THE ROOM OF LOVE Exhibition by Margit Lõhmus (Estonia) will be opened at 6.30 pm on Monday 28th April at the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA) Office Gallery. The exhibition is a part of Riga Photomonth 2014 and it will be on view until 30th May.

Trained as a painter, Margit Lõhmus (b. 1985) is first of all known for her in a way naive, but at the same time brutal photos and videos, mostly depicting the artist herself. The theme which binds together all her artistic endeavours (painting, video, photo, literature, installation) is an opposition within close relationships, ranging from family to home alone domestic naturalism and sexual intimacy which is opposed to exhibitionism and/ or voyeurism.

Margit Lõhmus’s project “The Room of Love” consists of several little videos, depicting the author in different socially uncanny situations. The core of the project however, is not the awkwardness of the situation, but the aesthetic and emotional brutality of it. At first glance the videos describe personal, tragic situations, on the other side the theatrical passivity of the author in what is happening, exposes the provocation that is directed towards the voyeuristic interest of the viewer, which is feed through the innocent aesthetics of home videos.

In the Office gallery the projects scenography is presented as a situation where all the people working in the office have left for a moment, and a random visitor steps in and encounters accidentally the personal data, forgotten on the computer screen. The trap has fallen! What begins is an orgy of voyeuristic desire. 

Margit Lõhmus (Margita Lehmusa, b.1985) graduated The Painting Department of The University of Tartu in 2007 and continued master studies in the painting department of The Estonian Academy of Arts, which she graduated in 2011 with the video series “The Room of Love”. The topic of those videos and partly the videos themselves have been part of her personal shows in Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu, where they have been adjust by paintings, photos and different installational elements - a black box room in Tartu, a transparent room in Pärnu. The exhibition in the Office gallery brings to the viewers the original series of five videos. The exhibition is curated by Indrek Grigor (Estonia). 

The LCCA Office Gallery is open on working days from 12 midday till 6pm; entry to exhibitions is free. Address: Alberta Street 13 (7th floor), Rīga, LV-1010.

Photographers are invited to apply for Portfolio review, which will take place in Riga on 9 May as forming part of the Riga Photomonth 2014 and  European Capital of Culture programme.

The Portfolio Review is open to applicants worldwide, and is an opportunity for emerging and professional photographers to showcase their work to a select group of professionals in the field of photography, including curators, gallery owners, publishers and photographers. The event is a platform for those seeking professional feedback on their developed projects and guidance on conceptual approaches or career development. Photographers in the process of developing project ideas and finding their voice in photography are also welcome.

We welcome 30 participants for the Portfolio Review event on 9 May, starting at 10 am and ending at 4 pm at the New National Library in Riga. Portfolio review slots are available on first-come, first-served basis. Photographers working in diverse fields — from fine art to photojournalism — are encouraged to take part.

More info "Portfolio review"

Till 1 April Riga Photomonth 2014 and ISSP invite photographers as well as illustrators, graphic artists and other creatives to apply for ARTIST'S BOOK WORKSHOP with photographer and bookmaker Nico Baumgarten (DE). The workshop will take place on 3-7 May in SELF PUBLISH RIGA project, forming part of the Riga Photomonth in 2014.

During this workshop, the participants will transform a series of previously created artworks - be it photography, illustration, graphic art, written word or any other medium - into a handmade artist book. The workshop will host 12 participants, selected based on applications. The language of instruction is English. The dummies produced during the workshop shall be featured as part of SELF PUBLISH RIGA exhibition in May 2014. More information about it you can read in  http://www.selfpublishriga.com

Tutor of the workshop Nico Baumgarten (DE, 1981) is a freelance photographer and bookmaker trying to find a way out of the limitations of the editorial and art market by creating books. He has studied photography at the IDEP in Barcelona and bookbinding at the CFP Bauer in Milan. He has self-published three books, all handmade in limited editions: 'Berlusconians / No Berlusconians' (2011), 'Leer' (2013), "ma almeno ci sei tu amore mio" (2013). Nico has taught photography and bookmaking workshops in Berlin, Riga, Caracas, Rio de Janeiro and Amsterdam. Additional information: www.nicobaumgarten.net

The workshop is organised by ISSP a part of Riga Photomonth 2014 and Riga 2014 -  European Capital of Culture programme with support by State Culture Capital Foundation, Goethe Institut in Riga, Antalis, Hewlett-Packard, FK Magazine, FOLD, kim? Contemporary Art Centre,
Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art.

Until April 20, photographers and visual artists are invited to submit their photobook dummies and self-published books for the international SELF PUBLISH RIGA competition. The winning entries will be featured in an exhibition as part of Riga Photo Month in May 2014.

Self-publishing makes it possible for artists to make and distribute their books themselves, avoiding the restrictions dictated by mass production. Bookmaking has become a more democratic process, available to everyone. The aim of SELF PUBLISH RIGA is to introduce a wider audience to the concept of self-publishing, using succesful examples to focus on its possibilities.
 
Entries will be judged by an international jury: Markus Schaden (founder of the Schaden publishing house, DE), Teun van der Heijden (photobook designer, NL), Ania Nalecka (photobook designer, PL), Matt Johnston (founder of the Photobook Club, UK), Juris Petraškēvics (artist and professor, Art Academy of Latvia) and Nico Baumgarten (photographer and bookmaker, DE). Members of the jury as well as other international partners from Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Estonia and Lithuania will visit Riga in May for the SELF PUBLISH RIGA event, including a photobook exhibition, discussions, lectures and workshops.
 
The winner of the contest will have the chance to attend an International Summer School of Photography 2014 (http://www.issp.lv/en/summer-school/2014/about) workshop of their choice free of charge; the three best entries will receive individual porfolio reviews with the jury members. Top Ten books will receive a special online feature. More information on the competition and submission requirements: www.selfpublishriga.com

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia, the Danish Cultural Institute in Riga and the Art Academy of Latvia presents the international release of the photobook VEINS by Anders Petersen (SE) and Jacob Aue Sobol (DK) published by Dewi Lewis Publishing (UK).
 
The event takes place on Wednesday, September 11, 2013, at 17:30, at the Art Academy of Latvia, Kalpaka bulv. 13 where you also will be able to see the photo exhibition VEINS. 
 
Both photographers will be present at the release and for signing of the book, which will be sold at a special release price.
 
This is a Riga PhotoMonth 2014 warm up event

FRIDAY 6.9. 10.00 – 11.30 AM Art Academy 2nd Floor, Big Hall.

 

The world-renowned war photographer Jan Grarup (DK) discusses with his Latvian colleagues – filmmaker Sandijs Semjonovs and journalist, photographer Atis Klimovičs and others – the present conditions for making war and conflict reporting by visual means.

Today media professionals working in warzones or elsewhere experience a new situation. Not only do they compete with each other but also with many others for shooting and telling stories – with the general public, public journalists or interest groups (environmentalists, political groups and often warring fractions and terrorists).

It means that nowadays much more information is available in pictures and films than before.

 

Does this change the information itself, the storytelling and the ethical landscapes?  Have the ethical borders shifted or have they stayed the same?  Also - does the way we report about conflicts today increase tensions or decrease them? Is there still much difference between the media we choose to work with or are the challenges precisely the same?

 

Forum participants together with the photographers and media people will discuss this at the impressive photo exhibition „Veins” by Anders Petersen and Jacob Aue Sobol at the Latvian Art Academy.

 

The event is organised by the Danish Cultural Institute, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia and the National Film Centre of Latvia within the framework of the Baltic Sea Forum for Documentaries.

 

Event language: English

In May 2015 the off-year events of Riga Photomonth – the biggest photo festival in Latvia – will take place offering a range of activities such as exhibitions, lectures, workshops, book presentations and other exciting events, turning Riga into a meeting point for international and local audiences.

The first Riga Photomonth aired in 2014 and the next one is planned in 2016. Yet, during the off-year period between the biennial years, Riga Photomonth will also offer a series of photography-related events. The key thematic framework is the Baltic, Nordic and Post-Soviet photography and the creative industry.

One of the central events in May 2015 will be a public panel discussion “Visual Arts, Freedom of Expression and Copyright”, where media and copyright experts, artists and curators from Latvia and abroad will take part. May will also be rich in other events such as a public portfolio review, solo shows of Imants Gross and Johan Sundgren at the Latvian Museum of Photography, presentation of Latvian Photography Yearbook, film night, Andrew Miksys artist’s talk and other events.

Riga Photomonth is organized by Imants Gross, Arnis Balčus and Alnis Stakle together with the ISSP, FK Magazine, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga Film Museum and other partners.

On Friday May 9 at 7 PM, the SELF PUBLISH RIGA international photobook exhibition and contest will open at The Mill coworking space in Riga.  On May 10-11, alongside the exhibition, talks and lectures on photobooks, design and self-publishing will take place throughout the day. SELF PUBLISH RIGA is part of Riga Photomonth 2014, a Riga 2014 European Capital of Culture event.

SELF PUBLISH RIGA is dedicated to the photobooks and the phenomenon of self-publishing that enables artists to create and distribute their own books, avoiding traditional publishing houses and their terms. Today book publishing has become a more democratic process, accessible to anyone, and is experiencing an unprecedented boom worldwide.

The exhibition will feature the best of the photobook dummies sent in to the SELF PUBLISH RIGA contest. Almost 100 books from 30 countries were submitted overall. Book collections from Poland, the UK, Turkey, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Latvia and Sweden will also be on show.

Two full days of talks and lectures are planned for the weekend of 10-11 May. Speakers: founder of Schaden.com Markus Schaden (DE), photobook designers Teun van der Heijden (NL) and Ania Nalecka (PL), founder of The Photobook Club Matt Johnston, photographer and self-publishing expert Nico Baumgarten (DE), curator and photographer Paul Paper (Lithuania), founder of Archivo online photography platform Ana Catarina Pinho (Portugal), photographer and lecturer Jana Romanova (Russia), representatives of Finnish photography collective Maanantai, independent publishers Lugemik (Estonia) and collective of independent publishers Bandrolsuz (Turkey).

The winners of the SELF PUBLISH RIGA book dummy contest will be announced at the final event on May 11 at 7 PM. The author of the winning book will be invited to participate in an International Summer School of Photography 2014 masterclass free of charge, and the three best entries will receive individual consultation sessions with the jury members.

The exhibition will be open on May 10-11 from 11 AM – 8 PM at The Mill, a new coworking space at Brīvības iela 33 (entrance from Dzirnavu iela), on the 2nd floor. Free admission.

SELF PUBLISH RIGA is organised by ISSP (www.issp.lv). See the programme at: www.selfpublishriga.com.

More about Riga Photomonth 2014: www.rigaphotomonth.com

Partners and supporters: The State Culture Capital Foundation, Goethe-Institut, British Council, The Embassy of the Republic of Poland, The Embassy of Estonia, Nordic Council of Ministers, Danish Cultural Institute, Antalis, Hewlett-Packard, Opera Hotel, Valmiermuižas alus, Veto Vīni.

Media and content partners: FK magazine, FOLD, kim?, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, Archivo, The Photobook Club, The Association of Swedish Professional Photographers, Lugemik, Fotofestiwal Łódź, BookOff, FotoDepartament, Bandrolsuz.

Solo exhibition "A Time of Change" by Māra Brašmane will be opened on 9th May  at the Arsenāls Exhibition Hall / Creative StudioThe Latvian National Museum of Art 2nd floor, 1 Torņa Street.  The exhibition is a part of Riga Photomonth 2014. and it will be on view until 1. June

When Māra Brašmane (b. 1942) first got her hands on her father’s wide-lens Voigtländer camera, she began to look for ways to use an image to freeze a moment of time. Just like one of the pioneers of French documental photography, Eugène Atget (1857–1927), who captured the unpretentious charm of the slowly disappearing narrow streets of old Paris and the residents thereof, Māra Brašmane has encapsulated things, events and moods in her photo series that have only existed in the past.

The photographer has devoted most of her professional life to museums, and stood witness to its visual and institutional change. In 1973, Māra Brašmane joined the staff at the Rundale Palace Museum as a young specialist. This was a time when the first restoration was taking place and there was a need for photographs of the objects that were to be restored. Rundale, along with trips to Latvian palaces and estates, became what Māra describes as her “school of art.” She learned more about her job and gained in-depth knowledge in the history of art. After 11 years, she returned to Riga, the city of her youth, and was hired by what today is the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMA). Māra Brašmane worked there as a staff photographer for 20 years (1984–2004), witnessing the transportation of exhibits, the establishment of an exposition of Soviet Latvian Art, and then the transfer of some of the collection to new facilities at the Arsenāls Exhibition Hall, renovation of the White Hall, and the opening of the Hege Hall.

The topic of museums became a personal and creative challenge for Māra Brašmane in 2005, when the exhibition “Museum People” was organised at the Small Hall of the museum. Early in 2013, she examined reconstruction plans and visualisation of the museum’s main building at 10a K. Valdemāra Street, visited the concluding exhibition, and carefully toured the museum’s facilities. This created the idea of a new photo project in which the central focus would be on the building itself, as opposed to people and artworks.

The various black-and-white and colour photographs that are part of the exhibition “Time of Change” are devoted to the main building of the LNMA. After reconstruction, it will have exhibition halls in the attic and the basement, lifts and restored spaces, providing it with a completely new identity. Māra Brašmane took the opportunity to record the building when most of the art had been removed from it, as had its archives and office equipment. Walls had been denuded of their plaster, and doors were open to rooms that had been unavailable for a long time to the visitors of the museum and, in some cases, the museum’s employees, as well. Māra spent an average of 4 to 6 hours at the museum for a 12-day period. Her last visit was on 26 April 2013, when the museum had been completely emptied, and the keys had been turned over to the workers dealing with reconstruction.

Māra Brašmane has produced several thematic series of images such as “Museum Attic,” “Packaging Room,” “Restoration Workshop” and “Heating System.” These allow viewers to examine all of the rooms of the museum in sequence. The artist has captured layers of paint, ornaments that were once hidden behind the white textile wallpapers, as well as dry rot from the walls of the museum which staff breathed for many decades. The objects and rooms in the images speak about the physical and intangible impressions of time – ones that organically turn into paintings of pure colours, lines, and contrasts between light and dark. Bare rooms, abandoned by both artworks and people, are revealed to the view. For a moment the museum's function has been taken away, and a silent expectation hesitates before a new beginning.