Symphony for the Library
Objects, collage, 2015
Any action or inaction leaves its footprint on the environment. The venue of Survival K(n)it 7 holds the last memories of the former building and employees of the National Library of Latvia. Everything that we feel and the way we recognize ourselves is based on the subtle constructions of memory threads, its infinite combinations making a fragmented library of feelings. Artist works with a room and the objects that can be found in the library: household items, books and photo albums. As a result a fictive archive of the building and its employees is created that functions in a similar way as memory of a person. Each time we want to remember something the events are reconstructed from the very beginning - the memory is transformed leaving only a blink from what has actually been experienced. Through his work artist wants to draw attention to the problems of archiving. The information is sorted objectively and the next generations receive what we do consider to be the most important. All the rest is thrown away and forgotten. What do we know about the past? Only the stories written in the history books.
Artist's Bio:
Andrejs Strokins (1984) has graduated from the Department of Graphic Art at the Latvian Academy of Art and took part at numerous photography courses and creative workshops. He has participated in group exhibitions in both Latvia and abroad. Andrejs Strokins works as an independent photographer and most recently has has been awarded at several photography competitions, including Kaunas Photo Star, La Quatrieme Image, and the Photo Annual Awards in the category of documentary photography. Disorders and Obstacles, artist’s first solo exhibition in Latvia, took place in the Office gallery of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (2015).