Since September 2023, the open storage facility housing Rothko Museum’s contemporary ceramics collection has been freely accessible in the casemates of the seventh bastion of Daugavpils Fortress, within the fortress ramparts.

The open storage facility presents a contemporary ceramics collection systematically developed over the course of a decade. Its origins date back to 2013, when the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre hosted the first international Ceramic Laboratory symposium, which subsequently became an annual event.

Over the following years, the collection was regularly enriched by works created by symposium participants, artworks from the Martinsons Award competition exhibition, established in 2016 as part of the Latvia Ceramics Biennale, works from other competitive exhibitions dedicated to ceramics, and selected acquisitions. The museum’s curatorial work has attracted internationally recognised ceramic artists and secured the representation of their works in the Rothko Museum collection.

Today, the Rothko Museum contemporary ceramics collection comprises more than 500 artworks, making it the largest and one of the most artistically significant collections of contemporary ceramic art in Latvia.

The open storage facility displays works by more than 100 artists from 40 countries around the world. Its free public access offers visitors an opportunity to explore the diverse expressions of ceramic art and appreciate the creativity and technical expertise of artists working with a wide range of ceramic materials, including clay, chamotte, stoneware and porcelain, as well as various firing techniques.