The artists’ vision as the conceptual starting point of the exhibition allows the creation of the RIBOCA3 exhibition to be positioned as a space for experimental expressions free from preconceived ideas. The works on display at the Biennale will function in their own right, inspiring discussions that are not subject to the strict theme of the exhibition. The title Dignity Exercises emphasizes the idea that each work of art should be viewed separately, but at the same time they all fit into the concept and context of the biennial. René Bloks, the main curator of the Biennale, explains in more detail: “Looking back at history, gestures that show respect are often used to indicate that we are trying to understand each other, despite differences of opinion. The exhibition will feature voices from different generations and around the world, and it will be both harmonious and disharmonious when listening to the overall sound of the Biennale. ”
Also in 2022, the main venue of the biennial will be the more than 20 hectare area of Andrejsala, where the trade port used to be. The impressive environment, in which an abandoned power plant, a port, grain storage facilities, meadows, hangars and other elements of industrial architecture coexist, has served as a source of inspiration for René Blok in choosing the exhibitors: “A sense of musicality is needed to fill this space and environment. I think of each artist as a voice, their works as musical instruments. In this metaphor, Andrejsala is their concert hall. But their job is not to play a piece under the direction of a conductor, they have to play for themselves. ”
The second venue of the Biennale will be the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design (DMDM) in Old Riga. It will exhibit graphics by 38 internationally renowned artists, previously created for the Biennials curated by René Blok in Hamburg (1985), Sydney (1990), Istanbul (1995) and Cetinje (2004). Some of RIBOCA3’s main exhibitors will also be represented at this exhibition; the full list of DMDM exhibitors will be announced in the spring.
More than half of the works on display at the main exhibition will be creative, inspired by the city’s unique social and historical contexts. It should be mentioned that a record number of local – Latvian participants will participate in RIBOCA3.
Premiere of RIBOCA2 “Everything Blooms”
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Together with the Bloc, the biennial is created by associate curator Nico Anklam, who participates in the development of the RIBOCA3 public program.
* The symbol indicates a newly created work of art
ABOUT THE RENE BLOCK
René Block started his creative work by creating exhibitions at the Galerie René Block in Berlin (1964–1979) and René Block Gallery Ltd. In New York (1974-77). During this period, he worked closely with young artists of the time, including Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, KP Brehmer, KH Hödicke, Wolf Vostell, and Joseph Beuss. Joseph Beuys) and Nam June Paik.
In 1972, the Bloc became curator of the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, the Berliner Festwochen, and the Academy of Arts. From 1982 to 1992, he was responsible for visual artists and composers in the Berlin artists’ residency program, where he organized several international projects, performance and music festivals, and exhibitions at the Daadgalerie. In the following years, until 1995, he was responsible for creating exhibition programs for the IFA (Institute for External Relations), representing German art abroad. During this period he became curator of several biennials, including Hamburg (1985, Towards an Art of Peace Biennial), Sydney (1990, The Readymade Boomerang), Istanbul (1995, Orient / ation), and the Korean city of Gwangju (2000, Eurafrica). , In the Montenegrin city of Cetinje with Natasa Ilic (2004, Love it or leave it), in Belgrade with Barbara Heinrich (2006, The October Salon’s Art, Life & Confusion).
From 1997 to 2006, René Bloks was the director of the Kunsthalle Fridericianum in Kassel and curated several notable exhibitions. These included the series “Balkan Trilogy” with the exhibition In den Schluchten des Balkan (2003), which featured 88 works by artists from 12 countries in the Balkan region, as well as a number of satellite projects in the Balkans, including the Cetinje Biennale in 2004. During this time he also set up a new program called the Curatorenwerkstatt (Curator’s Workshop) Fridericianum, which allowed five young curators to gain experience in developing their first large-scale projects.
He completed his major art projects while curating the Nordic Pavilion (Welfare-Fare Wel) at the 52nd Venice Biennale in 2007. A year later, René Bloks founded the art space TANAS, which served as a platform for Turkish artists in Berlin until 2013. At the same time, he co-founded the Kunsthal 44 Møen exhibition space in Denmark, where he continues to work as artistic director.
PAR NIKO ANKLAMU
Niko Anklam has recently been appointed director of the Recklinghausen Exhibition Hall and director of the Recklinghausen Museum. He is the author of several publications on conceptual art and art practices related to the Fluxus movement, as well as lecturing at the University of the Arts Berlin, Humboldt University, the Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art in Norway and the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn. Anklam holds a doctorate and his research interests include the emergence of the Nordic landscape in the visual arts in the 19th century. He has also curated the Danish exhibition space Kunsthal 44 Møen, founded by Rene Blok, and has worked on projects at the Rietveld Pavilion in Amsterdam, the YEARS art project in Copenhagen and the Malmö Academy of the Arts.
PAR RIBOCA
The Riga International Biennale of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA) is an international biennial founded in 2016 with a European focus and a strong regional profile. The rich history of Riga and the Baltic States allows the Biennale to highlight a wider region and creates opportunities for artists to enter into a dialogue with the cultural, historical and socio-political context of the city and its geographical surroundings.
Despite the fact that the spread of biennial culture (or so-called ‘biennialisation’) is often criticized, RIBOCA is committed to creating a sustainable and high-quality model that highlights artists and the creation of art, as well as providing high-quality artistic presentation and mediation. The goal of the Biennale is to take root in the place where it takes place. It covers the local, national, regional and, finally, international levels. Combining the Biennale’s global vision and mission to increase the artistic connection between the Baltic region and the rest of the world, a significant proportion of the artists selected for the Biennale live, work or were born in the Baltic region, an area that is still relatively open despite productive art.
RIBOCA sees itself as an important place for the creation of artistic experimentation and knowledge, an activator of cooperation and interaction between local and regional actors and institutions, and a barometer of current social, political and economic issues reflected in artistic practices.
RIBOCA1 was curated by Katerina Gregos and Solvej Helweg Ovesen in 2018, and RIBOCA2 in 2020 by Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel.
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION RIGA INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL
The initiator of the Riga International Biennale of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA) is the RIGA INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL. Agnija Mirgorodska, the founder and director of the Biennale, created RIBOCA to provide a new international platform for foreign and Baltic artists. Its aim is to popularize contemporary art, provide educational and public support throughout the region, and create artistic interaction between the Baltic region and the rest of the world.
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