Author: editor

it imitates a wet pessimism

it imitates a wet pessimism
Ieva Kraule-Kūna
30/05 – 21/06/2018

AI is selling newspapers and robots have soft palms, remember, there was a time when only brazen heads were whispering into ears of the sleeping –

Time is. Time was. Time is past.

The continuous flow of time exists solely around our hot bodies. From the scent of yesterday, cough of tomorrow and today’s sunburn thighs I am building the anagram of time. Every day I wash off past to meet the morning with a new face, until I shrink so small, until I shrink even smaller and disappear completely. Only a few shiny stones and some saw dust is left. You are wading trough my saw dust, tiny itchy lacerations covering your ankles, you are wondering where does it lead. It doesn’t lead anywhere at all, even the arches lead to nowhere. Nothing but fallacies and falsifications. You can arrange them in pleasing rows and found a museum dedicated to time. Tedious! Temporary! You can scramble the left over parts and build something new.

Ieva Kraule produces sculptural objects often using materials such as ceramics, rubber, metal and stone. Accompanying these objects are short stories, loosely based on fictitious interpretations of historical events and absurd adventures of imaginary characters. Within her work she often refers to themes surrounding fetishism, history, applied arts and architecture of the Soviet era, while tracing origins of both personal and collective aesthetic codes. Ieva Kraule is based in Riga. Her recent exhibitions include α: Deceived Deceivers, Kim? Contemporary art centre, Riga; Dancing water (with Kaspars Groshevs), Futura, Prague; The person you are trying to reach is not available (with Aidan Koch), Hester, New York; and Qu’est-ce que ça peut faire tout ça (with Kaspars Groshevs), Shanaynay, Paris. Her work has been included in group shows at 1857, Oslo; HIAP, Helsinki; Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius; Art in General, New York; and Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga. She is also co-founder of gallery 427 in Riga.

Support: VKKF, VKN

Photos: Līga Spunde

Alonso! It’s Elastic

Alonso! It’s Elastic
Martin Kohout
10/04 – 10/05/2018

Czech born artist Martin Kohout’s early study background is in cinematography and he has been active in the Berlin and international scene since 2010. His work has a strong grounding in research, both academic and qualitative. His works span a wide range of film, sculpture, print, events and publications. In addition to that he produces music under the name of TOLE and runs a small  publishing house, TLTRPreß. Since graduating Martin was nominated for various awards including most recently; 2015 – Finalist of Open Frame Award, goEast festival, Wiesbaden and, 2014 – Finalist of Jindřich Chalupecký Award 2014, Veletržní Palace of the National Gallery, Prague.

The exhibition is a part of Riga Photography Biennial 2018 programme

Support: VKKF, Čē bārs
Special thanks to Arita Varzinska!

Photos: Līga Spunde

Retrogression


Retrogression
Beth Collar & Eoghan Ryan
24/04/2019 – 24/05/2019

Retrogression is the logical continuation of ongoing conversations between artists Beth Collar and Eoghan Ryan. Their first show, Juvenilia (2018) took as a point of conceptual departure, the revisitation of younger teenage selves during moments of particular ontological despair, Retrogression returns to an even earlier state..
The Pupa is the gestation sack that facilitates transformation from immature to mature in holometabolous insects. It is the hang-time between larva and imago. For Retrogression, the pupa is also the children’s play room of the Airbnb that the artists are staying in. Working together in intimate, performative mode, the two devolve deeper into a fictionalised fantasy early childhood, into a pre-Homo Sapiens, pre-historic breach.
Retrogression works backward to act out the rat tailed maggot embedded up the arsehole before it becomes the top pollinator of flowers, in order to excavate a new understanding of something they don’t yet know the question to and in doing so, (de)generate an exhibition.

Beth Collar was born in Cambridge, England in 1984. She lives in Berlin. Recent solo projects have been at Dilston Grove, London a commission by Matt’s Gallery and CPG, 2019; Waldo @Mathew Gallery, New York; Primary, Nottingham and Matt’s Gallery, London, 2018; Standpoint, London, 2017 and at Fig 2, ICA, London, 2015. Recent group shows and performances have been at PiK, Cologne; Bärenzwinger, Berlin, 2019; Sans Titre, Paris; Lady Helen, London; Goswell Road @Balice Hertling, Paris; Room E-10 27 @Centre, Berlin; Cell Project Space, London; Horse and Pony, Berlin, 2018; Cafe Oto, London; the Kunstverein München; Kunstraum, London, 2017; Glasgow Women’s Library, Glasgow; Freud Museum, London; KW, Berlin, 2016; Cubitt, London; Rijksakademie, Amsterdam; Raven Row, London; the Serpentine Galleries, London; Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, 2015 and Flat Time House, London, 2014. She was recipient of the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award 2016/17.

Eoghan Ryan is an Irish artist currently based in Amsterdam. Selected shows, performances and screenings have taken place at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; South London Gallery; Rowing, London; Spike, Berlin; Serralves Museum, Porto; IFI, Dublin; Outpost, Norwich; Kem, Warsaw; Cubitt, London; Kim? Contemporary, Riga; Plastik Moving Image Festival, Dublin; CAC, Vilnius; Catalyst Arts, Belfast; BDP, Berlin, New Shelter Plan, Copenhagen, EEFF, London and FACT, Liverpool. Eoghan is supported by the Irish Visual Arts Bursary for 2019 and is currently at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten 2019/20.

Supported by VKKF, Culture Ireland

Photo: Līga Spunde