"Common issues in painting and everyday life: content" by Elīna Vītola
       
     
Exhibitions / "Common issues in painting and everyday life: content" by Elina Vitola
Ivars Gravlejs "Shopping Poetry"
       
     
Exhibitions / "Shopping Poetry" by Ivars Gravlejs
"one as another" by Paula Zarina Zemane
       
     
Exhibitions / "one as another" by Paula Zariņa Zemane
       
     
Exhibitions / "The clouds, they were blown from a far away land" by Kārlis Bergs
"Stroke" by Dasha Glukhova
       
     
Exhibitions / "Stroke" by Dasha Glukhova
DRAWN
       
     
Exhibitions / "Drawn" by Birgit Toke Tauka Frietman
“For Household Use” is a first solo show in Riga by Kristaps Ancāns (b.Livani, Latvia, 1990, based in London, UK). Ancans nourishes his artistic practice with concept of artificial nostalgia (having an image in ones head of how things were before, even if one was not physically present at the time, or even born yet). Dissecting his own memories of growing up in rural Latvia in 90’s and learning to create art with found materials, he often channels the familiar and relatable, while avoiding the banal. Exhibition consists of three types of artworks (2d, sculptures and kinetic sculpture), all of which play conceptual games with each other, so for example the sculptural work “We have two bunnies at home- a spotty one, a light-furry and a darker-furry one” is shown next to two dimensional, textual artwork “1839.6 cm2”, on which that sentence is written. Conceptually, Ancans artworks often have open-ended messages, yet what is persistent is his honesty towards subject matter and materials used. The frequent use of stabilised plasticine on theorethical level brings in clear connection with childhood naivete, creating connection with the viewer in the “small disasters” that happen whilst playing and making, yet the adult knowledge of chemistry allows this game to be transformed into a permanent artwork. Similarly, the kinetic artwork “Device which can transport your big, as well as your small dog to the other side” seems to have a playful element to the repetitive movement of the platform which could, indeed, transport one’s big as well as small dog. At the same time it touches upon the notion of “other side” without fear of otherness. The animal references, that Ancans uses in his practice are there to establish a connection with the viewer, to wink at the viewer while playing with the stereotypes that we have about these animals and about each other.
       
     
Exhibitions / "For Household Use" by Kristaps Ancans
EDGARS GLUHOVS “The Beginning is the End is the Beginning” A stamp is a means to reproduce something almost indefinitely through repetition. The medium of the stamp tends to symbolize approval, green-lighting, verification, leaving of a definitive mark. The stamp-marks on otherwise empty sheets of white paper in the pieces shown here do not work that way. The works in this presentation consist of an ink-stamp reproduction of a marble ouroboros motif - a snake eating its own tail - to be found in the Santa Maria del Popolo church in Rome, the “eternal city”. On the subject of the ouroboros one can google the following: "Originating in Ancient Egyptian iconography, the ouroboros entered western tradition via Greek magical tradition and was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism, and most notably in alchemy. Via medieval alchemical tradition, the symbol entered Renaissance magic and modern symbolism, often taken to symbolize introspection, the eternal return or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself. It also represents the infinite cycle of nature's endless creation and destruction, life and death.” And also this : "Swiss psychologist Carl Jung saw the ouroboros as an archetype and the basic mandala of alchemy: "In the age-old image of the ouroboros lies the thought of devouring oneself and turning oneself into a circulatory process, for it was clear to the more astute alchemists that the prima materia of the art was man himself. The ouroboros is a dramatic symbol for the integration and assimilation of the opposite, i.e. of the shadow. This 'feed-back' process is at the same time a symbol of immortality, since it is said of the ouroboros that he slays himself and brings himself to life, fertilizes himself and gives birth to himself.” The only variation from one picture to another is the tilt of the wrist made when applying the stamp, and its position on the paper. This tilt interrupts the ouroboros symbol, sometimes merely hinting at it. Its fragments end up scattered across the series and start to look a little bit like reproductions of a mark left by a glass on a napkin. Kind regards, Edgars Gluhovs P.S. The gesture, the tilt of the wrist and the glass motif also, by the way, recur in Edgars Gluhovs’ series of photographs “Burgunderszene” (2016). Like most of the works up until now, they are understood to be not definitive statements but rather works open to the possibility of being continuously re-evaluatated, re-stated and fed into new pieces.
       
     
Exhibitions / "The Beginning is the End is the Beginning" by Edgars Gluhovs
“Assemble” shows abstract, large scale paintings and silk screen prints, where Lucian Strindberg Boyle explores explores the notion of layered storytelling through the medium of painting. Having studied History of Art (BA, University of Reading) and Fine Arts (Slade School of Art, UCL), the artist demonstrates vast knowledge of art historical precedent as well as mastery in various painting techniques. For instance, the painting “Black rationality” is rooted in fascination by 17th century Flemish painting technique of depicting skin and Juhani Pallasmaa’s seminal book “The eyes of the skin” where Pallasmaa talks about the notion of membrane in art and architecture and the sight as the dominant sense of our era. Furthermore, Strindberg Boyle often incorporates architectural references in his art; so in “Whiplash” he references Phillip Johnson’s Glass House and storyline of the 2014 Damien Chazelle film “Whiplash”. The painting “Whiplash” tells a story of personal struggle of publicity (the see through aspect of the Glass House) and the urge to push ones boundaries and necessary privacy in order to create and progress. Photography plays a crucial role in Lucian Strindberg Boyle’s practice as a starting point for the artworks on show. By using photographs and re-adapting them in different media he questions role of images in the age of visual reproducibility. With this in mind, the silk-screen prints he creates are unique works that deal with physicality of creating art. Lucian Strindberg Boyle’s exhibition “Assemble” is on show 1-12.17-12.01.18.
       
     
Exhibitions / "Assemble" by Lucian Strindberg Boyle
careva contemporary is delighted to present “Domas šķērsgriezums”(“Section of a thought”), exhibition by Latvian artist Kaspars Zariņš. This exhibition is an overview of his ouvre since 2014, when K.Zariņš has ventured out of his previous, figurative period, the “Pedants” series and is experimenting with abstraction. The exhibition “Domas šķērsgriezums” gives a unique opportunity to see two distinctive series of K.Zariņš’s abstractions and to observe his creative thought process cut in section. For instance “Bez norādēm” (“Without indications”, 2014) shows the courage with which Zariņš threw himself into painting whirlpools of light and colour. “Dzīvais ūdens”(“Vivacious water”, 2017) and “Atstarotā gaisma” (“Reflecting light”, 2017) are two artworks created specifically for this exhibition. While exploring the links between art and nature, the essence of wood as a material is revealed. By exposing the natural layers of wood, Zariņš gives an opportunity for the material itself to tell its story. More artworks of this series can be viewed at Kaspars Zariņš and Vija Zariņa solo show in exhibition hall Arsenāls till 29th of October.
       
     
Exhibitions / "Section of a thought" by Kaspars Zarins