Riga Photomonth 2018 starts next week
From 7 May to 7 June International Festival Riga Photomonth 2018 will take place in Riga, offering 8 exhibitions and more than 20 events on the thematic scope New Chic. Identity, self-representation, the changing language of photography and the impact of technologies on our everyday lives are the topics that more than 50 artists from Latvia, Northern countries, Eastern Europe and more remote countries will examine in their works.
The official opening of the festival will take place on 9 May 6pm at Riga Congress Centre with the exhibition New Chic, where 12 artists will take part: Kasia Bielska (Poland), Inka & Niclas (Sweden), Steffen Kloster Poulsen (Denmark), Laura Kuusk (Estonia), Andrejs Lavrinovičs (Latvia), Lilia Limiyan (Russia), Reinis Lismanis (Latvia), Slava Mogutin (USA/Russia), Marge Monko (Estonia), Visvaldas Morkevičius (Lithuania), Maija Tammi (Finland) and Irina Popova (Netherlands/Russia).
Moreover, the exhibition that is curated by photographers Arnis Balčus and Alnis Stakle will also offer an extensive programme of education – a variety of lectures and worksheets for the secondary school students.
Another part of programme Self Publish Riga, which from 10 May will be open to audiences at the ISSP Gallery at Berga Bazārs, will be dedicated to photobooks and the self-publishing culture. In the framework of this programme, several collections of photobooks will be exhibited, for example, the historical Latvian photobooks, the latest photobooks from the Baltics, etc.
From 7 May at the National Library of Latvia exhibition Bodybuilding will be launched. This exhibition is curated by the authors of the new generation – Elizabete Ezergaile, Elizabete Džeina Rubene, Luīze Nežberte, Rasa Pavilona and Beāte Poikāne. The sculptures and installations displayed at the exhibition interpret the literal and metaphorical meaning of bodybuilding.
Furthermore, at the Latvian Museum of Photography group show Wool and Silk. The New Erotic will be open from 10 May. This show will offer a new definition of erotica opening the door to different sexualities and practices. Such authors as Evija Gruzna, Ieva Balode, Reinis Hofmanis, Lando Jansone, Raimonds Rencis and others will take part in the show.
Several solo shows will also be offered in the framework of the Festival. One of them is Bruised by the famous Latvian artist Kristians Brekte at the Latvian War Museum, the show Picture or It Didn’t Happen by graffiti artist VOUR at the Art Space Micēlijs, as well as the show Air by graphic designer and photographer Sandijs Ruļuks at the Bar Č. Riga Photomonth will also offer a portfolio review with the participation of various international experts, a film programme, the presentation of the publication Latvian Photography 2018, FK Prize to the emerging photographers, creative workshops, lectures and presentations of artists and sociologists. A full festival programme is available on website rigaphotomonth.com
