Motherhood and care work are closely intertwined. The exhibition explores how to represent an experience that society idealises, yet rarely discusses in all its complexity. In the discourse surrounding motherhood, the author argues, questions of who carries out the everyday care work and at what cost tend to remain in the background. In Estonia, there are a great many single parents, 95% of whom are women. Unpaid care work — raising children, managing household life, and providing emotional security — continues to fall primarily on women’s shoulders, affecting their economic independence, health, and opportunities to participate in society on an equal footing.
Kristiina Aarna studied photography (BA) and contemporary art (MA) at the Estonian Academy of Arts and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree, researching the representation of motherhood in contemporary Estonian art.
The exhibition features three works:
“Flowers for Mother” — photographic series (2023–2026)
“Reasons to Become / Not Become a Mother” — embroidery (2025–2026)
“518 Days” — artist’s book (2023). Graphic design:Mirjam Varik