Soviet Women Artists Reclaimed in Latvian Exhibition and Interview
The Latvian National Museum of Art is hosting an exhibition titled "I Remember, Therefore I Am. Women Artists’ Archives," curated by Andra Silapētere. Showcasing the talent of seven female artists from the Soviet era—Rita Einberga, Laima Eglīte, Maija Eliase, Mudīte Gaiševska, Ruta Kreica, Rasa Kalniņa-Grīnberga, and Olga Neimane-Kateņeva—the exhibition also includes contributions from contemporary artists such as Anni Puolakka and Marta Trektere. This event is part of the Arton Foundation's "Not Yet Written Stories" project. Silapētere will explore themes of artistic erasure at an upcoming conference in Warsaw this September.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'I Remember, Therefore I Am. Women Artists’ Archives' at Latvian National Museum of Art.
- Focuses on seven Soviet-era women artists marginalized in art history.
- Curated by Andra Silapētere of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA).
- Part of international project 'Not Yet Written Stories' with Arton Foundation (Warsaw), Photography Center (Zagreb), and Contemporary Art Centre (Ljubljana).
- Contemporary artists include Anni Puolakka, Marta Trektere, Liliana Piskorska, Evita Goze, Rasa Jansone.
- Silapētere cites LCCA's translation list with only one woman (Susan Sontag) as a turning point.
- Mudīte Gaiševska contributed to performances by Andris Grīnbergs but is excluded from the canon.
- Rita Einberga's archive burned down; her techniques were adopted by student Pēteris Martinsons.
- Maija Eliase's family censored her archive, devaluing her applied art.
- Olga Neimane-Kateņeva's porcelain includes Asian and Slavic motifs, omitted due to nationalism.
- Liliana Piskorska's film 'Strong Sister told Brothers' (2019) translates a queer manifesto into Polish.
- Conference planned for September in Warsaw with project partners.
Entities
Artists
- Andra Silapētere
- Rita Einberga
- Laima Eglīte
- Maija Eliase
- Mudīte Gaiševska
- Ruta Kreica
- Rasa Kalniņa-Grīnberga
- Olga Neimane-Kateņeva
- Anni Puolakka
- Marta Trektere
- Liliana Piskorska
- Evita Goze
- Rasa Jansone
- Andris Grīnbergs
- Pēteris Martinsons
- Mara Brašmane
- Ieva Melgalve
- Adele Bea Cipste
- Margaret Tali
- Ingrid Ruudi
- Susan Sontag
Institutions
- Latvian National Museum of Art
- Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA)
- Arton Foundation (Fundacja Arton)
- Photography Center (Zagreb)
- Contemporary Art Centre (Ljubljana)
- Art Academy of Latvia
Locations
- Latvia
- Riga
- Warsaw
- Poland
- Zagreb
- Croatia
- Ljubljana
- Slovenia
- India
- England