Ēriks Apaļais : Eriks Apalais' way of painting is reduced to simple brush strokes which reflect on the process of image making, and on representation in general. His paintings can be seen as visual grammar exercises with a naive and playful touch, where formalism merges with a fictional, nostalgic atmosphere. Testing the structures of memory he focuses on painting's fast and complex pictures that make the process of constructing an image transparent. Writing with brush strokes he proposes figurations that are usually abstracted through the medium of painting. In a way his paintings are like visual poems, where words being brush strokes create visual language bubbles.
Ilze Avotiņa :
Jānis Blanks : Jānis Blanks is one of the most unpredictable and mystical artists of his generation, who dwells in his own space, untouched by external circumstances and events. The artist paints deeply and solemnly, unhurriedly relishing the time devoted to the process of painting.
The sources of Jānis Blanks’ inspiration are all around us – in nature, in human beings, in incidental intriguing events and dreams, which are converted into surrealist works of art through the force of the artist`s imagination.
Kristans Brekte : Kristians Brekte is socially engaged artist who has participated in projects of various scale and already earned the reputation of a somewhat controversial creative figure.
Brave depicting of differently perceived world which is plentiful of fantasy, is a base for the artist's various activities which have been infuriated numerous fellow citizens. The fact that he pretty often brakes the bounds between sacred and forbidden themes, partly derives from his experience of eager graffiti artist.
The range of his artistic outlets is seemingly endless, from monumental ironic figurative compositions charged with powerful energy and seamlessly combining vast and free painting style, emphasized brutal brush strokes and local colour with brilliantly executed realistic representation in the stencil technique, to experiments in the area of organic sculpture. The dominating feel of the works is clear and easily recognizable: they deal with the line between the human and the animal realms, with death, the mythical element and sexuality.
http://kristiansbrekte.lv
Kristiana Dimitere : "Kristiana`s art is live theatre, captured in mid-motion. The vivid colours conceal within themselves an omen of fate, which is also always present in the eyes of the characters and sometimes even outside of the picture."
This description by the artist`s mother, legendary Latvian actress Vija Artmane, helps understand the complicated world of Kristiana Dimitere`s art. She`s equally comfortable sculpting, painting, drawing, illustrating, and creating stage sets and animations.
The trump card of Kristiana Dimitere`s art is the plasticity of her shapes and the recognisable lines which tame the artist`s vibrant, fantastic characters so akin to the aesthetics of naïve art.
Ivars Drulle : http://www.ivarsdrulle.com/
Gints Gabrāns :
Kalvis Zuters : Kalvis Zuters endows his painted images with his life experience – an unusual and peculiar, carefully guarded private world with a certain dose of solitude. He is an artist capable of defending his creative space against the irritants of the saturated outside world for the "full-bloodied construction" of the life of his characters, materialised in metaphysical images.
Barbara Gaile : Barbara Gaile is one of the more unorthodox representatives of Latvian contemporary art. The source and solution of her self-expression is in her thorough, complete and self-sufficient brand of minimalism.
THE ORGANIC WORKS OF BARBARA GAILE
It is common to break down contemporary art into various trends, to single out tendencies, establish conceptions and strategies, emphasise discourses, describe contexts, recognise conventionality and engage in other similar analytical procedures. This is normal for professional critics and art historians; it helps the audience of contemporary art to orient itself across the manifold space of the latest artistic culture. However, there are artists whose works are ill-suited for such analytic systematisation. One should also note that these are not outsiders but remarkable, talented artists. Of course, Mark Rothko, Cy Twombly, Yves Klein and Agnes Martin can be categorised as abstract artists but this does not help us much to understand their works. In addition, this inclusive definition tends to set them apart from the current trends in contemporary art but their art continues to attract us and is perceived as the best in contemporary painting.
It seems to me that the works of Barbara Gaile coincide with various conceptual strategies in contemporary art (such as field painting or salient painting) but first of all they relate to some exceptionally profound and strong artists. Besides those mentioned above, I could add other wonderful and radically different artists: Louise Bourgeois, Kaze Zimblyte, Rachel Whiteread, Mona Hatoum… Each of them features a distinctive evocative quality that is also typical of Barbara Gaile’s works. She, like the other artists mentioned, pays particular attention to the technological side of making an artwork, turning the process of creativity into an ecstatic procedure and expecting the appropriate perception from the viewer.
Barbara avoids a painterly approach, favouring texture instead; while emphasising the origin of colour in light and retaining the self-sufficient value of pigment, she preserves its “sound” but not its materiality. The materiality of Barbara’s works is recreated; it is different - like the materiality of a living organism… At the same time, the question of materiality recedes into the background; much more important is the life of that which Barbara has created and which would be difficult to call a painting in the traditional sense. It is life and interaction with us as spectators. The suggestive character of the works is so strong that they put us in a state of sustained contemplation and meditation. Barbara’s works appear to stand openly before the viewer yet at the same time they are closed in their autonomous existence. There is no open expression or narrative. It seems that we are contemplating some kind of living organisms, bodies with healed scars and opalescent skin… It is no longer either salient painting or still life but salient life – life created by the artist.
I get the impression that Barbara Gaile has now reached a certain peak in her artistic development, so convincingly does she cultivate her mastery, so stable is the technological side of her painting and her organic creative position. The originality of Gaile’s creativity expands the space of Latvian contemporary art; it gives the most recent art in the world added value and undoubtedly has its audience.
Leonid Bazhanov
Art critic, artistic director of the Russian National Centre for Contemporary Art
Kristaps Ģelzis :
Ernests Kļaviņš :
Otto Zitmanis :
Galerijas atklāšana 14.05.2005, Gallery opening 14.05.2005
Renesanse, Renaissance
Psihedēlija Klusajā centrā 25.02. - 12.04.2006., Psychedelia in the Quiet Centre 25.02. - 12.04.2006.
Atmiņas par Itāliju 05.06. - 20.08.2007., Memories of Italy 05.06. - 20.08.2007.
Kristiana Dimitere. La bella bambina. 25.02. - 28.03.2008., Kristiana Dimitere. La bella bambina. 25.02. - 28.03.2008.
Ēriks Apaļais. Stingrāko bērzu meklējot. 4.-30.09.2008., Ēriks Apaļais. Being After the Stiffest Birch-Tree. 4.-30.09.2008.
Kristaps Ģelzis. Home Video. 10.12.2008. - 30.01.2009., Kristaps Ģelzis. Home Video. 10.12.2008. - 30.01.2009.
Kristians Brekte. Mani dzīvnieki [ Alerģija ] . 27.02. - 17.04.2009, Kristians Brekte . My Animals [ Allergy ]. 27.02. - 17.04.2009
NEXT 2009 Čikāga 30.04. - 04.05.2009., NEXT 2009 Chicago 30.04. - 04.05.2009.
ARTVILNUS `09 08.07.- 12.07. 2009., ARTVILNUS `09 08.07.- 12.07. 2009.
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Kristīne Kursiša. Ārpus kontroles.26.09-22.10. 2009., Kristīne Kursiša. Out Of Control.26.09-22.10. 2009.
Mūsu laika ikonas 27.10. - 14.12.2009., Contemporary Icons 27.10. - 14.12.2009.
Līva Pakalne.Smalkās apmātības.21.12.09.-29.01.10., Līva Pakalne. Subtle Obsessions .21.12.09.-29.01.10.
ARCOmadrid 2010 . Gints Gabrans . 17 - 21.02. 2010., ARCOmadrid 2010 . Gints Gabrans. 17 - 21.02.2010.
Jānis Blanks. Personālizstāde. 27.03. - 30.04.2010., Jānis Blanks. Solo show. 27.03. - 30.04.2010.
Ilze Avotiņa. Laimes Lācis. 06.05. - 08.07.2010., Ilze Avotiņa. Bear of Happiness. 06.05. - 08.07.2010.
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Kristians Brekte. Rīgas madonnas. 25.10. - 17.12.2010., Kristians Brekte. The Madonnas of Riga. 25.10. – 17.12. 2010.
Otto Zitmanis. Otto dusmas. 14.01. - 01.03.2011., Otto Zitmanis. Otto`s Anger. 14.01. - 01.03.2011.
Gints Gabrans.Asinsgaisma.8.03.-22.04.2011., Gints Gabrans.Bloodlight..8.03.-22.04.2011.
Ivars Drulle. Balstīts uz patiesiem notikumiem .27.04-10.06.2011., Ivars Drulle.Based on True Stories.27.04.-10.06.2011.
Zenta Logina.Constellation.11.07. - 02.09.2011, Zenta Logina.Constellation.11.07. - 02.09.2011
Andris Vītoliņš.8.09.2011. – 21.10.2011., Andris Vitoliņš.8.09.2011. – 21.10.2011.
ERNESTS KĻAVIŅŠ Karš starp titāniem un rūķīšiem.28.11. - 02.12.2011 , ERNESTS KĻAVIŅŠ War Between the Titans and Gnomes
An exhibition ‘Contemporary Icons’
From 29th October to 14th December.
Curated by russian music critic Artemij Troicki
There are fiveteen famous artists invited to explicate this theme. Contemporary russian top-line artists - Aleksadrs Vinogradovs&Vladimirs Dubosarskis, Georgijs Ostrecovs, Vladislavs Mamishevs Monro, ucrainian artist Jevgenijs Petrovs along with Latvian artists - Eriks Apaļais, Kristians Brekte ,Kristiana Dimitere, Ivars Drulle, Kristaps Ģelzis, Ieva Iltnere, Ernests Kļaviņš, Sarmīte Māliņa&Kristaps Kalns, Otto Zitmanis are going to provoke and challange by explicating the issue - what is an icon in nowdays and how does an object becomes an icon? How has the meaning and functions of this concept changed within our time when religion in it’s traditional form is not a fundamental value anymore and fewer and fewer spiritually-aware people find exising world religions (christianity, islam, buddhism...) satisfactory and up-to-date with modern world problems/solutions.hence the incredible growth of all kinds of new cults , sects and wholereligions . To the list of existing ones (from paganism to scientology) we can add various ficticious confessions, based on today`s (or tomorrow`s) cults and social/spiritual movements. i can suggest a few examples:
Church of consumerism, Fitness, Homosexualism, Glamour
and so on... indeed, all these trends have their inconic figurews, like Che Guevara; Dolce&Gabbana; Mickey Mouse; Playboy bunny etc. etc.
What the traditional view is seeking for in an icon is infinitely profound contacts; the divine world of an icon is watching ours, which explains the vital role of the method of reverse perspective; each element – colour, light, gesture, look – is treated as a sign. The „contemporary icons”, built according to related textual principles, are adapted for functioning in the noise of the images of mass culture, occasionally losing touch with the source and finding themselves in the status of a means of greedy manipulation.
The power and influence of a cult object is unpredictable. Indeed, objects of worship themselves are not particularly limited by their meaning today. As often as not, the feed on people’s desire to be beautiful, heroic, popular, sexy, loved, etc. The interest displayed by artists, on the other hand, seems inclined to reflect on the situation, freely creating provocative visions that speak to the viewer.
