Kalevipoeg dies by his own sword, which severs his legs as he steps into the Kääpa River. According to author F. R. Kreutzwald, the hero's anguished cry rose to the heavens, swelling into the clouds — and is said to echo to this day.

Kangro's exhibition draws on myths from around the world.

"In mythical stories, heroes are often torn apart or hacked to pieces: Orpheus is ripped to shreds by the maenads, Set dismembers his brother Osiris, whom Isis later reassembles and revives, Shiva accidentally cuts of his son Ganesha's head, then replaces it with that of an elephant," according to a press release.

In Estonia, Kalevipoeg's cry has been heard. His feet have been found. If all the parts of the mythical hero were gathered and sung back together, Kalevipoeg, like Osiris, could perhaps come back to life.

Kangro's show takes its cue from Kalju Reitel's sculpture "Estonia Awakens" — a depiction of Kalevipoeg in Tapa seen by some as casting a shadow over the city. "What might a monument look like that builds a positive identity and inspires confidence?" the show asks.

Kirke Kangro is an Estonian sculptor and installation artist interested in how spatial and object-based forms can be used to address questions related to the human world and cultural space. In he work, she employs minimalist means to analyze specific spatial situations and unfold the paradoxes of human experience.

In recent years, her focus has been on issues in public art, and she has worked as a curator in the research project "How to Reframe Monuments," which tackles the recontextualization of dissonant monumental heritage.

"The Scream of Kalevipoeg: Dream of a Monument" runs through December 14.

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