ABOUT THE ARTIST
Anna-Liisa Pihlap is a 23-year-old artist born in Tartu, Estonia. She works with expressive, color-rich landscapes.
The intent behind the work is to draw attention to the human tendency of constantly being pulled away from the present moment. It is tempting to keep the mind on the future: the next day, the next task. That is also what makes us human: this ability to look ahead. But once what we had our mind on finally arrives, we are already reaching for the one after it.
Growing up in Estonia, she found refuge in the outdoors during the most challenging times in her life, an experience that left a lasting mark on her practice. Being in nature brought her brief but vivid moments of being fully immersed in the present: the mind going quiet, attention commanded entirely by the natural world, the endless stream of thoughts momentarily put on pause. Her practice is dedicated to conveying that fleeting moment of awe: making an instant feel like eternity.
Anna-Liisa began studying painting early on, at the age of 12, working with teachers, attending classes, gradually finding her own direction. During high school she joined Umbra, a shared artist association, and started developing her practice at Konrad Mägi art studio in Tartu, where the painter himself once lived and worked. Mägi was one of the first modernist painters in Estonia and the Nordic countries, leaving a lasting mark on her practice.
She held her first solo show at the age of 17 as a charity exhibition, donating two paintings to a local psychiatric clinic with the aim of drawing public attention to the importance of mental wellbeing. Since then, she has taken part in various exhibitions and built her presence online, attracting collectors from around the world.
EXHIBITIONS & PRESS
May 2026: "Noorte narratiivid - veel jutustamata lood", Kadrioru Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
May 2026: "Osta Noort Kunsti", Art & Tonic Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
April 2026: "InHoovia: The Last Hurrah", Gallery Night vol 18, Aparaaditehas, Tartu, Estonia
November 2024: Victoria Olt Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia
March 2023: Tartu Postimees Noor kunstnik pälvis Ameerika kunstikollektsionääride tähelepanu
December 2022: "Serendipity", Kvartal, Tartu, Estonia
June 2022: "Pihlap Paintings x Spargel", Café Spargel, Tartu, Estonia
February 2022: "Pihlap Paintings x Tartu Department Store", Tartu Department Store, Tartu, Estonia
December 2021: "Parallel-reality", Elva Culture Centre, Elva, Estonia
September 2021: "Poska", Jaan Poska High School, Tartu, Estonia
July 2021: "Local Cafe", Café Spargel, Tartu, Estonia
November 2020: "Art Exhibition for Charity", Tartu Department Store, Tartu, Estonia
