Price: €980
Artist's country of origin: Estonia
Maria Kallau studied at the Estonian Academy of Arts in the Liberal Arts department, specializing in Painting from 2022 to 2025, where she completed her Bachelor’s degree. Her work has been featured in several group exhibitions, including two notable shows at the EKA Gallery in 2024. The first, “Pane püksid jalga, see on näitus”, was a collaborative exhibition of works created during the semester, organized together with her classmates. The second, “Riides ja alasti. 110 aastat figuuriõpet Eesti Kunstiakadeemias”, was a historical exhibition marking 110 years of figurative drawing at the Academy, where her drawing was selected to represent the current generation of students and is now part of the Estonian Academy of Arts’ museum collection. Additionally, her stained glass work is permanently installed in a window at the Academy.
In her artistic practice, Kallau primarily works with oil painting. Her work often explores themes of memory, personal history, and emotional tension, delving into feelings of nostalgia, discomfort, and the idealization of the past. Her recent series investigates the fragile space between vulnerability and aggression, portraying young individuals in moments of play, control, and emotional ambiguity. Through these fragmented narratives, she reflects on the process of learning the emotional and physical language of the world, where impulse and consequence remain in flux.
Beyond her academic studies and exhibitions, Kallau has broadened her artistic perspective by attending major international art events such as the Venice Biennale in 2024 and Mexico’s Art Week in 2025, enriching her understanding of global contemporary art practices.
