British artist Monster Chetwynd's first Baltic exhibition opens at ERM in Tartu
The Estonian National Museum (ERM) in Tartu hosts British artist Monster Chetwynd's debut show in the Baltic states, titled 'Saba ja sarvedega' ('With Tail and Horns'), inviting visitors to engage interactively. The exhibition runs until January 24, 2027.
British artist Monster Chetwynd's first solo exhibition in the Baltic states has opened at the Estonian National Museum (ERM) in Tartu. The installation, titled 'Saba ja sarvedega' ('With Tail and Horns'), encourages visitors of all ages to transform, take the stage and co-create. The exhibition space is filled with colorful collages, fantasy creatures, and large-scale installations.
Museum director Laura Kipper said that Chetwynd's exhibition is above all a game – a game with the boundaries of oneself and the imagination. It demonstrates how the museum can offer new ways of participating: the visitor can do, try, step into a role and leave their mark. She added that the artist's first exhibition in the Baltics taking place at ERM is a meaningful part of the ERMX program, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Raadi home.
'Saba ja sarvedega' came to Tartu after its presentation at the Copenhagen Contemporary art center. In Monster Chetwynd's characteristic do-it-yourself aesthetic, pop culture and folklore, surrealist film and puppet theater, as well as stage designs, figures and costumes made from papier-mâché, recycled clothing and other readily available materials, are brought together.
The opening event featured Estonian performance artists and alternative circus troupe Carousel Company, combining physical theater, dance, music and contemporary circus.
Monster Chetwynd, born Alalia Chetwynd in 1973 and also known as Spartacus Chetwynd and Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2012. The exhibition 'Saba ja sarvedega' is open at ERM until January 24, 2027.
