“I am delighted that, in the framework of the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council, we can show the world our achievements in different genres of art,” said Dace Melbārde. She explained that Latvia has developed its own distinctive artistic palette that contains European influences and universal trends in art alongside national nuances that are characteristic of the local art space.
The exhibition's commissioner Daiga Rudzāte and curator Viktor Misiano pointed out that this exhibition offers an insight into the Latvian contemporary art landscape and reveals its feelings for today's world and the wide spectrum of its means of expression.
The Ornamentalism. Purvītis Prize. Latvian Contemporary Art exhibition is the most ambitious contemporary art project in the Latvian EU Council Presidency cultural programme. It is based on the Purvītis Prize – the most prestigious contemporary art award in Latvia. As the Minister for Culture pointed out, this award is named after Vilhelms Purvītis, an outstanding painter and the founder of the Art Academy of Latvia, thus showing that Latvian contemporary art is evolving on the basis of sound tradition.
Minister for Culture Dace Mebārde. Photo: INDIE
The exhibition features works by all the past winners of the Prize – Memory of Things, a video by Katrīna Neiburga; Artificial Peace IV plastic paintings by Kristaps Ģelzis; There is No Other Way Out, an installation by Andris Eglītis; and the Disgrace video and wood carvings by Miķelis Fišers. Works by several other artists who have been nominated for the award are also on display – Renunciation, a video by Ieva Epnere; the Non Finito paintings by Ģirts Muižnieks; the Father at Work photographs and video by Romans Korovins; and the 2 Sonnets from Laputa installation by the Orbita group.
The exhibition will be on display until 22 November in Tesa 99 of the Venice Arsenale. The Latvian national pavilion, Armpit, can also be visited during the Biennale.
In parallel with the opening of the exhibition, the launch of the second edition of the Arterritory Conversations with Collectors magazine took place in Venice. This consists of 11 interviews with the world’s leading art collectors.
The exhibition is organised by the Secretariat of the Latvian Presidency in cooperation with the INDIE Cultural Projects Agency and the Arterritory.com art and culture website. It is supported by SIA Alfor, the Latvian National Museum of Art, Latvenergo and the State Culture Capital Foundation.
