CREO ERGO SUM: Baltic Contemporary Ceramic Art at The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Riga

CREO ERGO SUM: Baltic Contemporary Ceramic Art is on view at The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Riga, Latvia

August 3 – October 3, 2021

Exhibition in the framework of the 3rd Latvia Ceramics Biennale

In the framework of the 3rd Latvia Ceramics Biennale programme, from 3 August to 3 October 2021, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga hosts a Baltic contemporary ceramic art exhibition CREO ERGO SUM.

The exhibition CREO ERGO SUM or I CREATE THEREFORE I AM organized by the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in cooperation with Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics and Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre is aimed to acquaint the public with the most prominent artists of contemporary ceramics in the Baltic States and identify the current state and development of the field in terms of altering concepts in the globally influenced world.

The 21st century is marked by the growing popularity and recognition of ceramics which today plays the role of a medium widely used in contemporary art contexts. Describing the current reawakening of ceramics, visual art researchers call it the “new video” and the “taste of the decade”. In the Baltic States, ceramics as a medium has always been historically significant, but in the last decade it has become still more compelling. In Latvia, this has resulted in several outstanding yearly ceramic events, along with that, artworks by individual ceramicists are frequently included in various visual art projects. In 2019, the Estonian pavilion at the Venice Biennial featured an ambitious ceramic installation by Kris Lemsalu. In turn, next year the artist duo Skuja Braden (Latvia / USA) will exhibit their porcelain works to represent Latvia at this prestigious international forum.

The exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design showcases the works of 19 artists selected through a competition from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. They share love for ceramics as a means of artistic expression, and the act of creation affirms their mission and ambition to be an artist. The Baltic contemporary ceramic exhibition invites us to realize that the creative process is essential to our being in the world. Most of the artworks on view were created during the social isolation caused by the pandemic.

Text by Aivars Baranovskis

Participating artists:
Latvia: Kaspars Geiduks, Valda Podkalne, Dainis Pundurs, Juta Rindina, Ilona Romule, Elīna Titāne
Lithuania: Isroildžon Baroti, Eglė Einikytė-Narkevičienė, Monika Gedrimaitė, Milena Pirštelienė, Egidijus Radvenskas, Agnė Šemberaitė, Rūta Šipalytė
Estonia: Ingrid Allik, Kadi Hektor, Lauri Kilusk, Laura Põld, Leo Rohlin, Anne Türn

Exhibition organized by:
LNMA / Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics

Exhibition supported by:
State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Cultural Endowment of Estonia,
Lithuanian Council for Culture

Exhibition curators:
Aivars Baranovskis, Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre / Latvia
Valentīns Petjko, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics / Latvia
Aurelija Seilienė, Ceramics Pavilion of Panevėžys City Art Gallery / Lithuania
Pille Kaleviste, Estonian Ceramics Association / Estonia

Exhibition coordinator: Dace Ļaviņa, Curator of the Latvian Ceramics Collection, Museum of Decorative Arts and Design / Latvian National Museum of Art

Contact
+371 67 357527

The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design
Great Hall
Skārņu iela 10
Riga, LV-1050, Latvia

Photos courtesy of the artists