Opinion: Estonia's tiny equestrian monument feels like mockery — but Alma forgives

Art historian Raigo Kollom reflects on the newly unveiled Alma Ostra-Oinas monument by artist Flo Kasearu, which has been described as Estonia's fourth equestrian monument. Kollom argues that genuine equestrian monuments in Estonia are extremely rare, with only the Laidoner statue in Viljandi truly qualifying. Despite reservations about its modest scale, he finds meaning in Kasearu's work.

When Estonian television programme Ringvaade showcased Flo Kasearu's newly created monument to Alma Ostra-Oinas and described it as Estonia's fourth equestrian monument, art researcher Raigo Kollom felt compelled to speak up. Having spent years studying the history of equestrian monuments, he believes the record needs setting straight.

What counts as an equestrian monument?

Kollom is direct: among researchers who have studied equestrian monuments, few would find more than one truly qualifying example in Estonia — the Laidoner monument in Viljandi. A second candidate, sometimes called the "Estonian Jeanne d'Arc," earns only a hesitant nod, and even then only if one is willing to accept it on a miniature scale.

Kasearu's work sparks public debate

The arrival of Flo Kasearu's Alma Ostra-Oinas monument has unexpectedly stirred public curiosity and raised genuine questions about the tradition of equestrian statuary in Estonia. For Kollom, the small scale of the new work initially feels almost like a jest — a slight against the grand tradition that monumental sculpture represents.

Yet the piece carries something that softens that criticism. There is a quality in the work, Kollom suggests, that invites forgiveness — something in the spirit of Alma herself that makes the modest dimensions feel less like an insult and more like an honest reflection of Estonia's complicated relationship with public monuments and the women who deserve to be remembered by them.