From August 1, 2020 to September 20, the sculpture exhibition “Lactation” by Olga Šilova, Ance Vilnīte and Nila Jumītis will take place in the Dome Hall of the main building of the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMM) (Riga, Janis Rozentāls Square 1).
Content will continue after the ad
Advertising
–
Lactation – the process by which the breasts develop and secrete breast milk. Lactation begins after childbirth, but the preparation of the glands for lactation is a long process that takes place during pregnancy.
The exhibition is designed as a conversation about the relationship between mother and child between three artists from very different perspectives of life, revealing the story of a woman’s strength as both a mother and an artist, the beauty and challenges of childbirth.
In Olga Šilova’s works, the mother’s instinct resonates with the sculptor’s desire for creativity, the artist’s relationship with her works is compared to children – ideas that must be carried, cherished and defended. If it is this instinct that helps a woman to overcome unimaginable difficulties – is something similar guided in the process of creation?
“Thoughts and feelings that, when transformed into a work of art, resemble mother’s milk. The sweat impregnated with the sculpture’s surface is like a mother’s caresses. The energy with which the sculptor loads the material and the magnetism that comes from looking at the work over time food that the artist puts in his sculptures, “explains Olga Šilova.
Olga Šilova’s works for this exhibition have been deliberately made in milky white gypsum, polyurethane, foam plastic – materials that sculptors usually use at the very beginning of the creation. They are intermediate materials that allow the idea to be captured in a tangible form, but they still have a fragile short-termity.
In contrast to Olga Šilova, the artist Ance Vilnīte is just beginning her professional career and in her sculptural installations reflects the insecurity and anxiety of a young woman, which arises from the observed possible life scenarios when she becomes a mother. It is not only the fear of losing personal freedom and dreams, but also the real concern of whether it will be possible to give it all to the child. “The reasons why a woman may choose not to become a mother are not always related to reluctance,” says the author, drawing attention to the various social, emotional and practical challenges associated with raising children.
In his works, the young artist Nils Jumītis has turned the story of this relationship from a completely different side, creating a fragmentary space of childhood memories. Like black-and-white photo negatives cast in cast iron, dolls form dark, mysterious images that evoke viewers’ personal emotions and reflections – loose, distorted and threatening as a warning voice for the subconscious. Vague memories, lost and elusive time – what do they hide about the present itself?
“A work of art is also created in a process that requires nourishment in the literal and figurative sense, in which a creative thought or form changes and develops. Streams of pink metal flow inside the mold,” nourishing “the form and acquiring a new form. The form is transformed into another material. image – a cast – iron semiotic attempt is made to touch the experienced memories, which today ‘s human perception has changed greatly, “says Nils Jumitis.
About artists
Olga Shilova is a notable Latvian sculptor of the end of the 20th century – beginning of the 21st century, associate professor of the Latvian Academy of Arts. Author of several recognizable awards and urban sculptures (“Riga Tower Counter”, “Ziedonis Prize”, etc.). The most important solo exhibition in recent years is “Milda in a three-quarter turn” (gallery “Art XO”).
Ance Vilnite is a student of the bachelor’s program of the Latvian Academy of Arts, who has gained more attention with bright works and a set of performances in the exhibition “Academia“Arsenal in the exhibition hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art. Participated in several group exhibitions, including the MVT Summer House exhibition” Samaltie “, as well as the festival” Riga Photo Month 2020 “program.
Nils Jumītis has graduated from the Metal Design sub-branch bachelor’s program of the Latvian Academy of Arts, participated in several international symposia and group exhibitions. One of the Nordic & Baltic Young Artist Award’19 (NBYAA) Grand Prize nominees.
–
