IDENTITY
"IDENTITY", the main exposition of the 6th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial "Tradition and Innovation" will be on view at the ARSENĀLS Exhibition Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga (Torņa iela 1) from 7 June to 16 September 2018 as a part of the Latvia’s Centenary Programme.
This artistically and professionally high-quality exhibition of the 6th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial Tradition and Innovation features the innovative phenomena and trends in the field of textile and fibre art in Europe and wider world with aim to promote the prestige of Latvian art beyond the borders of the country.
The artists were asked to consider the theme of Identity from different viewpoints: historical, social, political and national, as well as to examine it from private, artistic and philosophical aspects. Those, whose creative approach and message convinced more, were selected for the show. After the decision of the international jury, 93 authors from 26 countries – Baltic states and Nordic countries, Poland, France, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Israel, USA, Russia, Japan, etc. are represented in the exhibition. Four members of the jury, highly appreciated professionals in the field of textile, participate in the Triennial in a status of invited artists.
Two celebrities are guest artists. Sheila Hicks (France / USA), who has recently opened a vast retrospective exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and also USA artist Jon Eric Riis have accepted invitation of the Latvian National Museum of Art to exhibit their works in the show. Jon Eric Riis’s conceptual thinking and his fine tapestries will be seen in Riga for the first time. Museum expresses the greatest thanks to the Embassy of the United States to Latvia for making it possible. Another famous artist, represented here for the first time, is Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930–2017) from Poland. She has played a great role in the development of fibre art in Europe (also Latvia) and across the world. Triennial visitors could see two large size works created by Magdalena Abakanowicz.
The exhibition, in effect, will unfold to viewers as a vast interpretative and panoramic message of IDENTITY. It holds various co-existing stories characterizing our epoch. Bigger or smaller, more detailed or less in-depth, individual or global narratives – all of them are compressed in one wholesome exhibition asserting the idea that IDENTITY is not something fixed, but on the contrary – changing over time. It is a continuous process.
The design of the Triennial has a conceptual character. It starts in the first hall with the display of works created by guest artists – Sheila Hicks, Jon Eric Riis and Magadalena Abakanowicz. The second hall holds works made by the artists of the Baltic states. In total visitors could see 38 art pieces, executed by such prominet artists as Ieva Krūmiņa, Edīte Pauls-Vīgnere, Inese Jakobi, Pēteris Sidars (Latvia), Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė, Eglė Ganda Bogdanienė, Feliksas Jakubauskas (Lithuania), Peeter Kuutma, Aune Taamal, Lylian Meister (Estonia), etc. Taking into consideration the fact that neighbouring countries Lithuania and Estonia are also celebrating their centenary this year, this part of display, featuring the common artistic identity of these countries, afterwards will form the basis for the future travelling textile and fibre art exhibition of the Baltic States.
The third hall of ARSENĀLS comprises artworks by other foreign artists – both from nearby countries, such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austria, as well as those coming from very distant parts of the world – the USA, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Mexico, etc. Triennial provides a possibility to enjoy the oevres by such remarkable artists as Margery Amdur (USA), Monika Thiele (Germany), Włodzimierz Cygan (Poland), Kyoko Kumai and Michiko Kawarabayashi (Japan), María Ortega Gálvez (Spain), Anne Jackson (United Kingdom), and others.
The works represented by the younger generation of artists will surely challenge the exhibition viewers.
Alongside the major show at the ARSENĀLS Exhibition Hall, several satellite activities are being planned – exhibition Colour of Gobelins from the Mobilier national collection (Paris, France) at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (06.–30.09.2018), Egils Rozenbergs’ personal exhibition Transfiguration at the Latvian National Museum of Art (08.–26.08.2018), two solo exhibitions by Ieva Krūmiņa (31.05.–28.06.2018) and Rolands Krutovs (04.–28.09.2018), commemorative exhibition of textile artist Aina Muze in Art Gallery Apsida (04.–27.07.2018, also in the Mentzendorff House), and Latvian textile artists exhibition In the Cross-Section of a Century in St. Peter’s Church in Riga (21.06.–25.07.2018).
A two day international scientific conference IDENTITY will take place at the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE on 7 and 8 June 2018. There will be 20 guest speakers from Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, USA, United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, France, Kenya, Mexico, and other countries. Artists, art experts, museum representatives will tell about the latest novelties in textiles in their home countries, as well as give deeper insights into their creative activities. Among the speakers will be the President of the European Textile Network Lala de Dios (Spain), the guest artist Jon Eric Riis (USA) and others.
The programme of Triennial events is complemented by interactive workshops organized by the students of the Art Academy of Latvia together with artists. On 9 June under the guidance of students the visitors will be offered to create dedications to three Baltic artistic identities – great masters of Symbolism, painters Vilhelms Purvītis (Latvia), Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (Lithuania) and Konrad Vilhelm Mägi (Estonia). Second workshop to join will be dedicated to the Baltic Way (23 August 1989) – a human chain of 2 million Baltic people who joined hands to peacefully show that every person deserves a freedom. The third one will deal with the theme of Latvian and Nordic ornament and it will be a collaboration between art students and lecturers from Latvia and Sweden. On 10 June Serbian artist Maja Gecič will lead her master class on identity theme. In addition, talks with Baltic artists and guest artists are being planned. The first Talk at the Museum will take place on 10 June with participation of prominent master from the USA Jon Eric Riis.
By offering visitors a wide programme of various events, the 6th Riga International Textile and Fibre Art Triennial Tradition and Innovation will reveal interaction between artist and society today and at the same time celebrate national or ethnographic roots of different cultures.
EXHIBITION ARTISTS
Tatjana Aleksandra (Latvia), Brigitte Amarger (France), Margery Amdur (USA), Yosi Anaya (Mexico), Soili Arha (Finland), Gudrun Bartenberger-Geyer (Austria), Aija Baumane (Latvia), Eglė Ganda Bogdanienė (Lithuania), Lucy Brown (United Kingdom), Mariel Clarmont (France), Awena Cozanet (France), Włodzimierz Cygan (Poland), Dileta Deikė (Lithuania), Ebru Dikmen Varol (Turkey), Jacquelene Drinkall (Australia), Batia Eichenholz (Israel), Sara Erkers (Sweden), Hilde Fox (the Netherlands), Signe Folka (Latvia), Maja Gecić (Serbia), Ilze Godlevskis (Latvia / Canada / Italy), Danuta Haremska (Norway), Dorthe Herup (Norway), Dirkje van der Horst-Beetsma (the Netherlands), Hsin Jung Hsieh (Taiwan), Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė (Lithuania), Kakuko Ishii (Japan), Anne Jackson (United Kingdom), Inese Jakobi (Latvia), Feliksas Jakubauskas (Lithuania), Lina Jonikė (Lithuania), Michiko Kawarabayashi (Japan), Evi Maria Kirchmair-Krismer (Austria), Virginija Kirvelienė (Lithuania), Lauma Kokoreviča (Latvia), Lis Korsgren (Sweden), Giedrė Kriaučionytė (Lithuania), Rolands Krutovs (Latvia), Ieva Krūmiņa (Latvia), Kyoko Kumai (Japan), Chiyoko Kumon (Japan), Peeter Kuutma (Estonia), Marita Lappalainen (Finland), Krista Leesi (Estonia), Rita Legchilina-Broka (Latvia), Jennie McMillen (Sweden), Lylian Meister (Estonia), Siiri Minka (Estonia), Barbara Mydlak (Poland), Kärt Ojavee, Johanna Ulfsak (Estonia), María Ortega Gálvez (Spain), Baiba Osīte (Latvia), Kadi Pajupuu, Marilyn Piirsalu (Estonia), Edīte Pauls-Vīgnere (Latvia), Erika Pedak (Estonia), Mirjam Pet-Jacobs (the Netherlands), Anastasija Podervianska (Ukraina), Ieva Prāne (Latvia), Ülle Raadik ( Estonia), Anna Ray (United Kingdom), Hélène de Ridder (Belgium), Ida-Lovisa Rudolfsson (Sweden), Joanna Rusin (Poland), Christine Sawyer (United Kingdom), Pēteris Sidars (Latvia), Julie Skarland (Norway), Riny Smits (the Netherlands), Diana Springall (United Kingdom), Sue Stone (United Kingdom), Ingrīda Sūna (Latvia), Loreta Švaikauskienė (Lithuania), Kaire Tali (Estonia), Aune Taamal (Estonia), Monika Thiele (Germany), Chi-Ting Tseng (Taiwan), Natalia Tsvetkova (Krievija), Elīna Veilande-Apine (Latvia), Johanna Virtanen (Finland), Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga (USA), Almyra Weigel (Lithuania), Ute Wennrich (Germany), Kiki Prytz Wilhelmsen (Norway), Yun-Feng Wu (Taiwan), Monika Žaltauskaitė-Grašienė (Lithuania)
Invited artists
Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930–2017, Poland), Sheila Hicks (France / USA), Jon Eric Riis (USA)
Invited artists – jury members
Signe Kivi (Estonia), Laima Oržekauskienė (Lithuania),
Egils Rozenbergs (Latvia), Pasi Välimaa (Finland)
Project leader, exhibition curator
Mag. art. Velta Raudzepa,
Collection Manager of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
Latvian National Museum of Art (Riga)