Exploring Local Pictorial History Through Art: A Modern History of Photography I Exhibition at ISSP Gallery

A modern history of photography I kicks off a series of two exhibitions at the ISSP gallery, which features several artists’ renderings and interpretations of the processes of writing local pictorial history.

How do you fill the gap of deep history at the same time and critically review existing narratives? The new works are created by referring to and creating a conversation with designers and philosophers of different historical periods, as well as collaborating with researchers on the individual subjects.

Kristīne Krauze-Slucka worked with the archive of Inas Stūre (1958-2006), a photographer who was active in the 1980s and early 1990s, but who is not well known today. The new work raises questions about the “disappearance” of women from history and emphasizes Stūre’s expressive images which are staged against the background of the small living conditions and domestic life of the period of change. The practices of both artists are united by an experimental approach for the time and a focus on the appropriateness of the image. On the other hand, Agate Tūna, driven by her personal and artistic interests, is looking for threads of paranormal and infamous photography in Latvia, challenging the boundaries of the conventional photographic medium and its relationship to reality. The writing of history, including art history, is never neutral, but is embedded in a social and political context, including certain power relations and a large number of personal choices. . The series of exhibitions shows the theme of each version of history and different aspects of local photography that are not so well known.

Presentation of the second cycle A modern history of photography II (artists – Annemarija Gulbe, Konstantins Zhukovs) will take place from 5.07 to 15.08.2024.

Curator of the exhibition series – Liana Ivete Žilde, curator – Liene Pavlovska.

The exhibition is organized by the Society ISSP, which has been active in the field of modern photography for more than 15 years, creating an active photography environment in Latvia, educating the young generation Latvian photo authors and promoting international exchange.