Impressions of Estonia by the French photographer Raphaël Gianelli-Meriano meet in a new exhibition

From September 2^nd to October 13^th, the exhibition "Letters from Estonia" by French photographer and film director Raphaël Gianelli-Meriano will be presented in the exhibition area of Tartu University Library. The exhibition features visual captures from the photographer's visits to Estonia over the past 20 years. It is a collection of moments reflecting his relationship with the country and its people, and ultimately, his own life.

Raphaël Gianelli-Meriano explains that Estonia has always held a special place for him since his first visit over two decades ago. In his book “About Estonia” (Argo Kirjastus, 2004), he describes himself as a “flâneur,” a traveler capturing images with his cameras. He continues to gather images, now with perhaps a more focused attention to everyday details and simple things, though his original intention remains unchanged. “I approach my subjects with an evolving perspective, exploring and questioning rather than defining them rigidly. My photography is like writing letters or poems, where images often convey more than words. Being a foreigner in Estonia has given me the space to let these images emerge and connect with our world through my camera," the photographer admits.

Gianelli-Meriano resides between Hendaye and Paris, France. His unconventional self-taught career, which includes violin studies at the conservatory, professional European skateboard tours, an educational traveling cinema program in Estonia, and several photo books and exhibitions in France and abroad, has led him to create films for fashion, as well as short films and documentaries. He contributes as a portrait photographer to numerous French and international publications, including “Libération”, “Les Échos”, “Le Nouvel Obs”, “Le Monde”, “L'Officiel”, “Beaux-Arts”, “Purple Magazine”, “Monocle” and “The Telegraph” among others. His Estonian photographs were recently featured in Peeter Linnap's “Anthology of Estonian Photography, Vol II”.