The Estonian National Museum has opened Monster Chetwynd’s A Feather in Your Hat!, the first exhibition in the Baltic region by the Turner Prize-nominated British artist.
On view from 24 July 2026 to 24 January 2027, the exhibition transforms the museum’s 740 square meter temporary exhibition hall into an immersive and participatory environment in which visitors are invited to make, perform and contribute to an evolving installation.
Following its presentation at Copenhagen Contemporary, A Feather in Your Hat! brings Chetwynd’s characteristic DIY aesthetic to Tartu. Pop culture, folklore, surrealist cinema and puppet theatre converge in a theatrical environment populated by fantastical creatures.
At the centre of the exhibition is the Red Hat Shop, originally created for Copenhagen Contemporary. Hats, masks and performative gestures become instruments of transformation, while a green monster stage invites visitors to step into a different version of themselves. Visitors can create their own headwear, take them to the stage and either take their creation home or leave it as part of the exhibition’s growing display.
“Monster Chetwynd’s exhibition is above all, a game – a game with yourself and the limits of your imagination. Here it demonstrates how a museum can offer new forms of participation: the exhibition is made a new through every visitor who can experiment, perform and leave a visible trace of their presence. Bringing Chetwynd’s first Baltic presentation to the Estonian National Museum is a significant part of ERMX, the program marking ten years in our Raadi home,” said Laura Kipper, Director of the Estonian National Museum.
ABOUT MONSTER CHETWYND
Monster Chetwynd (born 1973 in London) lives and works in Zürich, Switzerland. Her artistic universe draws on anything from pop culture and folklore to surrealistic films and puppet theatre. With a characteristic DIY aesthetic, materials such as papier mâché and recycled clothes are transformed into epic stage designs and costumes, often activated by accompanying performances. Chetwynd creates works that are equally humorous, theatrical and engaging.
In 2012, Chetwynd became the first performance artist to be nominated for the Turner Prize. Chetwynd’s work has been presented at leading international institutions including Tate Modern, Kunsthaus Zürich, Belvedere 21, Copenhagen Contemporary and the BMCA Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art in Nanjing.
ABOUT ERMX
A Feather in Your Hat! is one of the central events of ERMX, the Estonian National Museum’s program marking ten years since the opening of its new home in Raadi, Tartu.
ERMX brings together international exhibitions, participatory formats, collaborations and new initiatives for young people and families. The program reflects on the museum’s first decade in Raadi while opening new ways for visitors to participate, create and contribute.