Solo Show at Latgale's Gors
The Art Gallery of Gors (located in Rezekne, the Latgale part of Latvia) is showing a new exhibition by artist Ritums Ivanovs
titled "Spirit within Spirit". The exhibition is curated by Raimonds Kalējs. The exhibition, which will run until 26 January 2025, holds great significance for Ivanovs. Firstly, it serves as a return to his ancestral home in Latgale. Additionally, it aims to highlight the spiritual accomplishments of the cultural masters of Latgale and bring together important figures in the arts, philosophy, drama, and choreography. Some of the notable names that will be featured include Alvis Hermanis,
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Damien Hirst, Ai Weiwei, David Lynch et al.
The exhibition revolves around the theme of "Spirit within Spirit," which serves as the central mantra for Ivanovs. The concept of the exhibition is deeply rooted in the artist's personal revelations about himself and his genetic heritage in various places in Latgale, such as Balvi district, Viļaka parish, Ksozīne, Lavošnieki, which have ancestral connections to Ivanovs' grandparents.
In addition to exploring his own roots, Ivanovs expresses a great interest in cultural authorities who are native to Latgale and have garnered worldwide recognition. Examples of such figures include painter Mark Rothko and philosopher Roberts Muks, who chose to spend the rest of his life in his hometown of Galeni after returning from the United States. The solo show combines personal reflection, ancestral connections, and a celebration of Latgale's cultural heritage, all while bridging the gap between local and global artistic influences.
Ritums Ivanovs is a highly regarded contemporary Latvian artist known for his portraiture, especially for his representative portraits of the three Presidents of Latvia. His creative interests have always focused on the portrait in terms of genre, on the search for a new artistic language and means of expression in terms of material and technical arsenal, varying from stylistic adherence to the Op Art aesthetic to the precision of photorealism with a strong emphasis on materiality.
In contrast to the often dispassionate and formally documentary nature of photographic hyperrealism, an important component of Ivanovs' portraits is the instantaneous emotional and psychological status of the subject. In the double portraits of creative personalities on display at Gors, justifies the artist's choice to use as source material still frames from video interviews with the cultural luminaries portrayed, each of whom has played an inspirational role in the artist's creative life. In Ritums Ivanovs' art, there is an important balance between the formal and the substantial, completeness and generalisation, while always retaining a discernible and inimitable handwriting, regardless of the morphological affiliation of the medium, be it painting, drawing or large-scale form.
More info: Gors
Exhibition open Tue-Sun 12AM-22PM
Video: LTV1 Culture News 27.11.2024
Photos: Dagnija Bernāne / Gors
In addition to exploring his own roots, Ivanovs expresses a great interest in cultural authorities who are native to Latgale and have garnered worldwide recognition. Examples of such figures include painter Mark Rothko and philosopher Roberts Muks, who chose to spend the rest of his life in his hometown of Galeni after returning from the United States. The solo show combines personal reflection, ancestral connections, and a celebration of Latgale's cultural heritage, all while bridging the gap between local and global artistic influences.
Ritums Ivanovs is a highly regarded contemporary Latvian artist known for his portraiture, especially for his representative portraits of the three Presidents of Latvia. His creative interests have always focused on the portrait in terms of genre, on the search for a new artistic language and means of expression in terms of material and technical arsenal, varying from stylistic adherence to the Op Art aesthetic to the precision of photorealism with a strong emphasis on materiality.
In contrast to the often dispassionate and formally documentary nature of photographic hyperrealism, an important component of Ivanovs' portraits is the instantaneous emotional and psychological status of the subject. In the double portraits of creative personalities on display at Gors, justifies the artist's choice to use as source material still frames from video interviews with the cultural luminaries portrayed, each of whom has played an inspirational role in the artist's creative life. In Ritums Ivanovs' art, there is an important balance between the formal and the substantial, completeness and generalisation, while always retaining a discernible and inimitable handwriting, regardless of the morphological affiliation of the medium, be it painting, drawing or large-scale form.
More info: Gors
Exhibition open Tue-Sun 12AM-22PM
Video: LTV1 Culture News 27.11.2024
Photos: Dagnija Bernāne / Gors
