On Thursday, July 11th, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (at Skārņu iela 10, Riga), in collaboration with the association Design Export Alliance, will open the exhibition Summer, continuing the pop-up exhibition series The Close up of Design Processes.

11 July – 8 September 2024
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design /
permanent exhibition Design Process (3rd floor
Skārņu iela 10, Riga

Exhibition tour on 11 July 2024 at 12.00
Registration of participants: 11.30–12.00

Just as the seasons sequentially change, the MDAD pop-up exhibition series The Close up of Design Processes will conceptually and thematically transition from the first exhibition Spring to the new exhibition Summer.

By continuing to explore the identity of Latvian design through the seasons, this time the exhibition's concept will present a more unusual perspective on the Latvian summer, aiming to highlight and find the values of this season. It undoubtedly features the Latvian sea with its Nordic character and vast sandy beaches, which are rare in the global context and something we can definitely be proud of. This exhibition will be represented by brands that, in some way, are associated with water. It will not only be visually perceptible, but we will also play with sound and scent in the exposition,

emphasizes the exhibition curator Ieva Kalēja.

Overall, the exhibition will showcase products from six Latvian brands: Stenders, Aretai, Baiba Glass, an&angel, PAA baths, and Nordi, collectively creating the mood and aesthetics characteristic of the Latvian summer. The PAA Baths brand has been operating since 1993 and produces modern, elegant bathtubs and sinks, symbolizing a connection with water in an everyday and practical way. Meanwhile, glass product brands – Baiba Glass and an&angel – will poetically depict the inherent properties of the water: transparency, magic, fluidity, and continuity. The internationally awarded design brand Aretai, which has won the Red Dot Design Award, will create sounds characteristic of the sea with its high-quality speaker product. The exhibition will evoke thoughts of summer scents with the amber line products from the cosmetics brand Stenders, while the furniture brand Nordi will present an unusual perspective on wood as a material, highlighting its rough properties.

As part of the Summer exhibition, a special Design Latvia photoshoot has been organized for the first time, where design products will form harmonious and unifying compositions, collectively shaping the identity of Latvian design. The photoshoot was made thanks to the support of the State Cultural Capital Foundation (SCCF) and in collaboration with photographers Ieva Andersone and Kristaps Ungurs, as well as the studio Open Architecture Design.

On the opening day of the exhibition, July 11, at 12:00 PM, all interested parties, especially the media, are invited to meet with the representatives of the Summer exhibition brands to get a closer look at Latvian design products and behind the scenes of their creations.

The exhibition will be open to visitors from July 11, 2024, to September 8, 2024

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

In honor of the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, the project The Close-Up of Design Processes has been created in collaboration with the association Design Export Alliance. Four pop-up exhibitions are being organized throughout the year, each replacing the previous one. 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 exhibition cycle find its inspiration in one of the four seasons – spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The special atmosphere will be 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 will showcase ‘success stories’ of several well-known Latvian brands using careful sample selection and audiovisual elements. Exclusively prepared video stories will reveal the process of product development and behind-the-scenes glimpses.

The pop-up exhibition series will be accompanied by educational programme, public discussions, design hackathon, and, for the first time in the museum’s history, special projects by two resident young designers selected through a competitive process.

About cooperation with the association Design Export Alliance

The pop-up exhibition project 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 curator of the anniversary series. The graphic identity of the cycle will be 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 the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design and the association 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 Collections /
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