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The graduate show will be on view at the Art Academy of Latvia
October 30, 2017
From 2-25 November, the Art Academy of Latvia (AAL) Hall will host “Density of Surface”, an exhibition of works by Master’s programme graduates, which will take place for the eighth consecutive year with the support of the ABLV Charitable Foundation. The general public is invited to attend the exhibition opening ceremony, which will take place on 1 November at 18.00.
"In choosing the works of the artists in question, a close-up analysis was conducted of the specific moment, i.e. right now, in which one can instantly decipher the entire density of the circulation of the most diverse information, from which one seeks to escape, seeking sanctuary in an orangery surrounded by naturally or artificially grown trees. The content of this volume of information becomes so absolutely irrelevant that it balances between humour and absurdity. These are just a few of the stopping points that can be deciphered from the artists’ works. Confronting oneself with them or else viewing them in context, the exhibited works express an occasionally ironic view of everyday social habits and challenges," explains the exhibition’s curator Antra Priede-Krievkalne.
Taking part in the exhibition will be graduates of the Painting, Graphic Art, Textile Art, Sculpture and Visual Communication sub-sectors in 2017, who demonstrate a high level of professionalism in their diploma works. The authors are not only practicing artists, but are also actively working as visual arts teachers, publishers or are even successfully developing their design product business, thus promoting the Art Academy of Latvia’s name beyond the country’s borders. Although only recently, the artists were still focusing on depicting their inner experiences and individual psychoanalysis, now their thematic range encompasses socio-political motifs, which can resonate with any viewer, as well as conceptually broader contexts in which to present their works.
Likewise, this surface, which is the constant overcoming of the process of creating a work of art or, on the contrary, a field of discovery, is revealed in those works whose set priority is an examination of their content, accenting the formal solutions of the work, riffing on different materialities. In a way, this materiality should be perceived purely symbolically, recording the moment of one thousandth of a second in which, for example, a swimmer crosses a water surface, moving from a sparse environment to dense substance. Thus, mastering the surface is akin to overcoming opposition, which applies not only to self-development during the process of study, but also to development into professional and independent artists.
The day of the opening of the exhibition will also witness the release of the 2017 AAL Yearbook, which showcases works by all the sub-sector graduates.
Exhibition main supporter: ABLV Charitable Foundation
Exhibition curator: Antra Priede-Krievkalne
Exhibition participants: Madara Auzenbaha, Ieva Kampe, Elīna Mekša, Laimdota Steķe, Rūdolfs Matīss Trops, Anna Zvaigzne, Santa Paula, Amanda Krūmiņa, Monta Apsāne, Golf Clayderman (Margrieta Dreiblate and Aksels Bruks), Andrejs Lavrinovičs, Oskars Veilands.
Photo: Elīna Mekša, fragments no instalācijas "ZAXXON"