Photo: Cameron Blaylock
The Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art and James Gallery are happy to invite you to conversations with the artists in the exhibition “Portable Landscapes: Memories and Imaginaries of Refugee Modernism” that will uncover the themes and key questions for discussion stemming from the exhibition.
Artist talk program on February 11 will address such questions as: How has the experience of migration and displacement contributed to the exhibition artists’ practice? What are the conditions for art histories to be shared simultaneously across locations? How does this affect national stories? What constitutes refugee modernism? Could it be said that the impetus of art since WWII is refugee modernism? What is the role of artists and curators in shaping the past and present art historical narratives in the wake of new right wing nationalist tendencies?
February 11, 2020
4 pm to 8 pm Program:
4 pm Introduction by exhibition curators Inga Lāce and Solvita Krese, Andra Silapētere and Katherine Carl.
[4.20 pm] Judy Blum Reddy in conversation with curators Inga Lāce, Solvita Krese, Andra Silapētere and Katherine Carl.
[5 pm] Discussion about younger Latvian art scene in New York with exhibition artists Arturs Virtmanis, Viktor Timofeev and curator and art historian Ksenia Nouril
[6.15 pm] Presentation of Boris Lurie book “In Riga” (2019) with participation of poet Igor Satanovsky and curator Solvita Krese.
[7 pm] Artist talk and a discussion with Karol Radziszewski about his film “America is Not Ready for This” (2012).
The Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City was a hotbed of activity after 1945 and was the name of the exiled Latvian artist and writers collective active there at the time. From the 1950s to the 1970s, the new identity of American art was shaped, in large part, by émigré and refugee artists displaced during and just after World War II. Taking the story of the Hell’s Kitchen group as a point of departure, the exhibition examines visual and political expression of twelve international artists and collectives who address dislocation resulting from the Holocaust and Soviet occupation.
The project pursues these stories through the presentation of archival material, historical works of art, and artworks by contemporary émigré and displaced artists addressing migration. This research and exhibition emphasizes under-recognized artwork and stories that challenge the overarching art historical narrative of modernism. This vision is made actionable by gathering art and archival material that can be further deployed to shape the ongoing living process of history, as migration and the legacy of World War II are still unfolding today.
Exhibition artists: Daina Dagnija, Yonia Fain, Yevgeniy Fiks, Hell’s Kitchen collective, Rolands Kaņeps, Boris Lurie, Karol Radziszewski, Judy Blum Reddy, Vladimir Svetlov & Aleksandr Zapoļ (Orbita group), Viktor Timofeev, Sigurds Vīdzirkste, Artūrs Virtmanis. Curators: Katherine Carl, Solvita Krese, Inga Lāce and Andra Silapētere.
Exhibition “Portable Landscapes: Memories and Imaginaries of Refugee Modernism” at the James Gallery is the last exhibition in the series of the exhibition and research projects PORTABLE LANDSCAPES that took place starting 2017 with exhibitions at: Villa Vassilieff, Paris (2018), Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga (2018), Körsbärsgården Konsthall, Gotland (2018) and District, Berlin (2019). The project’s culmination is planned in spring 2020 when Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art together with Berlin based publisher K.Verlag will launch a book “Portable Landscapes: Art Histories of Latvian Exile”, that weaves together all the project’s stories.
The Amie and Tony James Gallery’s mission is to bring artists and scholars into public dialogue on topics of mutual concern through exhibitions as a form of advanced research. As a window into the research work of The Graduate Center and a hub of international discussion, The James Gallery is central to The Graduate Center’s and the City University of New York’s contribution to the cultural life of New York City. Located in midtown Manhattan at the nexus of the academy, contemporary art, and the city, the gallery creates and presents artwork to the public in a variety of formats. While some exhibitions remain on view for extended contemplation, other activities such as performances, workshops, reading groups, roundtable discussions, salons, and screenings have a short duration. The gallery works with scholars, students, artists and the public to explore working methods that may lie outside usual disciplinary boundaries. All exhibitions and programming are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA) is the largest institution for contemporary art in Latvia, curating and producing contemporary art events on a national and international scale. Since 1993, it has researched and curated contemporary art processes both in Latvia and abroad, aiming to provoke critical reflection on issues relevant to contemporary society. The LCCA is widely recognized for its annual international contemporary art festival “SURVIVAL KIT” and its regular exhibitions at the Latvian National Museum of Art, as well as for representing Latvia at the Venice Biennale, Manifesta, São Paulo Art Biennial, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Rauma Biennale of Contemporary Art, and others.
„Portable Landscapes” is one of the events of Latvia Centenary Celebrations. It is supported by Latvian Republic Culture Ministry and State Culture Capital Foundation, Foundation for Arts Initiatives, Polish Cultural Institute New York. Public program on February 11th is supported by Baltic American Freedom Foundation.