Artist Merike Estna will represent Estonia at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026 with a project that transforms the national pavilion into an active, open studio. Eschewing the display of finished products, Estna plans to start with empty canvases and complete a series of 22 paintings over the course of the exhibition, allowing visitors to witness the "living" process of creation.
This approach challenges traditional exhibition formats by emphasizing the labor and evolution of painting rather than the final object. Influenced by historical female painters like Lavinia Fontana and Paula Modersohn-Becker, Estna’s contribution aligns with the Biennale's theme 'In Minor Keys' by exploring female art history and the nuances of artistic production within a globalized, yet geographically specific, context.