Exhibition Sound Secrets. Binaural Still Life by sound artist Kalle Laar opens on Tuesday 30 June at 6.30 pm at the Office gallery of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art and will be on view until 30 July. The exhibition was inspired by Kalle Laar’s connection with Riga, Latvia and the creative practice of Hardijs Lediņš, and has been developed as specific sound and video installations.
Kalle Laar is a Latvian-Estonian born sound artist currently living and working inGermany. In the late 1980s he met Hardijs Lediņš and other members of the NSRD (Restoration Workshop of Unprecedented Feelings) and also participated in some of their performances. Kalle Laar has been particularly influenced by the concept of approximate art (or the lack of it): “Never fit within a certain framework imposed by the art world, always break boundaries, never stick to the same genre, use all available means of expression. Utilise extra ordinary ways to implement simple ideas, be precise and conceptual – that was the life philosophy of Hardijs Lediņš and it is reflected in my own work. Therefore this exhibition is dedicated to Hardijs Lediņš, it is an interpretation of his creative style and has been inspired by his free spirit.” (Kalle Laar).
Kalle Laar studied history of science at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and over the years has put together several music happenings in different formats: he takes part in various sound art festivals around the world with his sound performances and recitals, composes music for theatre and organises sound walks, workshops and lectures etc. He regularly exhibits as part of contemporary art exhibitions and multidisciplinary art projects, including the Venice Art Biennale, festival for media art and digital culture Transmediale, Ars Electronica in Linz etc. In Kalle Laar’s work sound interacts with its environment, images or objects; he explores our surrounding noises and the ways they have an effect on us. His creative practice is characterised by the scientifically empirical perspective, as well as subjective emotional effects, which allow the viewer (listener) to perceive sound in unusual physical appearances.
Kalle Laar’s lecture How noise entered the arts will take place on Wednesday 1 July at 6.30pm as part of this exhibition.
The lecture and exhibition is free of charge. The Office Gallery of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art is open from Monday to Friday from 12 noon until 6pm.
The exhibition has been funded by the State Culture Capital Foundation and Riga City Council.