Archive

RIGHT HAND

The expression “right hand” is typically used in a positive sense.

ART NOUVEAU

Alexandre Vassiliev Foundation exhibition   The relatively quiet time without wars, revolutions or military coups in the period from 1890 to 1914, which is called la belle époque, was interrupted by the new art nouveau style. It conspicuously launched at the World's Fair held in Paris, although that new art had been spreading since the mid-1890s. The new style appeared under the influence of new aesthetics based on a combination of utility and beauty, stylization of the forms of living nature (especially aquatic vegetation and marine wildlife), diversity of motives and their decorativeness, and asymmetry of patterns. It looked for inspiration in mystical medieval visions of art, symbolist literature, Oriental art, and national sources.

SYNERGY

What is synergy? In simple words, the result is greater than the sum total of the contributions of the parties involved total. Mathematically, it might look like this: 2 + 2 = 5, and, of course, you can have any other value instead of 5. The result is higher than the sum total of individual parts. Synergy can combine and unlock the huge strength and potential that all humans have. The creative process is difficult to predict – it is hard to say how it might end or where it might lead. Nor is it possible to foresee all the new challenges one might have to face along the way. The SYNERGY of our family is the proverbial shoulder, mutual support and tending of our creative spirit. Experiencing life through all our senses and from different viewpoints, and combining it all in one great, joint worldview, with each family member working in their own artistic discipline.

ANIMALISM

PHILIPPE SHALAYEV Philipp Shalayev (1929, Russia – 2008, Latvia) – “worker and painter”, representative of naïve art, animalist and portraitist. He organised his first exhibition while still at school, just 11 years old. He had been no stranger to hard labour since teenage years: barely 14 years old, he was helping his mother in hard rural jobs, initially on a farm, later in a railway support station; a few years were spent in a shoe workshop. Having trained as a high-class instrument mechanic, Shalayev started working at a turbomechanic plant in Rīga. Initially, he learnt drawing and painting through self-schooling, mainly from art books. Later, at the age of 32, Shalayev joined the arts studio at the culture centre of State Electrotechnical Factory, where he studied under the tutelage of prominent Latvian painter, Uldis Zemzars. As Shalayev's first art teacher, Zemzars made the following comment on his work: “His art is expressive. He is friends with nature and animals. [..] That is why he paints his beasts with a human soul, primarily, his own. We look at his wolf, bear or tiger, and, through them, he looks back at us, speaks to us."

YESTERDAY. THE OTHER DAY. TODAY

VIOLETA JĀTNIECE Violeta Jātniece was born in Rīga in 1939. The budding artist’s first encounter with clay happened in Tūja, where she spent her childhood summers. Her favourite playgrounds were clay pits near a brick kiln, where little Violeta was amusing herself with clay; later, she would be invited back there to attend workshops. In 1957, Violeta finished Rīga Secondary School of Applied Arts. In 1964, she graduated from the Ceramic Department of the Art Academy of Latvia. In 1967, the artist joined the art group known as the ceramicists of Ķīpsala. In 1969, Violeta Jātniece was admitted into Latvian Artists’ Union and began working at the ceramic workshops of Ķīpsala. The artist has had several solo exhibitions in Latvia as well as participated in numerous group exhibitions in Latvia and abroad in countries such as Poland, France, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden and the United States. She earned international acclaim with her large-scale garden ceramics and multiple instances of participation in international competitions and exhibitions (including Faenza in 1979, Westerwald in 1984 and the University Museum of Arizona, the US, in 1991 with Pēteris Martinsons).

15th International Painting Symposium “Mark Rothko 2019”

“It is widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as good painting about nothing…” Mark Rothko, New York. 1958 Mark Rothko has clearly had a huge impact on the development of painting across the world, and he continues to push modern artists to experiment and express themselves as they try to make sense of what painting can be like.

Compositions

Māris Uldriķis Compositions The talent of Māris Uldriķis and his understanding of art are revealed in seemingly simple and laconic compositions. The exquisite minimalism of his lines implies a wide range of intense emotions and a deep scrutiny of life’s processes. En masse, his compositions form an unbroken chain of philosophical reflections. A large part of his artwork is set against a black backdrop, lending the drawings extraordinary depth and achieving a more striking play of colour. A constant quest for plasticity and ways to reveal different psychological states enabled the author to create a number of brilliant self-portraits, yet another testament to his artistic excellence. Zane Melāne

BASIL ALKAZZI – AN ONGOING ODYSSEY…

“As an artist I choose, like many others before me, as many beings before me, to tread my own path, a destined path, and one that now dazzles the perceptions of the mind’s eye; the images of which are as yet un-categorized. But do they need to be? Labels categorize and by so doing confine, restrict, bind a creative force so full of energy and life: a very unfair outlook by those outside the stream of creativity.”   Basil Alkazzi. 2008

Osvalds Zvejsalnieks. Lifetime

When we asked the artist what title to give this exhibition, Osvalds Zvejsalnieks answered – “Lifetime”. At first glance, and to some, it may seem too pensive or sentimental a title for an exhibition, and maybe the artist felt the same when we talked about it and selected the paintings. But, when we look at the artist’s assorted work and his many accomplishments in Latvian (especially Latgalian) painting, culture, social life and life in general, certainly, this loaded word, LIFETIME, can be equated with all things DONE and all things waiting TO BE DONE.

X: Memory

Each person’s memory covers different stages, events, moments and life’s experiences. Some of them are pale and hazy, while others are deep in terms of impact and significance. All of them, either consciously or subconsciously, influence our perception of the world and our decisions. How much does memory affect our social status, our communication with the people around us and our perception of the environment? To what extent do each of us experience the effects of positive and negative thoughts? Certainly, the concepts of memory and thought and their interpretations are inexhaustible. The X Project is an ongoing initiative, which is now experiencing its third iteration. This art event invites creators from different fields to work in pairs on a joint project, sharing different creative and technological experiences and ideas, and leaving space for interpretation of the theme.