Starting May 15, the People’s Museum of Tallinn is hosting an exhibition that reflects the experiences of migrants.

The exhibition invites reflection on the complexities of migration and self-expression through memory, identity, and a sense of belonging.

Curator and artist Ouddhena Teern, originally from Malaysia, settled in Estonia in 2019. Like many immigrants from distant countries, Ouddhena also encountered language barriers, social differences, and emotional isolation. The challenges she experienced are part of a broader continuum of migration experiences, in which relocation is not only physical but also an emotional, psychological, and deeply personal ordeal.

The works selected for the exhibition give form to feelings and emotional landscapes that have not yet been put into words, through batik techniques, mixed media, and tie-dye patterns applied to a variety of surfaces. They translate moments of love, sacrifice, resilience, and hope into a visual language that is at once deeply personal and universally relatable.

Although a significant part of the exhibition consists of interpretations of the artist’s own experiences alongside meaningful objects, its true focus lies in the generous contributions of migrant women. These women shared not only their time and trust, but also a part of themselves through stories, objects of sentimental value, and memories that enrich the space and create a shared narrative. Beginning with the story of a woman who moved from Malaysia to Estonia, the exhibition expands into a collective voice of women from diverse backgrounds.

The exhibition is one of the three projects that received the highest number of votes in the Tallinn Museum of Peoples’ idea competition “Your Museum – Your Exhibition”.

The exhibition will be on view until September 6.

Curator and Artist: Ouddhena Teern

Graphic Design: Rein Seppius

Language Editor: Klaire Kolmann

Exhibition Team: Merle Tank, Liis Kibuspuu, Andres Lall, Raul Ollo