What is it about?
Some Latvian artists were presented in the Venice Biennial while Latvia was still occupied by the USSR; thus, their works appeared as part of the Soviet exposition. The article characterizes Latvia's participation in the Biennial after the restoration of independence. While it happened in 1991, Latvia took part in the Biennial for the first time in 1999, as the 1990s was a period of freedom but little resources to make most of it. The account includes Latvia's pavilions up to 2017, introducing the Latvian pavilion planned for 2019. Artists and their works are briefly described along with the press resonance.
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Why is it important?
The article establishes that Latvia's representations in Venice highlighted most prominent Latvian artists of the time whose works had more or less obvious references to local context. Skilled craftsmanship and formal perfection are sensed in most works. Latvian artists have mainly held on to rather universal messages, refraining from more direct socially active or provocative gestures.
Perspectives
I hope that the general scene of artistic development exemplified by Latvia's pavilions - with the advent of electronic media and acceptance of photography as an art form since the 1990s followed by a growing interest in esoteric subjects and certain return of traditional media later - can suggest parallels with other countries and useful comparisons too.
Stella Pelše
Art Academy of Latvia Institute of Art History
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Local/Global Latvian Art at the Venice Biennale, July 2022, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.4324/9781003265818-22.
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