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26.09. - 26.10.2024 ARTURS BERZINS "Trees Grow Where They Are Allowed; Trees Grow as They Are Allowed"
26.09. - 26.10.2024
Galerija "Māksla XO"
Elizabetes iela 14, Rīga, LV 1010
ARTURS BERZINS
Trees Grow Where They Are Allowed; Trees Grow as They Are Allowed
“Many different images can be seen in nature. However, selecting the most thought-provoking ones is important to create a new image of nature that makes us feel and think about what was, is and will be, what it was like, is and will be, why was, is and will be”– Arturs Berzins, 2010.
In his latest series of works, “Trees Grow Where They Are Allowed; Trees Grow as They Are Allowed”, Arturs Berzins continues to seek and find answers to questions about structures that form culture and environment, time-space, traditions of thinking, and archetypes. His primary source of cognition for more than ten years is nature, the environment in which he lives and works – the world, place, territory, home – Olaine Municipality, Latvia.
We perceive the environment in which we live as a scene. The environment leaves an impression on the human personality - perhaps it is our con-text. The environment is changeable and is changed mainly by man himself.
In his latest exhibition, “about trees”, Arturs Berzins shows works from three series. The first reveals the cityscapes of Olaine from the 1920s. The sun of Soviet Latvia from the 60s and 70s of the 20th century shines above the sights of the city, the time when city of Olaine was intensively built. Trees designed by Soviet Latvian architects will be “planted” in the cityscapes. Architects drew approximately such trees, approximately in the plans of such cities.
The second and third series of works are about the forest around Olaine.
The most interesting forest types that the artist found in the Olaine district. There is a common assumption that Olaine is built on a swamp. It is possible that Olaine looked like before Olaine, as Arturs Berzins portrays in these two series.
We repeat what we see in ourselves, feel it and experience it. Everything we see appears in consciousness as an image and groups of images.
Arturs Berzins (1971) is one of the most peculiar representatives of Latvian contemporary art, with a specially cultivated drawing-painting technique, halfway between photography and painting, which the artist calls a long photograph in terms of time. His works are conceptual studies of what is happening today and what happened in the past. Several times, Arturs Berzins has been nominated for the Purvitis Prize – the most prestigious art award in Latvia. He graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia with a master's degree in painting (2009) and a master's degree in the history and theory of visual arts and culture (2014). Since 2008, he has organized 20 solo exhibitions and has participated in more than 30 group exhibitions in Latvia and abroad. The works by Arturs Berzins are included in collections of the Latvian National Museum of Art (Riga, Latvia) and the Olaine History and Art Museum (Olaine, Latvia).