Inga Erdmane. Photo: Jānis Pešiks
From January 24th to March 1st the LCCA Office gallery welcomes visitors to view the exhibition “I agree I have Blundered. Criminalcase No 15890013311” by the artist and photographer Inga Erdmane.
“…one does not have to believe everything is true, one only has to believe it is necessary.
[…] It makes lie fundamental to world order.”
Franz Kafka, The Trial,1913
"Latvia regained its independence in 1991, but still 20 years later we need to deal with the Soviet heritage. One aspect of it can be seen in the Judicial system, where without permanent practice and traditions the court practice can often be contradictory and ambiguous. In one case they can rely on the precedent, but ignore or dismiss it in the other. In the West, the precedent is widely spread and strongly accepted, especially in the Anglo-Saxon countries and in the Netherlands – the facts are determinative to bind the precedent. But what are the principles governing the Latvian courtroom – I didn’t understand, hard as I tried.
This project is autobiographical, as I was a part of the events and system described, and was deeply involved and affected by it. After half a year of fear, panic and duress I received two verdicts in two separate cases, both of which are based largely on the same facts – namely, my medical examination protocol – in one case it’s acknowledged that I’m was not under drug influence and could drive a car legally, whereas in the second I’m found under influence and due to that fact my alleged crime has an aggravating condition and thus a liberating verdict is automatically impossible…
We regard the Court as an institution of fair and objective judgment and rightful justice. Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion or equity. How could it be that the same vital thing could be approved and refused at the same time, and heavily influencing the final verdict? I see all this situation as scenes in a distorting mirror, like Alice Through the Looking-
Glass – we are talking the same language but I don’t understand it and vice versa – the interpretation is not based on the individual, but rather based in the greater power of the organized institution.
In my graduation project I want to show the story from the inside, as I was (and still am) deeply involved."
Inga Erdmane
About Inga Erdmane:
Inga Erdmane is a photographer and visual artist (born in Riga, Latvia) currently residing in the Netherlands, in 2012 she graduated the KABK photography department in The Hague.
She is interested in society and humankind and how these intersect with the individual — that is related to her interest in psychology studies she has done earlier. Inga’s main source is documenting events and interpreting documentary narrative in installations (combined media) which she sees as an extension of photography.
Suggestion and indirectness play an important role in creating the experience of the spectator. Each part is taking a specific place in the visualization of her ideas and concepts about the society and the various systems within it. Her interest in the systems and structures and publicly received opinions thereof is focused towards the boundaries, where the individuals are in the grey zone, seeking to unravel their interconnections and relationships when the human factor interferes.
The exhibition is open to visitors every weekday from 12:00 to 18:00. Entrance is free. The exhibition is held in the Office gallery of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, Alberta Street 13, 7th floor.