Archive

LAURA GUOKE. IN LITHUANIAN VILLAGE

The journey full of many impressions started in 2015 and has continued up to now. Aim of the journey is to memorialize people residing in villages of the Northern Lithuania by various forms of artistic expression. One of the objectives of this project is to help a spectator to notice that in today’s world of intensive virtual social life, reckless hunt for success, and competition becoming more and more cruel, the stereotypes created by mass media of the people in rural areas living slightly different, more peaceful life are rather misleading. In summer months, while travelling through different villages, I met many interesting people, listened to many special and sad life stories.

GEORGI PACHKORIA. FEAST 7

Georgi Packoria was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. He graduated from the Faculty of Decorative Ceramics and Glass of A. Kutateladze Art Academy. Already in his first year he conceived the project "1001 Tea-Pot Like Sleepless Nights Scheherazade" and implemented it. It took 30 years. Currently, the artist is working on wine vessels, since wine-making traditions are closely linked to the ancient ceramics. Georgi Pachkoria regularly takes part in international symposia, he has arranged more than 17 solo exhibitions. In 1996, together with his wife and former classmate he created a children's school of ceramics "Clay hands", which is successfully operating to this day. In 2009, together with his colleagues Georgi Pachkoria founded "Clay Office" at the Academy of Arts. "Pottery for me - it's a way of life and the same need as air and water. A number of future projects are planned. We’ll see what happens. It's all in God's hands." Within the framework of the 1st Latvia International Ceramics Biennale Georgi Pachkoria participated in Residence at Ceramic Laboratory. Inspired by Daugavpils and Latvian nature and culture, the artist created unique ceramic artworks. In the exhibition "Feast 7" the works created especially for this occasion are being displayed.

ELEONORA PASTARE. MEDITATIONS

“Colorful day and night, colorful seasons. Dreams and reality. Everything we are facing at every particular moment, especially those little things that we probably notice in a different way than  others, or sometimes do not notice at all, is sufficiently important for a flight of creative thought and idea.

Aleksandrs Dembo. DARING

"... In a situation where you know that the world is full of art, daring is the only thing that is left... After all, the quality of art says it all." Aleksandrs Dembo. The valuable contribution of Aleksandrs Dembo to Latvian art, his advancement of graphic media, as well as his search of new forms cannot be overestimated. By varying the form and the content, as well as having a good knowledge of technical tools of graphic art and opportunities given by them, the artist has established his own artistic style, and with his works and his role model he has enrooted in his students a sparkle of not being afraid to dare and to break boundaries.

Barbara Gaile SKY

My solo exhibition Sky has been envisaged as a personal tribute to Mark Rothko and the undeniably great significance of his art in the development of my own creative activity (especially in the early period). The idea of the exhibition is based on a study of what kind of sight or view would have been seen by the first human or primeval man. Bearing in mind the geographical and topographical changes that keep taking place on Earth, any attempts to find an unchanging, constant landscape would be futile. One can argue that the sea is the one thing that has remained unchanged over the millennia (this is the opinion of Hiroshi Sugimoto). One might agree to that but taking into account that not everywhere on Earth the sea is visible or accessible and not everyone has seen the sea in their lifetime, I wanted to develop this exploration in a more precise and at the same time more minimalistic direction. I would certainly wish to claim that the sky is the one sight or view that early man saw in the same unchanging way that we see it today.

OLGA ROEHL. A DREAM OF WHITE LILIES.

OLGA ROEHL – an artist, a doll artist, a sculptor, a designer, a teacher of visual and applied arts; a member of the Association of European Doll Artists (VEP), the Canadian Doll Artists Association (CDAA), the National Institute of American Doll Artists  (NIADA), the Creative Union of Russian Artists (CURA) . Olga Roehl was born on 28 December 1967 in Daugavpils, Latvia. Since an early age she knew she will be an artist. After graduation of Rēzekne School of Arts (Latvia) she studied at the Moscow School of Design (doll artists class) and, later, when already being an experienced artist, she graduated the Daugavpils University as a bachelor in arts. She has also participated in various art classes and professional training courses.

Baņuta Ancāne. PORTRAITS

A portrait has always been widely developed and practiced genre of fine art, which can also be considered as one of the most interesting ways to attract the attention of both the viewer and the artist. Regardless of the power and influence of contemporary art, a portrait through destruction of bridges between styles and genres is widely used today – in graphic art and painting, as well as in photography and video art.

Viktorija Valujeva VERSATILITY

How to show something that does not exist? How to illustrate time? This idea clearly appears in things affected by ravages of time, as in the beginning they all are new, clean and bear no signs of time-related impact. This is the way how the beauty of time mirrors in everything. Thus, time exposes itself on any surface, such as skin where it creates wrinkles, or on rocks where it builds geological structures, or in architecture where it ages walls. To emphasize the process of changes, I use an abstract form of sudden changes by creating dynamics of an event. Disappearing from canvas, then as if appearing again, strokes – illusions combine in a whirlpool of subconscious impressions. This allows displaying the non-existent time of changes. Trying to show evanescence of feelings and versatility of emotions, telling about unimaginable forms, the transience and the fickleness of the surrounding is emphasized. Because it is a combination of different textures, that influence the changing interaction between planes. The viewer is drawn into a game of emotions, which makes us think about the incorporeity of time. Sometimes fickleness of emotions forms the history of canvas layers, from confident brush strokes to deliberately flowing lines. An artist is the one who determines when his or her painting is finished. Relying on the consciousness of mind, a distance between the unconscious and the conscious is formed, allowing us to see where the time is reflected. Thus, through self-examination and recognition of versatility, this series of paintings was born. A kaleidoscope of impressions and strength in versatility – this is what gives an opportunity to think about the sense of the world in time and how it is reflected in everyone’s life.

Tomass Fēnikss WHERE IS THE EXIT?

Tomass Fēnikss. WHERE IS THE EXIT? Tomass Fenikss (real name Gatis Grasmanis, 1967-2006) during his short life created more than 600 paintings, most of which were completed between 2000 and 2004. A small part of his works, head compositions created in the artist’s striking form and expression were chosen for the exhibition “Where is the exit” at the Mark Rothko Art Centre.

UNTITLED. Latgale Art

  For the fourth time, Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre is hosting Latgale Art Exhibition bringing together artists of all media and art students from towns and communities throughout the entire region. This year, the theme of the exhibition was determined by social affairs, the controversial and the understood, the important and the unimportant yet worth to speak about in the language of art – that is why the exhibition carries no title.