Continuing the pop-up exhibition series The Close up of Design Processes, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga (Skārņu iela 10), in cooperation with the association Design Export Alliance, presents the third exhibition, Autumn, wich will be on view from 18 September to 1 December 2024.

18 September – 1 December 2024
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
permanent exhibition Design Process (3rd floor)
Skārņu iela 10, Riga

Media tour of exhibition on 18 September 2024 at 12.00
Registration of participants: 11.30–12.00

Just as the seasons sequentially change, the second show in the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design’s (MDAD) pop-up exhibition series The Close up of Design Processes, titled Summer, is conceptually and thematically replaced by the next one – Autumn, where Latvian designers represent the colourful harvest period through contrasts in materials.

“The golden Latvian autumn will settle into the museum’s premises. This season’s value lies in the vibrant harvest time, and we boldly celebrate it in style! The sun descends lower on the horizon, its golden rays pierce through the autumnal Latvian landscape, creating true opulence! They illuminate the rich autumn colours while highlighting the textures of natural materials,” emphasizes Ieva Kalēja, curator of the project. The object selection was especially focused on the tactility of materials, revealing to the viewer range of their diversity: smooth, shiny glass, golden brass surfaces, rough tree bark, warm earth clay, and the saturation of natural rust.

Both icons of Latvian design and young talents are represented in the exhibition. Visitors will be able to see the production of six national brands – Kanttari, Studio Sarmīte, an&angel, Vaidava Ceramics, Livette’s Wallpaper, and mammalampa, all contributing to the ambience characteristic of Latvian autumn. The Kanttari furniture is distinguished by luxury and brilliance, highly valuing the craftsmanship of artisans. The design and research studio Studio Sarmīte, through an experimental approach, repurposes materials into new products. It should be reminded that head of the studio Sarmīte Poļakova, along with designer Māra Bērziņa, received the Latvian Design Award Grand Prix this year.

Vaidava Ceramics presents its well-known Eclipse GOLD collection at the exhibition, as well as confirms the company’s desire to develop cooperation with future professionals – the harvest storage dishes are the diploma work of Ādams Sūna, a graduate of Riga School of Design and Art. Livette’s Wallpaper showcases an endless interplay of wallpaper motifs, while an&angel unveil a new facet in glass design. The brand mammalampa presents The Queen collection, which is less known to the Latvian public, where two contrasting materials – rusty metal and gold – meet.

About the pop-up exhibition series The Close up of Design Processes

In honour of the 35th anniversary of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, the project The Close up of Design Processes has been created in collaboration with Design Export Alliance, consecutively offering four pop-up exhibitions during 2024. All of them are implemented in an innovative format by integrating into the museum’s 3rd-floor permanent display Design Process, which introduces Latvian design history since the 1960s.

The concept and visual solution for this cycle find its inspiration in one of the four seasons – spring, summer, autumn or winter. The special atmosphere is achieved by the selected colour palette typical of the season, emphasizing the traditionally strong connection of Latvian design to nature, appropriating and interpreting organic forms, natural materials, and textures in its products. Each exhibition showcases ‘success stories’ of several well-known Latvian brands using careful sample selection and audiovisual elements. Exclusively prepared video stories reveal the process of product development and behind-the-scenes glimpses.

About cooperation with the association Design Export Alliance

The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga, located in the former St. George’s Church and opened on 6 July 1989, has gained acclaim thanks to its rich collection of Latvian applied art works and design objects of the past times, as well as due to the works created by contemporary Latvian artists and running displays of spectacular examples of foreign design products. Looking back on thirty-five years of work, the museum has chosen to pay more attention to today and contribute to the future, reflecting the current developments in Latvian contemporary design in the form of pop-up exhibitions.

The project The Close up of Design Processes has been implemented thanks to the initiative of MDAD and the creative vision of Ieva Kalēja who represents the association Design Export Alliance and is also the curator of the anniversary series. The graphic identity of the cycle is created by Liene Drāzniece. Both artists have gained extensive experience developing successful companies: Ieva Kalēja is the founder and designer of two brands – mammalampa and DeTales, while Liene Drāzniece is the co-founder and leading designer of Madara Cosmetics.

This special collaboration between MDAD and the Design Export Alliance will actualize and promote awareness in society about the importance of design processes in everyone’s daily life. Through a series of pop-up exhibitions, visitors will have a great opportunity to explore and appreciate the remarkable stories of Latvian design brands.

Exhibition curator:
Ieva Kalēja
Co-founder and chairman of the board of the association Design Export Alliance, founder and designer of brands mammalampa and DeTales

Graphic design:
Liene Drāzniece
Graphic designer, representative of the association Design Export Alliance, co-founder and leading designer of brand Madara Cosmetics

Team:
Inese Baranovska
Head of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
Latvian National Museum of Art
Ph: (+371) 67 830 900
E:

Ieva Zvejniece
Curator of Design and Decorative Woodworking Art Collection /
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
Latvian National Museum of Art

Līga Brice
Senior Specialist /
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
Latvian National Museum of Art

Līva Kubulniece
Communication Specialist /
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
Latvian National Museum of Art
Ph: (+371) 28 381 129
E:

Education programme:
Kortnija Māra Gurtlava
Curator of Education /
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
Latvian National Museum of Art