Maria Izabella Lehtsaar “In Loving Hands”

Maria Izabella Lehtsaar’s solo exhibition In Loving Hands opens on 25 April at 13:00. Drinks for the opening will be provided by Tuletorn Brewery, and the exhibition is supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

The exhibition is open 26 April – 25 May
Keskpuur Gallery at Central Market, Keldrimäe 9 (2nd floor)

Keskpuur is pleased to present In Loving Hands, a solo exhibition by Maria Izabella Lehtsaar, bringing together experiments with media, commodity fetishism, and tattooing within the nostalgic atmosphere of the 1990s Keskturg.

With In Loving Hands, Keskpuur becomes a display window. Through the bars of the cage, three photographs hang against the backdrop of a lush pink curtain. The faded glory of Keskturg and the scent of meat create a contrasting environment for the display of something purely aesthetic.

Lehtsaar has long been drawn to photography, though it has mostly remained a flirtation. When photographs have appeared in their work, they have typically been transformed – into silkscreen or acetone prints.

With this project, the artist continues a personal exploration of commodity fetishism, which began during their master’s studies while engaging deeply with the work of Marcel Duchamp. The concept of commodity fetishism opens up a broader reflection on the commercial status of artworks and the notion of value and prosperity.

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Maria Izabella Lehtsaar (b. 1998) is a Tallinn-based artist working primarily with underrepresented queer experiences and narratives, often playing with the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Their work combines pop-cultural aesthetics with sensitive monochrome graphics, alongside textiles, drawing, and poetry. Through the use of diverse media, familiar imagery is bent into layered meanings.

Lehtsaar holds a BA in Graphic Art (2020) and an MA in Contemporary Art (2024) from the Estonian Academy of Arts. In 2023, they were awarded the Eduard Wiiralt Scholarship. Their work has been exhibited in several duo and group exhibitions; most recently, their solo exhibition Hares Caress Your Hair was presented at Hobusepea Gallery in early 2026.