Kris Lemsalu's solo exhibition at Temnikova & Kasela in Tallinn.

Kris Lemsalu: NIRVANA
28.08.2025–11.10.2025
Temnikova & Kasela, Tallinn

Dear Reader,
On one of those lengthy walks, when your thoughts reach far because the sky is boundless, I heard a
whisper in my ear – "You are a zen conceptualist". Inclined to trust my subconscious, I accepted this
with a faint smile.
When you are in flow and feel like water, your state is primed for creativity – maybe that's where the
'zen' can be found. My art can be interpreted through interiority, relationships, family, community, city,
society, world or universe – or purely by the seduction of color and form. This is the kind of
all-pervading freedom that I delight in, where I belong, and possibly where the 'conceptualism' is
hidden.
These four torsos – "Born As Bird", "Full Circle", "Let Me Talk To The Boss", "Speak Easy" – are
bodily poetry, haikus on the body: expanding into nature, sinking into mud, and being reborn. Have a
seat on "Pea Of Life" and contemplate the works as you would clouds in the sky: take your time,
forget about everything else, and observe which characters and narratives appear.
Nirvana is arrival itself, a celebration of the cycle of life.

Yours forever,
Kris the stray cat

Kris Lemsalu (b. 1985) is an Estonian artist based between Tallinn and New York. She studied at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn; Danmarks Designskole, Copenhagen; and Academy of Fine Arts,
Vienna. Having studied ceramics, Lemsalu often experiments with traditional techniques to create multilayered works. Her staged installations combine delicate porcelain sculptures cast as animal and human body parts or objects of clothing with found natural materials like fur, leather or wool. These can act as self-sufficient narratives, or alternatively as a stage for Lemsalu’s performances, the sculptures sometimes becoming a part of her costumes and props. For her recent works, the artist collaborated with musicians adding a further element to her performances. Lemsalu has presented widely at international institutions, including Moderna Museet in Stockholm (2024), Belvedere 21, Museum of Contemporary Art, Vienna (2024), KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2020), the Venice Biennale (2019), Kiasma, Helsinki (2018) and others. 

Exhibition is supported by The Cultural Endowment of Estonia and Põhjala Brewery.