Kris Lemsalu

Kris Lemsalu (b. 1985) is an artist based in New York and Tallinn. She studied at the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn; Danmarks Designskole, Copenhagen; and the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna.
Working primarily with ceramics, Lemsalu creates multilayered installations that combine fragile porcelain forms cast as body parts or items of clothing with natural materials such as fur, leather, or wool. These assemblages often serve as stages for her performances, in which sculptures become costumes or props. She frequently collaborates with musicians, integrating live music and performance into her practice, with projects presented at Performa Biennial, New York; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Kai Art Center, Tallinn; and High Line Art, New York.

Lemsalu’s recent exhibitions include Nirvana, Temnikova & Kasela, Tallinn (2025); On the Absurd Drama That is Also Life, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2024); Holly Hell Ooo, Magazin 4, Bregenz (2024); Chará, Belvedere 21, Vienna (2024); Donatella, Tartu Art Museum, Tartu (2024); One Foot in Gravy, Margot Samel, New York (2024); Rinky Dink Babe, Kendall Koppe, Glasgow (2022); Angels Gone Pissing, Temnikova & Kasela Gallery, Tallinn (2022); Love Stories, Meyer Kainer, Vienna (2022); A Snail’s Tale, High Line Art, New York (2021); Love Song Sing-Along, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2020); Love Song Sing Along (Once Again With Feeling!), Kai Art Center, Tallinn (2020); the Estonian Pavilion, 58th Venice Biennial (2019); Biker, Bride, Builder, Businesswoman and Baby, Tramway, Glasgow (2019); Keys Open Doors, Secession, Vienna (2018); 4LIFE, Goldsmiths CCA, London (2018); The Wild Ones, Koppe Astner, Glasgow (2017–2018); and Evian Desert, Galerie Tanja Wagner, Berlin (2012).

Her work has also been presented in major group exhibitions, including Metamorphosis. Art in Europe Now, Fondation Cartier, Paris (2019); Up to and Including Limits, Muzeum Susch, Zürich (2019); There and Back Again, Kiasma, Helsinki (2018); Diversity United, Moscow–Berlin–Paris (2021); and THE PARTY. Between representation and turmoil, MAK – Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (2022).