Women in Tallinn, Estonia (work in progress)

In September 2007, Wim Lamboo started to portray women in the streets of Tallinn, Estonia. Having worked in the country and the capital city in 1997 and 1998 with an emphasis on street photography, he decided to focus on the women in public places. The portraits of Estonian women were made after spontaneous meetings in the streets, market places, shopping malls, on buses and trams. Without any preparation or long discussion, the woman chooses her own pose and a plain, simple background. The portraits have an extreme minimalist quality and are characterized by a greatly reduced influence of the photographer. The woman directs her own portrait and is in control of her means of expression, a conscious or unconscious process. Thus the relation between the photographer and his subject becomes inversed. The women are free to choose to be portrayed outside or in the temporary studio of Lamboo, arranged by the Estonian Artist Association. Inside, it is just a wall, a table or a bench - and the woman. The portrait has an emphasis on the facial expression, the pose and the clothes. These elements become crucial for the meaning of the image. Wim Lamboo uses a digital compact camera, not larger than the size of his pocket, which enables him to work fast, direct, less intrusive and with ease.
Lamboo has been invited as artist in residence in Tallinn, in September 2007, June 2008, October 2008 and August 2009.

The audio-visual installation "Women of Tallinn - Women project on screen", edited and produced by Rixt A. Bosma, was shown in the Vabaduse Gallery in Tallinn in October 2008 (DVD, 16 min.).

Planned: exhibitions in Estonia and the Netherlands and the publication of a photo book.