Flo Kasearu Transforms Villa du Parc Into an Artistic Playground

Estonian artist Flo Kasearu has launched her first monographic exhibition in France at the Villa du Parc, a national contemporary art center in Annemasse. Titled Pelouse interdite (Do Not Step on the Grass), the exhibition runs from January 18 to April 12, 2026.

Kasearu utilizes an in situ investigation based on the building’s archives to transform the venue into an artistic playground. The Villa du Parc, a bourgeois villa constructed in 1865, has a layered institutional history; since 1930, it has served as a police station, a tax office, and a courthouse, in addition to functioning as a private family residence.

Conceptual Framework and Narrative

The exhibition is structured around a fictional narrative told through the perspective of a solitary child living in the villa during the 1950s. This imagined gaze serves as the thread connecting themes of memory, power, and play.

By introducing childlike games into institutional spaces, Kasearu explores the tension between the public and private spheres. The installation imagines a scenario where the courthouse becomes a playground, judges engage in ping-pong, and police officers act out cartoon characters, effectively reversing established hierarchies and questioning figures of authority.

Exhibition Layout and Works

The exhibition integrates the architecture of the Villa du Parc into its logic, using drawings, paintings, and sculptural objects to create subtle disruptions throughout the rooms.

• One gallery features deep green walls lined with bright drawings and a perforated bench that oscillates between functional seating and playground equipment.
• Another room utilizes orange walls and patterned wallpaper to frame paintings and a small, wheeled architectural structure that resembles a fragment of stage scenery.
• A corridor is transformed into a space resembling a sports court through the use of red floor markings and transparent panels.

Featured works in the exhibition include Hedges Having a Row (2025), Soap for a Lifetime (2023), Fears of Villa du Parc (2026), and Ahhaa Sofa (2021).

Artist Background and Context

Born in Pärnu, Estonia, in 1985, Flo Kasearu currently lives and works in Tallinn. Her academic background includes a BA in Painting and an MA in Photography from the Estonian Academy of Arts, as well as studies in multimedia at the Universität der Künste Berlin.

The Annemasse exhibition, curated by Laurène Maréchal, follows a series of international projects. Kasearu’s recent portfolio includes the 2025 project BANANA at Färgfabriken in Stockholm and the Kai Art Center in Tallinn, as well as Sicker at the University of Tartu Art Museum in 2024.

Kasearu has also held exhibitions at the Stanley Picker Gallery in London and the Recklinghausen Kunsthalle in Germany. She currently serves as the director of Flo Kasearu’s House Museum in Tallinn and is represented by the Temnikova & Kasela gallery.

Visitor Information

The exhibition is open Wednesday through Sunday from 14:00 to 18:00. Admission is free. The venue is located at Parc Montessuit, 12 rue de Genève, 74100 Annemasse, France.