Graphic design by Mārtiņš Ratniks
An art park titled Mobile Museum. The Next Season is open for visitors in the territory of the former Bolsevicka textile factory with a view to raise awareness for the need for a Museum of Contemporary Art as well as to introduce the public to an important segment of the history of Latvian contemporary art.
The outdoor art park has opened on June 3 and it features art works by the following well-known Latvian artists: - Aigars Bikše, Ēriks Božis, Evelīna Deičmane-Vida, Ivars Drulle, Reinis and Krista Dzudzilo, Dace Džeriņa, Andris Eglītis, Iveta Laure, Katrīna Neiburga, Jānis Noviks, Artūrs Virtmanis, Kirils Panteļejevs, Monika Pormale and Brigita Zelča-Aispure.
Video: Rihards Rožkalns
These artworks, created for various projects over the last three decades might have made their way into the collection of a contemporary art museum. Positioned here, seemingly homeless, detached from their original context and exhibited together, they cannot help but form a polyphonic message about the development of the history of Latvian art, thereby highlighting the need for a museum of contemporary art.
“During the creation of this project, I recalled the exhibition, which I curated for the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art’s exhibition space in 2007, - the hall of the Andrejsala building workshop and the “Ēdnīca” project room. That exhibition, entitled Mobile Museum was an invitation to investigate the idea of the proposed Museum of Contemporary Art. At the time, the famous architect Rem Koolhaas had been invited to make some preliminary designs for transforming the historic Andrejsala Thermal Power Plant into a museum. The LCCA had been invited to think not only about the museum building, but also about the vision of the planned museum and its collection.
In consideration of today's situation, one cannot fail to notice a number of similarities - we are creating an exhibition in an abandoned post-industrial territory of the city and are still asking the same questions - when will there be a contemporary art museum in Latvia? What will it be like? How is the future collection of contemporary art being created? This contemporary art museum, which has been anticipated for decades, has already become an imaginary character, like a familiar hero of a series, who slips in and out of the frame of Latvia's cultural policy from time to time. Therefore, the exhibition in the territory of the former Bolsevicka textile factory will be called Mobile Museum. Next Season” explains Solvita Krese, its curator and the Director of the LCCA.
The public program of the art park Mobile Museum. Next Season and the Survival Kit festival have merged this year under a common name and thematic framework as The Fictitious Museum. This creates an illusory museum structure consisting of the future and the past departments of the museum. The issues at the heart of the Museum’s Department of the Future will be explored through a six-episode series of discussions and events. In turn, the platform of the Museum Department of the Past will be the public program of the Survival Kit 2021 festival, featuring discussions, artist evenings, procedural art and educational program activities. The public program will be announced, based on the epidemiological situation.
This is be a large-scale outdoor exhibition - a museum without walls, which can be visited individually, following a digitally prepared exhibition itinerary and audio guide.
When you are at the description desk of the artwork, please take your smartphone with the camera on and turn it towards the QR code and the link will pop up to lead you to the catalogue and audio guide of the art work.
The cataloque and audio guide is available at https://mobilaismuzejs.lv/en/
Entry to the art park is free of charge and will be open three days a week:
-Thursdays and Fridays from 14:00 to 20:00
- Saturdays from 12:00 to 20:00.
The exhibition is organized and produced by The Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA).
Curator: Solvita Krese
The exhibition is supported by: VKKF (the State Cultural Capital Foundation), The Riga City Council, Rietumu bank and Nākotnes Atbalsta fonds (Future Supporting Fund)
Publicity image: graphic design by Mārtiņš Ratniks