CRITICISM - Tõnis Saadoja, “Lets Go!” (hommage to Miljard Kilk ), 2002, oil HDF, 200 × 100. – Comp. Anders Härm, Hanno Soans, New Wave: Estonian artists of the 21st century. Tallinn: Tallinn Art Hall Foundation, 2008, no 1

Let’s Go, a painting by Tõnis Saadoja is an hommage to a cult picture from the end of seventies by an Estonian artist Miljard Kilk. Belonging to the local classics of contemporary art it depicts a group of optimistic cultural figures of the Tartu scene, all united in a row, taking a step together. It was a manifesto of the time; undoubtedly merry but still somewhat solemn painting. It might be important to mention that the younger artists depicted all belong to the second wave of Estonian hyperrealism and they are shown there together with their mentor Andrus Kasemaa—the progressive forces of the Tartu scene united. Saadoja’s hommage based on a found photograph is sharing a formal analogy with the composition by Kilk, but he has transformed the motif into a drunken fiesta of the juveniles behind a gas station somewhere on the road. All Saadojas imagery at the time was based on found stills somehow miraculously preserved from a blackout phases of an over-sexualised final of an adolescent parties. He paints the naked desires of these images with merciless indifference.

Tõnis Saadoja maal “Let’s Go” on hommage Miljard Kilgi samanimelisele kultuspildile aastast 1979. Kilgi slaidimaal, mis kujutab ühtses rivis ühte jalga astuvaid optimistlikke Tartu kunstitegelasi, ja isennast nende hulgas, on kahtlemata pisut pühalik põlvkondlik manifest. Saadoja maal, mis põhineb ühe leitud foto formaalsel analoogial Kilgi maali kompositsiooniga, on uue vabariigi teise kümnendi alguseks muundanud selle märgilise situatsiooni joobnud alaealiste läbuks mingisuguses maanetäärses tanklas. Nagu juba varem on mainitud, näivad Saadoja selle perioodi maalide kujundid kõik olevat mingid imekombel säilinud kaadrid pidude üleseksualiseerunud lõpufaasi mäluaukudest, mille alasti ihad maalib kunstnik üle halastamatu ükskõiksusega.