Kristaps Ancāns's Site-Specific Installation Explores New East Identity Amid Ukraine War
In December 2021, at the Mark Rothko Art Centre in Daugavpils, Latvia, the installation 'what can’t we just create' (2021-2022) was developed by Latvian-British artist Kristaps Ancāns and Romanian-American-Baltic curator Corina L. Apostol. This work, motivated by the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, includes four banners in Latvian, Russian, and English, alongside three color banners depicting Ukrainian woman Nastya, and a palm tree sculpted from local aspen wood. The piece explores themes of nationalism, sexuality, and solidarity during Europe’s crisis. Ancāns reflects on the site's military past, while Apostol highlights the political significance of public art, discussing conceptual art, queer inversions, and decolonial issues, including her contributions to the Estonian Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale.
Key facts
- Kristaps Ancāns created 'what can’t we just create' in 2021-2022 at the Mark Rothko Art Centre in Daugavpils, Latvia.
- Corina L. Apostol curated the installation, which opened in December 2021.
- The work includes banners with text in Latvian, Russian, and English and portraits of a Ukrainian woman named Nastya.
- A sculptural palm tree, carved from local aspen, is part of the installation.
- The site is a former fortress built between 1831 and 1833 by Russian Emperor Nikolay I.
- The conversation with Jasmina Tumbas addresses the Ukraine invasion's impact on identity and nationalism.
- Ancāns and Apostol both teach at the Art Academy of Latvia and collaborate on New East projects.
- Apostol is curating the Estonian Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, focusing on colonial legacies.
Entities
Artists
- Kristaps Ancāns
- Corina L. Apostol
- Jasmina Tumbas
- Mladen Stilinović
- Emilie Rosalie Saal
- Pål Anders Jörgen Hollender
- Nastya
- Anastasya
- Nikolay I
- Nicolae Ceaușescu
Institutions
- Mark Rothko Art Centre
- Art Academy of Latvia
- Tallinn Art Hall
- Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale
- POST program
- ARTMargins Online
Locations
- Daugavpils
- Latvia
- Latgale
- Riga
- Tallinn
- Estonia
- Ukraine
- London
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Romania
- Moscow
- Russia
- Sweden
- Yugoslavia
- Venice
- Italy
- Indonesia
- Netherlands
- North Korea
- Mars
- Moon