Art as Mutual Dialogue: Meet Purvītis Prize Candidates Inga Melderi and Louis Nežberti
Artists Meldere and Nezberte Explore Collaboration in ”Saulsties” Exhibition
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RIGA, Latvia – Artists Inga Meldere and Louise Nezberte have joined forces for “Saulsties,” a collaborative exhibition resulting from a year of intensive work in studios across Helsinki and Vienna. The exhibition explores themes of regional identity, social commentary, and cultural history through a variety of media.
Meldere, a painter who has resided in Finland for several years, is known for her abstract and poetic works. Nezberte, a sculptor based in Austria and host of the Pech Exhibition Space, focuses on architectural heritage and creating sculptures from architectural forms.
“Being away makes it better to see or notice many things, including young artists or new directions, or new kinds of practice. I think who is only in Latvia, I would be a little blind in this way,”
– Inga meldere
Despite living abroad, both artists emphasize the importance of maintaining connections with the Latvian art scene. “saulsties” features sculptures, installations, drawings, and paintings that reflect on regional, social, cultural, and past nuances. the exhibition is described as a dialog across time, an awareness of roots, and a generational viewpoint.
Highlights of “Saulsties”
The exhibition includes Meldere’s oil paintings on paper from her “Work Exercises, or Breathing Exercises” series, which she began during the pandemic.
“I had that setting every day – paint one or two – as a hand workout,also breathing exercise,and also as unconsciously pounding using traditional material,”
– inga Meldere
Meldere notes that these works evolved to reflect nature and the relationship between the human body and it’s environment. One painting, titled ”Sea Paths,” depicts boat silhouettes and intersecting lines. Other works feature sphinxes inspired by sleeping cats and flax, resembling logs.
Nezberte’s contributions include sculptural “legs” referencing columns. According to Meldere, these are “miniature versions of different metals.” nezberte’s interest in architecture is central to her work, especially her interpretations of decorative poles from the Maet’s Meeting House and columns from the 1926 Song Festival.
The 1926 Song Festival was held near the current location of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
Louise Nezberte is convinced that if it was possible to leave in time but to keep the hall where the exhibit could be viewed, and if the hall still had transparent ceilings, it would be possible to see the original columns of the original Pauls Stage.
– Louise Nezberte
Collaboration and Spatial Installation
A collaborative spatial sand installation,titled “Symbiocene,” is also featured,involving artists Ieva Putnina and Elīna Vitola.the installation utilizes natural color pigmentation from local plants. The artists explain that while blue is arduous to obtain naturally, they experimented with red cabbage. Greenish hues come from pomegranate bark, yellow from yarrow, and various shades from ash bark.
“At the moment, this composition really embodies me what is happening in contemporary art at all. There is a variety, volatility, volatility and various unconventional materials or traditionally, but forgotten materials with other applications. It is this moment of cooperation,such exchange of thought and experiences. The finished result will also change during the exhibition, both drying and spectators will definitely change it,”
– Inga Meldere
Meldere, whose initial training was in art pedagogy, aims to foster dialogue and reflection through her work.
“I try to tell something, open up a chance to explore or understand more, or discover something. The viewer is often vital. But not always. I don’t no if the artist has to think about it when he creates a job, but in my case the viewer is quite important.”
– Inga Meldere
“I am interested in not saying the viewer what I have to look at or what my works mean, but that the viewer himself goes to something or thinks of something,”
– Louise Nezberte
Critics’ Perspectives
arta Varpa, head of the Purvītis Prize Commission and Collector of Sculpture Objects at the Latvian National Museum of Art, highlights the collaborative aspect of “Saulsties” as a key strength. Varpa believes it demonstrates the maturity and collaborative spirit of Latvian artists.
Varpa notes the artists’ diverse backgrounds and media, which contribute to a rich artistic conversation.
Varpa praised Nezberte’s sculptural and architectural objects for thier aesthetic, conceptual, and formal qualities. She also recognized Meldere as an internationally acclaimed artist whose paintings, in conjunction with Nezberte’s work, exemplify the power of collaboration.
More information can be found here.
Here’s a comprehensive, Q&A-style blog post analyzing the exhibition ”Saulsties” by inga Meldere and Louise Nezberte, designed for SEO and E-E-A-T:
“Saulsties”: Exploring Collaboration, Identity, and time in Latvian Art
Welcome too a deep dive into “Saulsties,” a captivating collaborative exhibition by artists Inga Meldere and Louise Nezberte. This exhibition is a compelling exploration of latvian identity, cultural history, and the dialog between past and present. Let’s unpack this intriguing artistic endeavor through a series of insightful questions and answers.
Q: What is “Saulsties” and who are the artists behind it?
A: “Saulsties” is a collaborative art exhibition featuring the work of Inga Meldere and louise Nezberte. The exhibition, which resulted from a year of working together in studios across Helsinki and Vienna, delves into themes of regional identity, social commentary, and cultural history through various media.
Q: Who are Inga Meldere and Louise Nezberte?
A: Inga Meldere is a painter known for her abstract and poetic works and has resided in Finland. Louise Nezberte,based in Austria and host of the Pech Exhibition space,is a sculptor who focuses on architectural heritage and creating sculptures from architectural forms. They both maintain a strong connection to the Latvian art scene,despite living abroad.
Q: What inspired the collaboration between Meldere and Nezberte?
A: The collaboration seems to be rooted in a shared interest in Latvian artistic identity, its past, and the dialogue between diffrent generations of artists. The exhibition itself is described as a ”dialog across time, an awareness of roots, and a generational viewpoint.” The artists’ diverse perspectives, Meldere’s time abroad and Nezberte’s interest in architectural echoes, probably created a fertile ground for their combined work.
Q: What themes does the “Saulsties” exhibition explore?
A: the exhibition grapples with:
regional Identity: Delving into what it means to be Latvian, both from within and from an international viewpoint.
Social Commentary: Reflecting on current societal issues, perhaps through the lens of history and culture.
Cultural History: Examining the Latvian past and drawing connections to the present.
Generational Viewpoint: Presenting different angles that make a dialogue across the various generations in art.
Q: What kind of artwork can visitors expect to see in “saulsties”?
A: The exhibition features a diverse range of media, including:
Paintings: Specifically, Inga Meldere’s oil paintings on paper from her “Work Exercises, or Breathing Exercises” series.
Sculptures: Including Louise Nezberte’s sculptural works.
Installations: A collaborative spatial sand installation, “Symbiocene, ” by Meldere, Nezberte, Ieva Putnina, and Elīna Vitola.
Drawings: Likely incorporated within the various works or as standalone pieces.
Q: Can you tell me more about Inga Meldere’s paintings in the exhibition?
A: meldere’s oil paintings on paper are part of her “Work Exercises,or Breathing Exercises” series,begun during the pandemic.These evolved to reflect nature and the relationship between the human body and its habitat. Some works, such as ”Sea Paths,” depict boat silhouettes and intersecting lines. Others feature sphinxes inspired by sleeping cats and flax, resembling logs. These paintings are,as meldere states,a kind of “hand workout,also breathing exercise,and also as unconsciously pounding using traditional material,”
Q: What is unique about Louise Nezberte’s contributions?
A: Nezberte’s sculptural work focuses on architectural themes,notably her interpretations of columns. These are “miniature versions of different metals,” referencing the columns from the 1926 Song Festival that was held near the current location of the Latvian National Museum of Art with an thankfulness for architectural heritage. They add depth and a sense of place to the exhibition.
Q: Tell me more about the collaborative spatial installation “Symbiocene.”
A: “Symbiocene” is a spatial sand installation that brings together the artistic vision of Meldere, Nezberte, Ieva Putnina and Elīna Vitola. It makes use of natural color pigmentation from local plants. The artists use red cabbage for blue, pomegranate bark for greenish hues, yarrow (for yellow), and ash bark for various shades of color. This unconventional approach adds an engaging layer to the exhibition by showcasing collaboration and the ability to change over time.
Q: What is the significance of the quotes from Inga Meldere?
A: Inga Meldere’s quotes illustrate her artistic philosophy. She values the distance from her homeland as it enables her to observe and learn from various artistic directions. As seen in the context of the exhibition, she considers the viewer to be an meaningful element of the whole process. Meldere’s words emphasize the power of art to foster a deeper understanding of the world.
Q: And what about Louise Nezberte’s perspective?
A: Nezberte’s words highlight that she’s more interested in making the viewer think, and giving space to their own intuition and perspective rather than telling them the meaning of her art.
Q: What do art critics say about “Saulsties”?
A: According to Arta Varpa, head of the Purvītis Prize Commission and Collector of Sculpture Objects at the Latvian National Museum of Art, “Saulsties’ exhibits the maturity and collaborative spirit of Latvian artists. Varpa praises the artists’ diverse backgrounds and media, which contribute to a rich artistic conversation to a rich artistic conversation.” She calls out the strength of the collaboration, which brings together diverse artistic backgrounds and media. Nezberte’s and Meldere’s works exemplify the power of collaboration.”
Q: How can I learn more about this exhibition and the artists?
A: For the latest information on the artists and other programs, you can see the original source:
Q: Where can I see “Saulsties”?
A: (The article doesn’t specify this detail.) This would be place/location of the location is key!