Anna-Stina Treumund (1982–2017) was a feminist artist and activist — and Estonia's first openly lesbian artist to make her identity a central part of her work. Her projects were seminal in Estonia's art scene and feminist movement in the 2000s and 2010s.

The new show, the largest retrospective of Treumund's work to date, traces her career as a photographer, contemporary artist and activist.

According to the curators, Treumund's creative journey began in photography at Tartu Art College, where she primarily explored issues including identity and complex interpersonal and family relationships.

Continuing her studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), Treumund focused even more on topics related to gender and sexuality, and established herself as a queer activist, continuing to develop her recognizably queer-feminist visual language in the years to come.

"How to Recognize a Lesbian?" features works by artists who influenced her, including Marju Mutsu and Kai Kaljo, alongside a new generation of artists — Janina Sabaliauskaite from Lithuania, and Estonia's Elo Vahtrik and Maria Izabella Lehtsaar — who continue exploring queer and feminist themes.  

Curated by Piret Karro-Arrak, Magdaleena Maasik and Triin Tulgiste-Toss (1987–2024), "How to Recognize a Lesbian?" runs at Kumu Art Museum in Tallinn through Sunday, January 11.

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