Kunstnik Vello Väärtnõu budistlikku templit ehitamas by Sulev Teinemaa (Newspaper article)

Original Estonian Article

English Translation

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Kunstnik Vello Väärtnõu budistlikku templit ehitamas

Kunstnik Vello Väärtnõu budistlikku templit ehitamas

Ühe talu taga-aias Läänemaal on kolm 7–9 meetri kõrgust stuupat. Käinud neid, meie oludes üpris tavatuid ehitisi uudistamas, selgus, et hetkel viibib oma maakodus Lihula kandis ka Eestimaa Budistliku Vennaskonna vaimne juht ning stuupade ehitamise eestvedaja, kunstnik VELLO VÄÄRTNÕU.

Hr. Vello Väärtnõu senist elu on mõneti aidanud vormida raske stagna-aeg, nagu nüüd armastatakse toonitada. Tema enda sõnul sisaldub selles mitmeid sõnakaid fakte, millele näiteks julgeolekul meeldib viidata.

1969. a., kaheksateistkümnese noorukina, pandi ta Karjalas piiri ületamise katse eest paariks aastaks istuma. Teine kord tuli rootsi kardinaid seestpoolt imetleda 1982. a. Nüüd oli asi tunduvalt keerukam. Algul süüdistati teda taas piiririkkumises, siis määrati kaela veel nõukogude-vastane tegevus ja lõpuks lisati kunstiväärtuste väljavedu Liidust. Kõik kokku pidi kaasa tooma oma 12 aastat. Lõpuks jõuti aga järeldusele, et tegemist on parandamatu skisofreenikuga. Diagnoosi panemisele aitas kaasa arstliku komisjoni liige professor Saarma. Viimane surunud hiljem Vello kätt ning sõnanud: «Vabanda, aga teisiti ma ei saanud talitada.» Igal juhul pääses hr. Väärtnõu tookord poole aastaga vabadusse, niipalju kui seda tollal oli.

Samal ajal heideti ta välja Kunstnike Liidu noortekoondisest. Põhjuseks: käitumine ei vastavat nõukogude kunstnikule. Anti ka paber, millele oli märgitud, et ta polevat autoinspektsiooni ära maksnud trahvi (kiiruse ületamise eest). Hiljem selgus, et Kunstnike Liitu olevat helistatud ning öeldud, et nende liikmed ei tohi vangis istuda. Hiljem Rootsis tegi Vello Väärtnõu mõned pildid, kollaažid, kuhu ta on peale virutanud ka tolle Kunstnike Liidu presiidiumi protokolli.

Pärast vangist vabanemist läkski õigupoolest stuupade ehitamiseks lahti. Esimene sai valmis 1983. a. Jüri Arraku suvila õuel Pangarehel. 1984–1985 tehti juurde veel kolm stuupat, seekord Läänemaale Siim Jõesaare talu taga-aeda. Vello Väärtnõu on kunstitegemise ja kõige muu kõrval tegelnud aastaid budismiga, käinud ka kloostris. Aastail 1983–1987 tegutseski Eestimaa Budistlik Vennaskond. Seega ajani, mil ta N. Liidust välja saadeti. Muide, siis võeti maha ka skisofreenia diagnoos. Selgus, et see olevat olnud eksitus. Nüüdseks võib vennaskonda alles jäänud liikmed ühe käe sõrmedel üles lugeda. Vello talus elavad kaks budisti Peeter Kaasik ja Jüri Saard, muidugi on veel Siim Jõesaar ja see olekski nagu kõik. Ülejäänud on kes Rootsis, kes USAs.

Ent tollal tehti budistlikke skulptuure, trükiti pühapilte (tankasid), tõlgiti raamatuid ja muid tekste, õpiti tiibeti ja vanamongoli keelt. Juhtnööre keele alal andis mõningal määral auväärt Pent Nurmekund. Palusin Vello Väärtnõul selgitada, mis tähendus on stuupal tema jaoks.

«Stuupa on maailma psühhokosmiline mudel. Kus on stuupad, seal on ka budism. See on täpselt nii nagu: seal, kus on inimesed, on ka nende eluasemed. Kui inimene tegeleb mingi asjaga, siis peab sellest tegevusest jääma järg. Budism pole minu jaoks religioon, vaid puhtalt eluviis või -struktuur.»

«Põhimõte on selles, et stuupasid rajatakse mitmesuguste jumaluste, mitmesuguste sündmuste auks. Ent iseendast kujutavad nad puhtalt maailmamudelit. Iga aste, iga korrus stuupa juures omab mingit tähendust. Sääl on ju olemas kuup, kera ja kolmnurk, need tähendavad aga algelemente ning selles on terve sümboolika. Stuupade sisse pannakse mitmesuguseid rohtusid ja tekste. Üleval on säärane ümmargune osa – bumbaa –, see on annetustenõu või aarete peidukoht. Selle sees asuvad budistlikud skulptuurid, samuti mandalad. Mandala tähendab maailmamudelit, kus on sees jumalate väljad ja seda kasutatakse meditatsiooniks jne. Samuti on stuupas pühapildid – tankad.

Stuupa annab inimesele psüühilist jõudu, ta mõjub inimesele. Meie järgime tegelikult Tiibeti budismi – lamaismi.»

Stuupade ehitamise ajal hr. Vello Väärtnõu otsene kunstitegemine soikus, oli ju kogu tollane elu kui kunst. Ning siis lisandus veel poliitikasse süüvimine. 1987. a. pakkus ta välja komparteile vastukaaluks opositsioonipartei loomise idee. Sama aasta 7. novembril oli Pärnus mingi kogunemine ja seal ta ütles, et oleks vajalik luua oma partei, sest mõttetu on niisama kõnesid pidada. Jõulude ajaks sai valmis esialgne programm, mida aitas täiendada Erik Udam. Kuid 13. veebruaril 1988 saadeti hr. Vello Väärtnõu Eestist välja. Talle tehti ettepanek emigreerimiseks, ent ta keeldus. Ja siis ühel päeval astusid julgeoleku seltsimehed Tallinnas ligi ning ütlesid, et ta läheb sõiduks. Lennati Moskvasse ja 15 minutiga olid Rootsi saatkonnas paberid vormistatud. Saatkonna tollane esimene sekretär Dag Hartelius sõnanud, et hr. Väärtnõu on Rootsi diplomaatia ajaloos arvatavasti esimene mees, kellele on nii kähku antud luba nende maale elama asumiseks.

Julgeolekus nõudis hr. Vello Väärtnõu, et saaks kaasa võtta ka Eke-Pärt Nõmme ja seda lubatigi. Ilmselt oleks ta võinud teisigi kaasa viia.

Hr. Väärtnõu tegeleb Rootsis põhiliselt kunstiga. Ta hakkas maalima ning paljud olid tema piltidest huvitatud. Nüüdseks on tal hulgaliselt näitusi olnud (Zürichis, Vaasas, Hamburgis, Münchenis ning muidugi ka Stockholmis, kus ta ise elab). Siinkohal võiks mainida, et hr. Väärtnõust ja tema kunstist on Lääne ajakirjanduses üsna palju kirjutatud. Kusagil talvel tuleb Vello Väärtnõu töödest näitus vähemalt kolmes USA suuremas linnas. Mullu talvel kutsuti teda oma töödega ka Austraaliasse, aga ta loobus nii kaugele sõidust. Sel suvel oli kavatsus külastada Tiibetit, kuid ta otsustas siiski Eestimaale tuleku kasuks.

Nelja aasta eest vana talumaja ostmisel oli kohe plaanis ehitada sellesse budistide tempel. Nüüd käibki hoolega remont, järgmisel aastal saaks templit rajama hakata. Võibolla vanadusepäevil toob hr. Väärtnõu oma sõnutsi kondid sinna. Aga vahest tuleb ta oma tallu pidevalt elama juba õige varsti, sest ainult siin tunneb ta end täielikult kodus olevat.

Kogu suve on hr. Väärtnõu hoolega töötanud, enam kui sada teost on valmis või viimistlemisel. Ta nimetab neid graafilisteks töödeks. Põhiliselt teeb Vello abstraktseid asju, ka omal ajal Eestis alustas ta samalaadsete töödega. Tollal need aga «kunstiisadele» ei meeldinud.

Muidugi on nüüd mõnevõrra tegemist, et kogu suvine Looming Rootsi kaasa võtta. Kuid hr. Väärtnõu ütleb, et see on ju tema töö ning kes siis oma leivakoti maha jätab. Kindlasti sooviks ta ka Eestis oma näituse korraldada, kui vaid sobiva koha leiaks. Hr. Harri Tilk avaldas soovi mõned Vello Väärtnõu tööd Kunstiaita müüki panna. Seega saavad huvilised tema kunstiga peagi lähemalt tutvuda.

SULEV TEINEMAA

Kunstnik Vello Väärtnõu budistlikku templit ehitamas

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Translation is provided by AI

Artist Vello Väärtnõu Building a Buddhist Temple

Artist Vello Väärtnõu Building a Buddhist Temple

In the back garden of a farm in Läänemaa stand three stupas, 7 to 9 metres tall. Having gone to look at them, buildings quite unusual in our circumstances, it turned out that the spiritual leader of the Estonian Buddhist Brotherhood and the driving force behind the building of the stupas, the artist VELLO VÄÄRTNÕU, is currently staying at his country home in the Lihula area.

Mr. Vello Väärtnõu's life so far has been shaped to some extent by the heavy stagnation era, as it is now fashionable to stress. In his own words, it contains several telling facts that the security service, for example, likes to refer to.

In 1969, as an eighteen-year-old youth, he was put in prison in Karelia for a couple of years for attempting to cross the border. The second time he had to admire Swedish curtains from the inside was in 1982. This time the matter was considerably more complicated. At first he was again accused of violating the border, then anti-Soviet activity was pinned on him, and finally the export of art valuables from the Union was added. All of it together was to amount to 12 years. In the end, however, the conclusion was reached that he was an incurable schizophrenic. Professor Saarma, a member of the medical commission, helped to establish the diagnosis. The latter later shook Vello's hand and said: “Forgive me, but I could not have acted any differently.” In any case, Mr. Väärtnõu got out into freedom after half a year, as much freedom as there was at the time.

At the same time he was expelled from the youth group of the Artists' Union. The reason given: his behaviour did not befit a Soviet artist. He was also handed a paper stating that he had supposedly not paid a fine to the traffic inspectorate (for speeding). It later turned out that someone had reportedly phoned the Artists' Union and told them that their members must not sit in prison. Later, in Sweden, Vello Väärtnõu made some pictures, collages, onto which he also slapped the minutes of that Artists' Union presidium.

After his release from prison, the building of stupas actually got properly under way. The first was completed in 1983 in the yard of Jüri Arrak's summer cottage at Pangarehe. In 1984 to 1985 three more stupas were built, this time in Läänemaa, in the back garden of Siim Jõesaar's farm. Besides making art and everything else, Vello Väärtnõu has been engaged with Buddhism for years and has also visited a monastery. The Estonian Buddhist Brotherhood was active in the years 1983 to 1987, that is, until the time when he was expelled from the U.S.S.R. Incidentally, the schizophrenia diagnosis was also withdrawn then. It turned out that it had supposedly been a mistake. Nowadays the remaining members of the brotherhood can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Two Buddhists, Peeter Kaasik and Jüri Saard, live on Vello's farm, and of course there is also Siim Jõesaar, and that would seem to be everyone. The rest are some in Sweden, some in the USA.

But back then Buddhist sculptures were made, sacred pictures (thangkas) were printed, books and other texts were translated, and Tibetan and Old Mongolian were studied. Guidance in the field of language was given to some extent by the venerable Pent Nurmekund. I asked Vello Väärtnõu to explain what the stupa means to him.

“The stupa is a psychocosmic model of the world. Where there are stupas, there is also Buddhism. It is exactly like this: where there are people, there are also their dwellings. When a person engages in something, some trace must remain of that activity. For me Buddhism is not a religion, but purely a way of life, or a life structure.”

“The principle is that stupas are built in honour of various deities and various events. But in themselves they represent purely a model of the world. Every level, every storey of a stupa has some meaning. There is, after all, a cube, a sphere and a triangle, which signify the basic elements, and there is a whole symbolism in this. Various herbs and texts are placed inside stupas. At the top there is a round part, the bumpa, which is a vessel for offerings or a hiding place for treasures. Inside it are Buddhist sculptures, and also mandalas. A mandala means a model of the world, containing the fields of the gods, and it is used for meditation and so on. Also in the stupa are sacred pictures, thangkas.

The stupa gives a person psychic strength, it has an effect on a person. We actually follow Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism.”

During the building of the stupas, Mr. Vello Väärtnõu's art-making proper came to a halt, since all of life at that time was like art. And then delving into politics was added. In 1987 he put forward the idea of creating an opposition party as a counterweight to the Communist Party. On 7 November of the same year there was some kind of gathering in Pärnu, and there he said that it would be necessary to create their own party, because it is pointless to just make speeches. By Christmas a preliminary programme was ready, which Erik Udam helped to supplement. But on 13 February 1988 Mr. Vello Väärtnõu was expelled from Estonia. He was offered emigration, but he refused. And then one day State Security comrades came up to him in Tallinn and said that he was going on a trip. They flew to Moscow, and within 15 minutes the papers had been completed at the Swedish embassy. The embassy's then first secretary, Dag Hartelius, reportedly said that Mr. Väärtnõu is probably the first man in the history of Swedish diplomacy to be granted permission so quickly to settle in their country.

At the security service Mr. Vello Väärtnõu demanded that Eke-Pärt Nõmme also be allowed to come along, and this was granted. Apparently he could have taken others along as well.

In Sweden Mr. Väärtnõu mainly works with art. He began to paint, and many people were interested in his pictures. By now he has had numerous exhibitions (in Zurich, Vaasa, Hamburg, Munich and of course also in Stockholm, where he himself lives). Here it could be mentioned that quite a lot has been written about Mr. Väärtnõu and his art in the Western press. Sometime in winter an exhibition of Vello Väärtnõu's works will take place in at least three major American cities. Last winter he was also invited to Australia with his works, but he declined such a long journey. This summer he had intended to visit Tibet, but decided in favour of coming to Estonia after all.

Four years ago, when buying an old farmhouse, the plan from the start was to build a Buddhist temple in it. Now repairs are being carried out diligently, and next year work on building the temple could begin. Perhaps in his old age Mr. Väärtnõu will, in his own words, bring his bones there. But perhaps he will come to live permanently on his farm quite soon, because only here does he feel completely at home.

All summer Mr. Väärtnõu has worked diligently, and more than a hundred works are finished or being finished. He calls them graphic works. Mostly Vello makes abstract things, and in his time in Estonia too he began with similar works. Back then, however, these did not please the “art fathers.”

Of course there is now some trouble in taking the whole summer's output along to Sweden. But Mr. Väärtnõu says that it is his work after all, and who would abandon their breadbag. He would certainly like to organise an exhibition of his own in Estonia too, if only he could find a suitable venue. Mr. Harri Tilk expressed a wish to put some of Vello Väärtnõu's works on sale at Kunstiaita. So interested people will soon be able to get to know his art more closely.

SULEV TEINEMAA

Artist Vello Väärtnõu Building a Buddhist Temple