16.11.2018 - 21.01.2019.
Art gallery MuseumLV and culture centre GrataJJ began its venture on 26th of May 2017 by organizing two major visual art exhibitions that manifested the gallery’s beliefs about their peers’ art in all its various forms. Further on, this generation of artists, that had formed after the regaining of the independence of Latvia, brought their parents and children to the gallery. A subsequent interest about ancestry and descendants in art emerged - where do we come from, how do we continue onwards. The exhibition ‘’Kinship scripts” is a respectful gift that the MuseumLV team presents to its viewers and artists at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Latvia, thus honouring the history of the lineages and the country, contemplating the inheritability of genes and believing in the power of people’s spirit.
KINSHIP SCRIPTS
Kinship scripts...This notion reminds of the highly popular digitalised data archive that is prominent among historians, however this time it is the title of a unique exhibition. It is an exhibition, that unites its artists for their significant quality – they all belong to artist families and/or acclaimed artist dynasties.
The title of the exhibition reminds of one of the current actualities of our society – the interest regarding the history of one's family, the relations between the members of dynasties among themselves and with the surrounding society in time and space. Exploring kinship often reveal wonderful stories and surprising family bonds. These revelations are significant to more than one family or bloodline...
We all come from childhood, from our family. It is where the foundation for our personality and the future life is laid, it is where the marvellous sense of belonging originates from, which can (and often does) transform into other forms of belonging – to one's lineage, land and country, thus becoming the guarantee of the future of the nation.
The inheritability of the artistic gene is well known in the history of world culture, and it is worth mentioning that occasionally the reviews of these specific manifestations may invite the venomous remark “nature takes a break on the children of geniuses”, or some similar but necessarily grumpy and withering comment. This inference has spawned in time when the fundamental quality in the evaluation of artworks was the resemblance, moreover – apparently high likeliness to a work of a prominent artist of that specific time. And what happens if a son is unable to comply with the boundaries drawn by the father? Then comes the line about taking a break…
There are many artist lineages in the 150 years brief history of professional art in Latvia that are well known. I will mention only a few surnames of this lengthy and interesting list – families of Annuss, Brekte and Cēsnieks, Ģērmanis, Iltners and Jurjāns, Rozentāls and Skulme, Stārasts, Strunke and Zariņš and so on…
Of course, there have been examples of exhibitions dedicated to particular artist dynasties in Latvian art. The exhibition “Kinship scripts”, however, aims to deliver a different perception, reminding of inheritability as a unique characteristic of our art history. Of course, not every lineage is represented here, however, the exhibition offers an idea of the vast amount and diversity of these bloodlines.
Undeniably, the exhibition will trigger questions that are yet to be answered. One of these issues is about artists that are twins. How intriguing: they are remarkably similar, they have grown up side by side, but they are nothing alike in art.
Especially significant is the fact that the exhibition enables one to verify that in the 20th century and even more so nowadays, already in the 21st century, the inheritability of art traditions can no longer be related to the repetition of formal or other qualities. Every artist develops and works as an independent person, which, whilst in awe for the art of their father or great-grandfather, follows the course lead by his own time and desires.
• Ilze Avotiņa, Harijs Kārkliņš, Kristīne Luīze Avotiņa, Katrīna Avotiņa;
• Juris Baklāns, Vija Maldupe, Liene Baklāne, Anna Baklāne;
• Kārlis Baumanis, Biruta Baumane, Laine Kainaize;
• Normunds Brasliņš, Elīna Brasliņa;
• Jānis Brekte, Ilona Brekte, Patricija Brekte, Kristiāns Brekte;
• Rihards Delvers, Jāzeps Delvers;
• Lilija Dinere, Roberts Diners;
• Ojārs Arvīds Feldbergs, Teiksma Feldberga, Laura Feldberga;
• Boriss Gromakovskis, Jūlija Eresko;
• Aivars Gulbis, Madara Gulbis, Barbala Gulbe, Kristaps Gulbis;
• Juris Ģērmanis, Agnija Ģērmane, Andrejs Ģērmanis, Olita Gulbe-Ģērmane, Mārtiņš Daksis;
• Edgars Iltners, Ieva Iltnere, Zane Iltnere, Daila Iltnere;
• Kārlis Jansons, Andrejs Jansons, Maija Baltiņa, Matiass Jansons;
• Gunārs Krollis, Izabella Krolle, Inguna Irbe-Krolle;
• Vineta Kurzemniece, Agnese Kurzemniece, Andra Kurzemniece, Gatis Kurzemnieks;
• Irēna Lūse, Dita Lūse, Edmunds Jansons;
• Kārlis Melbārzdis, Elizabete Melbārzde;
• Aleksejs Naumovs, Anita Paegle;
• Jāzeps Pīgoznis, Laura Pīgozne;
• Pēteris Postažs, Lilita Postaža, Paulis Postažs, Ingūna Postaža, Juta Policja;
• Leo Preiss, Ingrīda Preisa, Ilze Preisa, Henrijs Preiss;
• Janis Rozentāls, Miķelis Rozentāls, Alvils Rozentāls;
• Oto Skulme, Marta Liepiņa-Skulme, Džemma Skulme, Ojārs Ābols, Uga Skulme, Marta Skulme, Juris Dimiters, Artūrs Dimiters;
• Egons Spuris, Egils Spuris;
• Edgars Vērpe, Sandra Krastiņa.
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Cultural Center Grata JJ, art gallery MuseumLV
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