Artist will paint daily

Estonian artist Merike Estna plans to paint in public every day of the 2026 Venice Biennale, turning Estonia’s pavilion into a work that changes for more than six months. (loophole.art) The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia runs from May 9 to November 22, 2026, with preview days on May 6, 7 and 8. Estonia selected Estna to represent the country at this edition. (labiennale.org) (cca.ee) Her project is titled *The House of Leaking Sky* and is curated by Natalia Sielewicz. The Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art said Estna will paint in public view throughout the Biennale. (e-flux.com) The setup shifts attention from a finished object to the act of making one. In Venice, visitors will see the painting accumulate over time instead of arriving as a completed canvas on opening day. (loophole.art) (e-flux.com) That approach fits Estna’s practice. The Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art said her work focuses on painting as a process and on folding art into everyday life. (cca.ee) The pavilion will be built around a single large painting assembled on site from 22 canvases. Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported that the installation also includes 25,000 glazed floor tiles. (loophole.art) (news.err.ee) The venue is the former Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Castello, according to an interview published this month. Another listing for the Estonian participation gives the address as Calle San Domenico 1285 in Venice’s Castello district. (loophole.art) (myartguides.com) Estna, who was born in 1980, lives and works in Tallinn and Mexico City. Her gallery biography says she first emerged from Estonia’s performance art scene before taking degrees in painting and interdisciplinary arts at the Estonian Academy of Arts. (temnikova.ee) By the time the Biennale closes on November 22, the public record of the work will include not just the final image but months of visible labor. That long schedule is the piece’s structure as much as the paint itself. (labiennale.org) (e-flux.com)