“What would not have been” with Tēlniecības kvadriennāle Rīga / Sculpture Quadrennial Riga The Sculpture Quadrennial Riga festival's core is the reflection of varied experiences woven into a tapestry of stories that transcend time and space.
A collective narrative unites artists from Europe, South America, and the Middle East. The exhibition probes the gains and losses of living and working in "uncomfortable" environments, exploring the impact of such settings on artistic creation. (The development of "What Would Not Have Been" began at the end of 2021, during a period when artists were still profoundly affected by the pandemic.)
The exhibition "What Would Not Have Been" presents a reflection on the interplay between geopolitical events and artistic expression as a means of recovery from isolation. Fostering shared narratives and respectful dialogues, the exhibition becomes a platform for artists to renew their practices and values. The artworks span a broad spectrum of emotional involvement, from politically charged critiques to deeply personal reflections, amidst recent socio-political events.
In February 2022, with the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this topic took even on a more profound and darker side as the festival team communicated with colleagues in Kyiv, who were involved in saving art and cultural values while simultaneously fighting the invaders. At this moment, a decision was made to expand the festival's perspective and include colleagues from Ukraine, with whom the festival team has been cooperating since 2015, to create the 2024 festival.
The newly created works for the festival infuse the exhibition with personal voices, grounding abstract concepts in lived experiences.
(The text of Kristiana Karklina)
Organized by MMIC, NOASS, DOM gallery, kuš! Supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Riga City Council, Culture Moves Europe, University of Canterbury (UCA), Mondriaan Fund, Embassy of Italy in Latvia, Italian Council, Valmiermuiža, Curator Space, Goethe Institute and the European Union.
The work will be carried out together with festival curators and the festival team in the organisation MMIC.
Curators: Kristiana Karklina, Kateryna Ray
speaker and assistant of the project Vitalii Baliura
Artists: Anna Taradina (UA), Danylo Halkin(UA), Shumikhin Daniil (UA), Guinchi (CO/DE), Daniela Vetra (LV), dreammanagemant2024 (LV), DZZ (LV), Krisjanis Belavskis (LV), Kriss Zilgalvis & Dzintars Zilgalvis & Aigars Lavrinovich (LV), Kaspars Brambergs (LV), Laimdota Malle (LV), Letizia Calori (IT), Matěj Frank (CZ), Rebecca Korn (UK) & Anastasia Shneps-Shneppe (LV), Rita Adib (SY/CA), Roberts Balins (LV), Charlotte Eta Mumm (NL/DE),Vitaliy Kokhan (UA). In collaboration with kuš! Müge Yilmaz (NL/TR), Elio J Carranza (NL/DE), Pam Virada (NL/TH), Ceel Mogami de Haas (NL/CH), Christine Moldrickx (NL/DE), Petra Feriancova (SK), Letizia Calori (IT), Stephan Blumenschein (NL/AT), Holger Bunk (NL/DE), Charlotte Eta Mumm (NL/DE), Madara Krēziņa (LV), Samplerman (FR), Jose Quintanar (NL/ES), Jeroen Funke (NL), Lai Tat Tat Wing (HK), Anna Malicka (LV), Bohdana Zaiats (UA), Othman Selmi (TN), Ana Margarida Matos (PT), König Lü. Q. (CH).
Producers: Anastasia Shnepps-Shneppe, Liga Kozlovska, Vents Feldmanis, Agnese Cikule,
Scenography: Arturs Arnis
