FOUR EXHIBITIONS – Vija Zariņa, Kaspars Zariņš, Paula Zariņa and Marta Zariņa-Ģelze (1987-2014)
FOUR EXHIBITIONS –
Vija Zariņa, Kaspars Zariņš, Paula Zariņa and Marta Zariņa-Ģelze (1987-2014)
Project FOUR EXHIBITIONS consists of four individual solo exhibitions. Artists’ biographies are unmistakably related, because they are family members, but simultaneously they are absolutely independent in their creative searching. And this fact is to be considered the biggest challenge of the project – in both the expositions and interpretation, to keep a reasonable distance from the family sentiment, from the sentiment of the Zariņi family and devote all the attention to art only. “Portraits” by Vija Zariņa, “Symptoms” by Kaspars Zariņš, “Awareness” by Paula Zariņa and “Collection of Tears” by Marta Zariņa-Ģelze are independent solo exhibitions, each with its own creative task and story told by the author.
It seemed wrong to organize FOUR EXHIBITIONS in Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Center without mentioning Mark Rothko’s art. Therefore the description of each exhibition begins with some quote devoted to Mark Rothko. However, it should be said at once: the exhibition does not make any attempt to conjoin the four artists with Mark Rothko, its task is not to prove the non-existent influences. Each of the authors of FOUR EXHIBITIONS has his own and individual aims in art, nevertheless art can be discussed in comparison and contexts. The territory which is common for art, independent of author’s individual aims, is not techniques, themes and styles, but rather metaphysics of art or its spirit. On this territory, amazing interfaces emerge, and FOUR EXHIBITIONS show them to the viewers.
Many things in FOUR EXHIBITIONS have to be labelled as “for the first time” – for the first time Vija Zariņa has painted a large-size portrait series with a conceptual ground, for the first time Kaspars Zariņš has given up using canvas and oil and has created works in a new technique – on plywood with a flex – in a new abstract style. The new pictures by Paula Zariņa show her stable interest to landscape, but for the first time the center of the creative task is “pure” metaphysics of landscape. Unfortunately, this project is also tinted by inexpressible grief – the installation “Collection of Tears” by Marta Zariņa-Ģelze is shown to a viewer only as a conceptual exposition, but the artist departed from life last year by the end of summer. Actually, the project by Marta Zariņa-Ģelze most closely relates to Mark Rothko’s art, namely, to the fact that people weep standing in front of Mark Rothko pictures.
The participants of the project FOUR EXHIBITIONS are deeply thankful to Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Center for the given opportunity and excellent cooperation. Great thanks to Antalis Ltd for the support at publishing exhibition catalogues. Sincere gratitude to Daiga Zvaigzne, personally. We feel grateful to Georgs Turlajs and Lilita Turlajs for their support. Thanks to Ģirts Vinniņš and Ieva Balode for a professional assistance. We are grateful to the National Cultural Capital Foundation for the support to artists.
Inga Šteimane, curator
