The Aquarium of Relics “...and I was in Arcadia, too.*”
/Jēkabs Zimmels Ziemelis/
* Arcadia – the place of happiness, joy and carelessness.
Installation. 2016
I became curious about a mystic named Jēkabs Zimmels Ziemelis, who had lived in Riga and, apart from his office job as a constructor and many other hobbies, was very much interested in alchemy, medieval and modern mystics and various spiritual practices. On the night of September 23-24, 1954, between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m., Zimmels Ziemelis, according to his own account, experienced a mystical revelation from above. Having come round after this experience, he immediately wrote down his thoughts on a piece of parchment, which was sown in the lining of a piece of clothing. This significant event was a turning point in his life as a mystic. Zimmels Ziemelis did not part from this relic till the end of his life. After his death, this piece of writing was found in his older sister’s house among his other personal belongings. Despite his seclusion, the mystic had some associates and followers. After his death, his associates and followers found a variety of his belongings and objects, which are exhibited in the framework of this exhibition. Thanks to the efforts of his followers, some objects are currently defined as relics, whereas others have changed their original shape in the course of “dechemicalisation” and have acquired a different meaning, turning into some kind of artefacts.
Artist's Bio:
Reinis Virtmanis (1976) studied at the Riga School of Design and Art and later at the Art Academy of Latvia. He uses a poetic and symbolic language in order to create laconic, monochrome and illustrative works. The mystified images that Virtmanis uses in his finely drawn illustrations are constructed like literary and surreal characters. Virtmanis finds inspiration in 19th-century European – especially Russian and English – literature and art. He has illustrated books and published poetry.