Lolita. Vaira. Biruta. Žanna. Māra. Felicita.
>> at the Rainis and Aspazija House
During her lifetime, Felicita Pauļuka’s (1925- 2014) works were widely exhibited and earned her recognition, yet the demand for legends from both historians and their audiences have burdened Felicita Pauļuka with the mark of a wunderkind (she entered the Art Academy at the age of 16 without a secondary school diploma) and a muse (painter Jānis Pauļuks’ wife of ten years).
Survival Kit 12 attempts to introduce other nuances - Felicita Pauļuka’s works are exhibited alongside contemporary feminist artist Ingrīda Pičukāne’s diary of drawings, which provides an attentive and honest look at the female body, aiming to recover the unevenness omitted by art history; furthermore, both artists' works are situated at the House of Aspazija, a woman who was a crucial figure in early 20th century feminism in Latvia.
Survival Kit 12 invites us to update the legends and acknowledge both the self-confidence of the sixteen-year-old entering the Art Academy and the choice to live outside of the patriarchal society’s frame of expectations, as emancipated acts. Nude paintings, often multi-layered and complex female representations, boldly questioning the placement of a man's gaze, were an essential part of Pauļuka’s oeuvre. "Palms and feet also have their life story. Therefore, for me, the nude is an expanded portrait in which I involve the entire body and express the essence of the portrayed,” said Pauļuka.