Exhibition “Metamorphoses. Power. Violence. Gender”

The myth collection “Metamorphoses” by the ancient Roman poet Ovid has been called the artist’s bible, as the stories of the gods’ power games, love affairs, and physical transformations have inspired artists for centuries. This exhibition at the Kadriorg Art Museum in Tallinn presents a selection of artwork based on well-known myths, drawn from museums in Estonia, the Czech Republic, France, and Sweden, as well as from rare historical volumes in libraries.
A number of myths in “Metamorphoses” speak, in one way or another, about power and violence. Thus, the scene depicting the story of the goddess Diana and the hunter Actaeon on the ceiling painting adorning the main hall of Kadriorg Palace also speaks about power positions and the punishment of those who transgress against divine power. The exhibition places the grandiose ceiling painting, interpreted as an allegory of the Great Northern War, in the broader context of 18th-century court culture and European cultural history, and examines how the rulers and interest groups of 17th- and 18th-century Europe used Ovid’s work and the poet’s biography for ideological purposes.