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A limited number of people could watch the performance of both artists in person, so the event was also available live, Riga Art Space “Facebook” page, which has so far been watched by more than 1,700 viewers. Including face-to-face visitors, it has been seen by almost two thousand people. During the performance, the artist created an impressive inscription “I have a dream”, while Daniel Vētra sent 150 spears in his direction. Taking into account the intensity of the process and the possible risks, a medical team was assigned at the door of the exhibition hall, whose help, fortunately, was not used. In the resulting exhibition “Against the Tragic Wall” you will be able to see both the spear wall installation and several video materials from the performance itself and its preparation process.
It has already been reported that the performance “Against the Tragic Wall” heralded seemingly opposite impulses that form cycles of creation and destruction both on the individual’s deeply personal, existential level and in external interactions with society as a whole.
Inspired by Martin Luther King’s legendary speech on the centenary of the abolition of slavery in 1963, the central motif of this performance and exhibition is its quote “I have a dream”, which evolved from a visually impressive, dynamic performance process into a graphic, entropy installation. The performance consisted of elements worthy of the show and farce with a good dose of irony, as well as unpredictable and physically heavy repetitive action, in which gender roles were changed and the object became the mirror of society, “the creators of the exhibition write.
The performance was created by an installation artist Artūrs Virtmanis, Daniela Vētra, musician Linards Kalniņš, as well as DJ Monsta and Riga Dome Choir School student Olivers Veldre.
Daniela Vētra is an artist who deals with performance art, “live art”, installation art, is an author and actress of contemporary circus performances. Currently lives and works in Riga, Latvia.
Artūrs Virtmanis is an installation artist who, after studying in the Sculpture sub-branch of the Latvian Academy of Arts, has moved to New York, working in the fields of visual art, scenography and design. He has authored and co-authored numerous exhibitions, Broadway musicals, productions for European operas and theaters, as well as several important projects, such as the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympic Games, the MTV Award in New York, the Cirque de Solei in Dubai and elsewhere. In his work, he often focuses on the multi-layered representation of the time dimension, developing it into a three-dimensional monochrome installation.
Performance and exhibition curator – Luīze Lismane.
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