A painter on view every day

Estonian artist Merike Estna will spend the full 2026 Venice Biennale painting in public, turning Estonia’s pavilion into a working studio. (e-flux.com) Her exhibition, *The House of Leaking Sky*, runs from May 9 to November 22 at Patronato Salesiano Leone XIII in Venice, with a preview on May 6. It is curated by Natalia Sielewicz for the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art. (e-flux.com) Estna starts with a blank canvas and paints daily in view of visitors. By the end, the work is planned as one painting spread across 22 canvases, about 22 by 6 meters. (artreview.com) (e-flux.com) The pavilion is built around the act of making, not just the finished object. Estna said she wants to show painting “when it is the most alive” by keeping the process, rather than only the product, on display. (artreview.com) That approach fits her wider practice, which pushes painting off the wall and into floors, objects, garments, and performance. The Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art said her work focuses on painting as process and on folding art into daily life. (cca.ee) (e-flux.com) The project also places women’s labor at the center of the pavilion. The exhibition text links it to histories of women painters whose work was shaped by domestic work and family life, and says Estna will live in Venice with her family during the Biennale. (e-flux.com) Estna has cited Lavinia Fontana, one of the first women to run a professional painting studio in sixteenth-century Italy, along with Tintoretta and Paula Modersohn-Becker, as influences. She said the pavilion reflects female art history by slowing painting down and asking viewers to spend time with it. (artreview.com) The installation extends beyond canvas. The floor will be covered with painted ceramic tiles, and ladders, tables, platforms, and tools will remain in use as part of the exhibition. (e-flux.com) (news.err.ee) Estonia selected Estna after an open call that drew 25 submissions. The country has participated in the Venice Biennale since 1997, and 2026 will be its fifteenth appearance at the international art exhibition. (cca.ee) The larger Biennale runs from May 9 to November 22 under the title *In Minor Keys*. For six months in Venice, Estonia’s entry will not present a completed painting first; it will let visitors watch one come into being. (labiennale.org) (e-flux.com)