Archive

Ilona Linarte-Ruža, Dace Pudāne

Similar codes They are alike in so many ways – in their features, attitudes, values, interaction patterns, perceptions… This line of attributes could be continued when talking about two different yet also similar persons in Latvian textile art and art education – llona Linarte-Ruža and Dace Pudāne. Twin sisters Ilona and Dace were born on 22 August 1962 in the family of Silva Veronika Linarte and Leonards Linarts. The girls built their futures around the core values that were passed on to them by their parents, applying them to social interactions with others and to a life spent in harmony with oneself. Both sisters have graduated from the Textile Department of the Art Academy of Latvia, exhibit widely and work as art educators, contributing to the continuity of artistic processes.

INDEPENDENCE

IN THE ART OF LATVIAN-BORN SHAMIR BROTHERS A selection of artwork by the Shamir (Sheftelowitz) brothers, who were natives of Liepāja, gives the public a chance to see a unique collection, which is deeply Israelite but also profoundly rooted in the Latvian soil. This exhibition, which runs under the topic of “independence”, not only establishes a biographic and thematic connection between Israel and Latvia, but also serves as an exceptional example of the graphic design of its time. The Daugavpils exhibition is organised by the Embassy of Israel to Latvia in cooperation with Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre. Curator and editor of the exhibition is Yoram E. Shamir. The exhibition was produced with significant support from the Keren Hayesod Fund and used as sources select materials from the Israel State Archives, Zionist Central Archives, Academic Library of the University of Latvia, Israel Museum and private collections.

Ceramic laboratory

Exhibition of artworks of participants of 6th International Ceramic Art Symposium In Daugavpils, organisation of international ceramic art symposia has fast become a tradition. This year, the ceramic art symposium CERAMIC LABORATORY is held for the sixth time and brings together 14 ceramic artists from 9 countries. The symposium is organised by Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics in cooperation with Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre as a meeting point for ceramic artists and enthusiasts who come to exchange ideas and share experiences. As such, it shapes Daugavpils into a solid platform of ceramic art where artists can stay and develop, creating a space that exhibits world-class ceramic art of premium quality.

DAINIS PUNDURS

THE FORTRESS EXHIBITION   The fortress is a peculiar construction. At present, it lives the life of an exhibition space, so far-removed from its intended function. It is a particular challenge – to exhibit within these walls, built with such dour determination, my ceramic creations, some of which are as fragile as I have ever made. In a sense, “The Fortress Exhibition” is an experiment and a new version of my ceramics, because, originally, they were created to be exhibited elsewhere. As I make ceramic objects, I take into account the specifics of the space where they will be exhibited. Often I already know the intended exhibition space whose idiosyncrasies, through my conscious planning, ultimately reinforce the visual impact of the artefacts.

2ND LATVIA INTERNATIONAL CERAMICS BIENNALE

MARTINSONS AWARD – international juried ceramics exhibition This year, Latvia is hosting its second international ceramics biennale. Through a series of large public events, it will tell a polyphonic story of contemporary ceramics in Latvia and give a glimpse into ceramic tendencies and developments on the global stage. To celebrate the centenary of statehood in the three Baltic states, the biennale programme will feature exhibitions of contemporary ceramics from neighbouring Lithuania and Estonia. By established tradition, a group show of Latvian contemporary ceramics will be held along with a range of individual projects that will talk about remarkable representatives of Latvian and international ceramic art.

100 in Latvian art

What is happening in Latvian art of today? This question is asked by artists, contemplated by curators, frowned upon or smiled at by gallery owners and deliberated in the writings of art theorists. What is an artist in Latvia? A grand master or a rising star in the artistic ranks, already shining bright and enjoying both local and international acclaim and recognition? In spite of numerous changes and incidents, and tributes paid to space and time, Latvian art has endured, and Latvian artists have never ceased to create. At any time, art gives a stark view of society and the space that it inhabits. The artist forges a connection with the outside world, which affects and shapes them in return.

Exhibition of the best works of the Ventspils 2017 photo contest

“Ventspils – a family and recreation-friendly city”. 40 works by 17 authors are presented at the exhibition, showing a daily life and special events of the people of Ventspils, as well as the beauty of the city throughout all seasons. The Ventspils photography contest is held for the fourteenth year already. It is aimed at selecting attractive and artistic-expressive images of Ventspils for their further placement in the Ventspils city travel brochures, maps, calendars and other printed materials to be published, as well as at offering these images for the public view at the exhibition. This year, 335 works by 26 authors were submitted for participation at the contest, the youngest of the authors was eight years old only.

WATER AND COLOUR

Aleksandra Šļahova The power of springtime waters, so deep and swift of pace. Such are the associations stirred by Aleksandra Šļahova's watercolours. Dualism of colour, evident in stark contrasts between muted and bright hues, is strikingly direct in carrying the artist's message to the audience. The viewer observes and sees a story, a conversation that is struck when colour meets water. This exchange spills onto paper as a letter about things felt, experienced, collected and, ultimately, shared with the audience. The artist is free in her manipulations with water and colour. She lets the currents of emotion flow cross large and small watercolour fields, pastures and meadows, running into oceans seen and imagined, pouring out into wide, open spaces, epitomizing the overwhelming power of nature itself.

Another Spring – In Flood.

Every year we wait for the coming of spring, because it brings light, vigour and life. Every spring comes with a degree of flooding – in nature, in life and in whirlwind events. It seems that this year real floods have passed us by, but the floods of life and experience remain. Remain to make us think about the force of life, which we try to make sense of through poetry, painting and our own experiences.

Madara Gulbis. Invisible Worlds

The paintings by Madara Gulbis are a realm of their own, where Colour rules supreme. One might be tempted to say that they are completely devoid of reality, but such an assertion would mean that the world consists exclusively of matter, which we well know not to be the case. The paintings by Madara Gulbis are packed with natural impressions and emotions. The impulse for their creation comes from directly captured fragments of reality.