“Fortuna” by Liina Leo

On Thursday, January 15 at 18.00 the exhibition “Fortuna” by Liina Leo will open at Hobusepea gallery. The exhibition opening will feature a performance in collaboration with the group Sanctuary Of Praise (UK). The exhibition will remain open until February 8, 2026.

O Fortune, 
like the moon 
you are changeable, 
ever waxing 
ever waning; 
hateful life…

- Excerpt from Carmina Burana. 13th century manuscript by unknown authors 

The exhibition imagines a particular stillness, the kind that makes time feel both abundant and impossibly brief. At the centre, there is a figure called Fortuna. She resembles the artist and she does not. She is a reflection, an avatar, a way of letting grief move through a body without having to speak directly in confession. The world inside this exhibition is not governed by moralistic philosophy. It is governed by chance, by veiling, by the blind turn to the unknown. Why does time leave some people early and spare others? What does it do to faith when health and virtue feel suddenly against me? Fortuna does not explain fate. It stages its atmosphere. The seduction of shine, the weight of loss, the objective fact that life turns through opposites. The present moment glows because it is already passing. The wheel turns whether you believe in it or not.

 - Will Britten

Liina Leo (b. 1993, Kärdla) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the transformative power of the unseen. Her practice navigates liminal spaces between life and death, light and darkness, dreams and reality. She holds a BA in Textile Design from the Estonian Academy of Arts and an MA in Contemporary Photography from Central Saint Martins. Leo approaches image-making as an alchemical process, focusing on its hidden material conditions rather than representation alone. Through site-specific performances, photography, and moving image, she reflects on experiences of alienation, using ritual as a tool for transformation and the search for self-identity.

Supported by: Cultural Endowment of Estonia, MITTESTUUDIO Ltd, Purje Vara Ltd, Rain Lõhmus Foundation, Viru Keemia Grupp.

The artist’s gratitude goes to: Will Britten, Joosep Ehasalu, Crystal Ma, Indrek Mesi, Kristjan Mõru, Jaanus Muruõis, Loora Kaubi, Märt Vaidla, Phillip Pyle, Ingrid Pajo, Sanctuary of Praise, Craftrag, Artproof, Barley Studio.

Exhibitions in Hobusepea gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, and Liviko AS.

Additional information:
Hobusepea Gallery
Tel: +372 56 451 591
E-mail: galerii@eaa.ee
Hobusepea 2, Tallinn 10133
hobusepeadraakon.ee
Wed, Fri-Sun 12.00-18.00
N / Thu 12.00-19.00