10.6.2026 | Estonia

Pärnu’s MONA Welcomes New Exhibition

Text Stewart Johnson
Photos Rafal Olbinski, Pärnu Museum of New Art

Pärnu’s Museum of New Art, or MONA, welcomes the 33rd edition of the long-running international nude art exhibition series titled “Man & Woman”, or in Estonian “Mees & Naine”. This year’s official title is “Waves of the Baltic Sea”, or “Läänemere lained”. The exhibition opened on 31 May and will remain until 6 September of this year. For over three decades, this tradition has endured, featuring artists from a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, graphics, photography, video art, and more.

This year’s theme is inspired by a song of the same name, “Waves of the Baltic Sea”, whose melody originated in Germany in 1935 and later spread to several countries in the Baltic region, albeit in their own linguistic and cultural versions. While not the only thing to have spread in the region from Germany in that era, it does serve as a symbol of the shared cultural connections between the peoples of this region.

Curator Mark Soosaar invited artists to create works inspired by the melody and the concept of the Baltic Sea as a uniting force, and the organisers describe the exhibition as an effort to promote cultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence. In its invitations to the artists, MONA referenced the late Estonian President Lennart Meri, who spoke of the Baltic Sea as something that should unite people, rather than divide them geographically. This is how this year’s exhibition reflects this idea through contemporary art and interpretations of what it means to live in this region, and what the culture is like.

As always, this exhibition focuses on nude art, while allowing the participating artists immense freedom of choice in their medium and artistic approach.

The Pärnu Museum of New Art is open every day from 11:00 until 18:00 from June to August. More information is available here.