2026

On Thursday, December 18 at 18.00 the exhibition “Amuse” by Petra Vehviläinen & Tuomas Lehtomaa will open at Hobusepea gallery. The exhibition will remain open until January 11, 2026.

Amuse is a collaboration between two sculptors, exploring what play may mean for them. The exhibition takes shape through material, spatial and functional means and actions. The result is an ongoing negotiation of thoughts, feelings and ideas, present in sculptural form at Hobusepea Gallery.

For the exhibition, Petra works with a large hand-bent metal structure inspired by play settings, from board and arcade games to outdoor play. She explores movement, trajectories, loops, and schematic representations of play, allowing these elements to shape the work’s rhythm and material presence in the space. By using everyday materials and objects, Tuomas builds sculptural systems and collages. In addition to conversing with the site and Petra’s practice, notions of consumption, joy and restlessness were considered while making.

Photos: Kastehelmi Korpijaakko

The exhibition is supported by Alfred Kordelin foundation and Greta and Alfred Runeberg foundation.

Exhibitions in Hobusepea gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and Liviko AS.

On Thursday, January 15 at 18.00 the exhibition “Fortuna” by Liina Leo will open at Hobusepea gallery. The exhibition opening will feature a performance in collaboration with the group Sanctuary Of Praise (UK). The exhibition will remain open until February 8, 2026.

O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
ever waxing
ever waning;
hateful life…

– Excerpt from Carmina Burana. 13th century manuscript by unknown authors

The exhibition imagines a particular stillness, the kind that makes time feel both abundant and impossibly brief. At the centre, there is a figure called Fortuna. She resembles the artist and she does not. She is a reflection, an avatar, a way of letting grief move through a body without having to speak directly in confession. The world inside this exhibition is not governed by moralistic philosophy. It is governed by chance, by veiling, by the blind turn to the unknown. Why does time leave some people early and spare others? What does it do to faith when health and virtue feel suddenly against me? Fortuna does not explain fate. It stages its atmosphere. The seduction of shine, the weight of loss, the objective fact that life turns through opposites. The present moment glows because it is already passing. The wheel turns whether you believe in it or not.

– Will Britten

Supported by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, MITTESTUUDIO Ltd, Purje Vara Ltd, Rain Lõhmus Foundation, Viru Keemia Grupp.

The artist’s gratitude goes to: Will Britten, Joosep Ehasalu, Crystal Ma, Indrek Mesi, Kristjan Mõru, Jaanus Muruõis, Loora Kaubi, Märt Vaidla, Phillip Pyle, Ingrid Pajo, Sanctuary of Praise, Craftrag, Artproof, Barley Studio.

Exhibitions in Hobusepea gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and Liviko AS.

All documentation images by Roman-Sten Tõnissoo.

On Wednesday, 11 February at 6:00 PM, Maria Izabella Lehtsaar will open the exhibition Hares Caress Your Hair  at the Hobusepea Gallery. The exhibition will remain open until 8 March 2026.

One Hare caresses my head.

It plays gently with my curls.

Its paw lands softly on my cheek.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

I can’t close my eyes; everything can change so quickly.

Another hare tends and licks my crimson scars.

Maria Izabella Lehtsaar’s artistic practice explores the experiences of queer and marginalised people through everyday life and fantasy. Hares Caress Your Hair observes the process of bodies recovering from trauma and violence and how minorities are forced to create safety for themselves in their own bodies, homes and fragile communities at a time when shared spaces are increasingly disappearing or being appropriated.

Lehtsaar delves into lesbian representation through the working class and non-binary gaze, elevating visual symbols and semiotics to bring visibility to the local culture, which is over-saturated with a binary and heteronormative narrative of love and belonging. Their work offers a delicate, radical emphasis to inner security and collective and personal patron saints at a time when there is a rise in right-wing extremism in society, when we are experiencing the long-term consequences of chronic illnesses, epidemics, wars and other traumas.

Hares Caress Your Hair is a rite that recognises security as something we must consciously maintain and work on. The space of the Hobusepea Gallery in the Old Town frames the visual language of the exhibition: altars, armours and morning stars are reminiscent of medieval power structures, but are transformed into tools through satin surfaces, softness and trans-colours. Familiar objects become vulnerable, reflecting the resilience of the queer resistance. Mixed media textile installations, collages, poetry and graphics function as honest gestures toward the pluralism and diversity of marginalised bodies, amplified symbols that protect and shield minorities from threatening forces.

The artist would like to thank: Nadya Tjuška, Anita Kodanik, Sarah Nõmm, Edvard Vellevoog, Laura-Marleene Jefimov, EKA graafikaosakond, OMAtsirkus, Gabriela Różańska, Kirke Mari Päll (pr0hvet), Emma Leelo Dillon (placentat_tat), Susanna Mett and Saara Lotta Linno.

The exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Exhibitions in the Hobusepea Gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko AS.

The gallery is managed by the Estonian Artists’ Association.

Spring Exhibition 2026 Returns in an Expanded Format
The annual Spring Exhibition is a traditional overview of Estonian contemporary
art, presenting a fresh and diverse cross-section of artists from different
generations and creative fields.

This year’s annual exhibition of the Estonian Artists’ Association, Spring Exhibition
2026, is more extensive than in previous years and will take place simultaneously
across several venues. The public is invited to the opening evening on 13 March.
Exhibition openings will take place consecutively at different locations: at 5 pm at HOP
Gallery, Hobusepea Gallery and Draakon Gallery; at 6 pm at Vabaduse Gallery; and at
7 pm at the Lasnamäe Pavilion. The exhibition will be accompanied by a public
programme. Further details will be announced soon.

A total of 437 artists submitted works to the exhibition, from which the jury selected
pieces by 154 artists and collectives. Tallinn Art Hall and the Estonian Artists’
Association invite the public to visit the Spring Exhibition at the Lasnamäe Pavilion and
in the Old Town galleries of the Estonian Artists’ Association: Draakon Gallery,
Hobusepea Gallery, HOP Gallery and Vabaduse Gallery. Works displayed in the
exhibition will be reproduced as postcards, allowing visitors to assemble their own
personal Spring Exhibition catalogue.

As in previous years, visitors will once again have the opportunity to vote for their
favourite artist. The winner of the public vote will receive a €6,000 prize, funded by art
collectors and supporters Riivo Anton, Aivar Berzin, Jaan Manitski, Tiit Pruuli and Rain
Tamm. Among all voters, a €500 gift card for the NOBA.ac art platform will be raffled.
Voting takes place at the Lasnamäe Pavilion and in all galleries of the Estonian Artists’
Association and remains open until 5 April. Art enthusiasts will also be able to purchase
works from the Spring Exhibition at the exhibition venues. A selection of works will
additionally be available for sale on the NOBA.ac platform.

The jury of the Spring Exhibition included Cloe Jancis and Maria Valdma-Härm
(representatives of the Estonian Artists’ Association), Jüri Mildeberg (recipient of the
Spring Exhibition 2025 Public Prize), Madli Ljutjuk (representative of Tallinn Art Hall)
and Riivo Anton (representative of the sponsors).

The exhibition displays in the Old Town galleries were designed by Cloe Jancis, and the
display at the Art Hall’s Lasnamäe Pavilion by Maria Helena Luiga. The graphic design
was created by Henri Kutsar. The exhibition’s organising committee comprises Hans-
Otto Ojaste, Maarin Ektermann, Madli Ljutjuk, Mattias Veller and Tüüne-Kristin Vaikla.

Spring Exhibition 2026 is open in the Old Town galleries of the Estonian Artists’
Association until 5 April and at the Lasnamäe Pavilion of Tallinn Art Hall until 18 May.

Further Information:
Maarin Ektermann
President of the Estonian Artists’ Association
maarin.ektermann@eaa.ee
+372 5552 0882

Photo documentation: Paul Kuimet and Kulla Laas