lv





Zīle Ziemele

Cover, 2018
egg tempera on canvas, plywood; 29×20.7 cm
Axis, 2018
egg tempera on canvas, plywood; 58×40 cm
Inland Court, 2018
egg tempera on canvas, plywood; 89×54 cm
Eclipse, 2018
egg tempera on canvas, plywood; 57×53 cm
Once Upon a Time, 2018
egg tempera on canvas, plywood; 64×60 cm
Candle Plantation, 2018
egg tempera on canvas, plywood; 50×39 cm


Ziemele is a painter working in egg tempera. In her works, she frequently tells stories that are based on situations and people taken directly from her life. She highlights what she finds important in the everyday, whether the pursuit of extraordinary adventures or simply things that have taken on for her a painterly aspect. In 2017, the artist graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia. Ziemele recounts, “legend tells about a Roma smith who, having learned that his nails are to be used to affix Jesus to the cross, rushes to correct the situation and manages to snatch one nail away. In recognition, God allowed the Roma to steal a little.” In her new series of paintings, Ziemele turns to Roma legends, merging them with her own recent experience. Not far from the Riga circus building, she got to know and later began a friendship with a Romani guy called Sandis. She was soon introduced to the world of the Roma as well as that of the circus. Zīle and Sandis’ combined personal experiences, in the atmosphere of the old circus building, prompt visitors to reflect on the stereotypes that continue to shape our thinking and behaviour, and potential ways of overcoming them.