Competition-Exhibition “Riga Smiles” (2013)
The exhibition “Riga Smiles” was comprised of projects whose authors took part in the competition. The layouts and 3D visualizations of all the artists’ works apply to potential large format works of art which could remain as part of Riga’s urban environment. This is high-quality, intelligent, interesting, anecdotal, and good-natured art. It could genuinely induce broad smiles of surprise among Rigans and visitors to the city.
The prototype for the exhibition and the project is “Venus of Willendorf in the 21st Century”, a sculpture created by the emerging artist and 2012 Art Academy of Latvia (AAL) Master’s studies graduate, Brigita Zelča-Aispure. Many years it delighted people passing by the Art Academy of Latvia’s frontal façade.
The exhibition “Riga Smiles” was a concluding event of the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation’s supported art festival TÊTE-À-TÊTE IN 20 EPISODES which took place in Riga in 2013 from the beginning of May to early June. Exhibition Curator – AAL lecturer Helēna Demakova.
Participants of the exhibition
This exhibition was organised in collaboration with the Art Academy of Latvia and 13 artists took part in it:
- Liene Mackus with two art works - "A little Liiv prince with a fox …" and "Vilis Loves to Peer into the Distance".
- Krišs Salmanis with the art work "Sick and Tired".
- Ēriks Božis with the art work "Benches".
- Andris Breže with two art works - "A Monument to a Smoke" un "Riga’s Spanner".
- Ojārs Pētersons with four art works - "Large Vase", "Ice", "Horse" un "Granite Spheres".
- Kristaps Ģelzis with the art work "Victory Cannon".
- Brigita Zelča-Aispure un Sandis Aispurs with the art work "Still Life".
- Armands Zelčs with the art work "Untitled".
- Leonards Laganovskis with the art work from the cycle "World Opera Houses" – LNO".
- Aigars Bikše with the art work "Girl Finds Lost Time".
- Kaspars Podnieks with the art work "Tension in the City".
- Andris Eglītis with the art work "A Pile or the Order of Things".
You can see all the pictures in the photo gallery – Opening of the event.
Winners of the competition
Competition jury:
Ināra Tetereva, philanthropist
Boriss Teterevs, philanthropist
Māra Lāce, director of the LNMA
Juris Dambis, head of the State Cultural Monuments Protection Inspectorate
Kristaps Zariņš, prorector of the Latvian Academy of Art
Helēna Demakova, art scientist and curator of the “Riga Smiles” exhibition
The jury evaluated the 17 projects submitted to the competition “Riga Smiles” and decided on the four best projects that would go on to be realised in the city space.
The best works were: “Large Vase” by Ojārs Pētersons, “Still Life” by Brigita Zelča-Aispure and Sandis Aispurs, “Benches” by Ēiks Božis and “Monument to a Smoke” by Andris Breže. The project Ojārs Pētersons “Granite Spheres” earned the jury’s special commendation but it was decided not to implement it within the framework of the competition.