The artwork, "Lekkiva taeva maja" ("The leaking sky house") by Merike Estna was presented publicly on Tuesday (see gallery), a month ahead of the Estonian Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) opening of Estonia's pavilion at the event.

The Estonian pavilion will be covered with 25,000 glazed floor tiles, along with a monumental painting to be put together on-site, out of 22 canvases.

"Conceptually speaking, my pavilion speaks about being a female artist and, in parallel, about being a mother. I did not prepare the design in advance — this painting should come into being entirely on-site — but these are the ideas," Estna said.

This year's Venice Biennale is somewhat overshadowed by the geopolitical situation, and the participation of Russia at the event.

"We were very clear that we would not allow an aggressor state to push us back. If they opted to participate, we were not going to retreat. We will also step forward, make use of our presence there, and amplify the voices of artists from Estonia, the Baltics, and Ukraine," said Maria Arusoo, CCA commissioner.

The Estonian pavilion will open in Venice on Wednesday, May 6. Merike
Estna's exhibit will return to Estonia next year.

The Venice Biennale (la Biennale di Venezia) is an annual cultural event, established in 1895. Its two main components, Art Biennale and Architecture Biennale, alternate each year (hence the term "biennale"), with the Art Biennale now held in even-numbered years, such as 2026. In addition to the main exhibitions, there are four annual cultural programs mainly focusing on music, theater, film, dance.

The main exhibition area is located in the Castello district of Venice, with around 30 permanent national pavilions like Estonia's constructed and maintained by participating countries.

The pavilions showcase international artistic and cultural contributions from across the world.

The official event site is here.

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