Visionary Structures. From Ioganson to Johansons
July 1, 2014
“Visionary Structures. From Ioganson to Johansons”, an exhibition arranged with support from the ABLV Charitable Foundation, is on show at the Latvian National Library until 6 August.
The exhibition which is organised by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, in collaboration with the Latvian National Library offers an excursion into Latvian avant-garde art during the 20th and 21st centuries. Even though the seven Latvian artists whose works are exhibited in the exhibition: Karl Ioganson, Gustav Klutsis, Valdis Celms, Jānis Krievs, Artūrs Riņķis, Gints Gabrāns and Voldemārs Johansons represent different generations, each of them is a leading artistic innovator of their day. Their works offer an insight into the experimental and utopian artistic values of their time, as well as their historical transformations. Through a dialogue between different periods of time, the exhibition uncovers parallels and mutual points of reference in works of art, each of which belongs to a different age and ideological era. As the exhibition’s curator Ieva Astahovska explains: “The overall concept of the exhibition was based on showcasing art that is related in terms of conceptual and visual codes, but temporally distant, through a common vision and mutual dialogue between different eras (..) Until now, exhibitions of this type have been a rarity in Latvia, therefore this is an important attempt to behold a set continuity and joint currents in the temporally expounded flow of art.”
The exhibition has also been included in the programme of Riga as the European Capital of Culture 2014.
Photo: Inese Kalniņa