time, the early 1990s, when everything was about the change and repositioning of society – at once funny, brutal and exciting. Apparently, that is why DeStudio willingly worked with collages, where the whole is dismantled into parts and individual fragments are put together illogically and surreally. The execution of the works is often robust, but a frequent motif is the human body (often a pop star), which can be torn apart or be erotically fascinating. The lofty formats and ironic approach were also linked to the era when the previous hierarchies were collapsing and new ones had not yet been established.

DeStudio also operated as an advertising agency, offering complete solutions from slogans to design. They were very successful, rising to become one of the most well-known agencies in Estonia, as their anarchic approach suited the capitalism of the early 1990s, when everything was still open and new forms were just being created. However, as society became more developed and boring, DeStudio’s playfulness no longer suited the new rules that hardened advertising into mindless marketing. Now, their wildest ads would destroy the client’s reputation in today’s world.

Source: Fotografiska Tallinn