Notebook: Everything is s..t

Arno Saar

After graduating from secondary school, he did odd jobs until he became a cameraman's assistant at Tallinnfilm. This job also led him to photography. Later, he worked as a photographer for various newspapers until he retired. He is most known for his immense work on the Estonian punks. Taking photos of punks is related to a lot of bans that were enforced in Soviet society. Bands, music, literature and lifestyles were banned or controlled by Glavlit or KGB. In addition to the prohibitions, Saar was fascinated by their extraordinary appearance and clothes, which were visually intriguing. Arno Saar didn't always manage to escape the militia to save the photos. For example, once they exposed his films to light, he was taken on many occasions into KGB for questioning and harassment. The authorities didn't want the photos to exist, but Arno Saar understood the importance of recording the life of this subculture in Estonia, even just chronicling them. No photos, no phenomenon. It would've been possible to distort history without the photos. In the exhibition, his selection of photos of punks is presented.