Rīga offers its visitors no shortage of art galleries and museums, but most of them are filled with masterpieces from another century—impressionistic snow-covered landscapes or images of happy farmers working the land. While there are indeed a number of interesting galleries showing the work of contemporary artists, the most exciting developments in the visual arts are in the realm of art history, where for the first time a discourse about Latvian art is being created.

During the Soviet period, the tedious and stagnant style of Socialist Realism remained the only one tolerated by the government on an official level. By working unofficially, however, artists were able to progress in a manner similar to their Western colleagues, experimenting with such “subversive” genres as conceptual, installation and performance art.

But art history did not evolve as a discipline, because Socialist Realist art was supposed to present a lucid and unequivocal message, which precluded any form of criticism. Unofficial art was not to be commented on at all. Consequently, after 1991 the Latvian National Museum of Art (Latvijas Nacionālais mākslas muzejs), along with the newly founded Soros Center for Contemporary Art (since 2000 the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, or Latvijas Laikmetīgās mākslas centrs) began the immense task of documenting and creating a history of Latvian art where one never had existed. One way of doing this has been through the organization of exhibitions.

This past spring, the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art curated “Robežpārkāpēji” (Trespassers), a retrospective of the art of the 1980s. This was the first comprehensive look at the decade that could be described as the coming of age of Latvian artists. In the West, artists had been experimenting with performance art and installation since the 1950s, and with video art since the 1960s. It wasn’t until the ‘70s and ‘80s that artists in Latvia were able to try out these art forms for themselves—not only because of government restrictions over art production, but also because of the lack of materials, as well as lack of contact with the West. By the 1980s, with the social changes that resulted from perestroika and glasnost, artists felt more free to experiment, with less risk of consequences for doing so.

In conjunction with its 100th anniversary in 2005, the Latvian National Museum of Art put together an exhibition of art from the second half of the 20th century (“Latvijas Māksla 20. gadsimta otrajā pusē”), on view at the Arsenāls Exhibition Hall until June 2006. This is the very first assessment of the art that developed in Latvia from after the Second World War until the present day, showcasing works of Socialist Realism side by side with avant garde experiments. Exhibitions such as these are crucial, because there are no textbooks on Latvian art history, no resources that tell us who influenced whom, and how this or that style developed. The history of Latvian art is still very much an oral tradition, and the exhibition is currently the only site where visitors can bear witness to a history that runs the risk of soon being forgotten, unless it is recorded for posterity.

When that exhibit closes next summer, Rīga will once again be without a permanent display of contemporary art. There are plans to build a contemporary art museum but, like many projects in the works in Latvia, it is dependent on the availability and readiness of funds.

As a result, alternative spaces—including virtual exhibitions—are being created where those interested may view works and read about the artists, art movements and significant events in the history of Latvian art.

CAMP (Contemporary Art Museum Project) is an online art database being developed by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art. The project’s Web site is in Latvian and English, and contains a catalogue of contemporary Latvian artists and art works, as well as useful bibliographies of art publications since the 1980s. A section entitled “Games” is intended as an educational tool to help children understand and interpret works by contemporary Latvian artists, but it can also be entertaining for adults. The site’s creators also aim to provide a forum for discussion about the conception of a contemporary art museum in Latvia. It is an excellent resource both for art historians and those with a general interest in what has been happening in Latvia art during the last 25 years.

The Latvian Artists’ Union Museum (Latvijas Mākslinieku savienības muzejs) maintains a collection of more than 15,000 works, but the museum’s approximately 60 square meters of exhibition space is not sufficient to display even a fraction of that. The curators have managed to circumvent these limitations by putting together an online exhibition entitled “Art. Myth and Document. 1940-1941. 1944-1991.” The virtual exhibition seeks to document Latvian art from the Soviet period by focusing on three aspects: the continuation of Latvian traditions in art that developed during the period of the First Republic, innovations in Latvian art during the second half of the 20th century, and commissions from the regime that aimed to keep art in line with party ideology. Unlike CAMP, this site is literally an online museum, and the focus is more on presenting works of art in an exhibition format than creating a research tool.

There are also places in Rīga where one can view contemporary art in real time and space. While most of the galleries are commercial, offering very traditional canvases for purchase, there are a select few that feature contemporary artists and promote experimental work that is happening in Latvia today.

NOASS is not only a gallery located on a narrow strip of land across from the Radisson SAS hotel in Rīga (the physical address is AB dambis), but also a culture and arts project that aims to promote contemporary art, experimentation, and the use of new technologies in art works. NOASS supports a variety of projects taking place in Latvia, and the gallery hosts not only exhibitions, but also performances and film festivals.

Galerija Māksla XO, located in a great cellar space in Konventa sēta (Skārņu iela 8), Rīgas Galerija (Aspazijas bulvāris 20), and Galerija Bastejs (Basteja bulvāris 12) often feature exhibits by leading contemporary Latvian artists as well as up-and-coming ones.

Finally, one can also see a variety of interesting shows by local as well as international artists at the Artists’ Union of Latvia Art Gallery (11. Novembra krastmala 35). After visiting the gallery on the first floor, one can head up to the third floor to view the works on view at the aforementioned Artists Union of Latvia Art Museum.

If you don’t have the opportunity to come to Rīga and visit the galleries yourself, online resources provide a convenient alternative. Hopefully, as those continue to develop, publishing will also increase and Rīga will soon see the opening of a contemporary art museum to complement the virtual experience of the visual arts. Until then, the advantage is to the armchair traveler sitting at home in front of their computer.

A family shelter under development in Latvia will benefit from the online sale of a book devoted to the San Jose Sharks professional hockey team, the Kids First Fund has announced.

The limited edition book, Steve Cameron’s Feeding Frenzy: The Wild New World of the San Jose Sharks, will include an autographed photograph of former Sharks goalie Artūrs Irbe in his current Rīga 2000 jersey.

Irbe, a native of Rīga, is a board member of the Kids First Fund, a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization aimed at helping abused and abandoned children in Latvia. Irbe donated the books and photographs to benefit the fund and its projects.

The book chronicles the birth of the team, detailing the early days of the franchise, the expansion draft, games at the Cow Palace and the subsequent move to the Shark Tank. It gives special attention to the fairy tale 1993-94 season in which Latvia’s dynamic duo of Irbe and Sandis Ozoliņš helped the team become Stanley Cup contenders. The 160-page embossed-cover book includes numerous color photographs and special graphics with a particular emphasis given to goalie Irbe. 

Irbe was drafted by the Minnesota North Stars in 1989 and began playing in the National Hockey League in 1991. He played for the Sharks from 1991 to 1996.  With Irbe in the goal, the newly established Sharks made their first playoff appearance in the 1993-94 season and upset the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings. Irbe, nicknamed “The Wall,” became a cult figure in San Jose, a status he still enjoys. Irbe left the Sharks in 1996 to join the Dallas Stars and currently plays for Rīga 2000, the top hockey club in Latvia.

Only 5,000 copies of Feeding Frenzy were printed. Each book is individually hand-numbered and only a limited number are still available. The book and photo package is available online before Feb. 28 for USD 35 at BalticShop.com. Through a special arrangement with BalticShop.com, 100 percent of book sales will benefit the Kids First Fund. Latvians Online is providing informational support for the fundraiser.

For more information about the fund visit www.kidsfirstfund.org.

The Latvian diplomatic corps in Washington, D.C., soon may be moving into its new embassy, while the ambassador soon may be getting a new residence.

Work on the new Embassy of Latvia, to be located in the Barney Studio House at 2306 Massachusetts Ave., has spanned four years and has involved a number of roadblocks as Latvian officials have sought approval from the city government and local residents.

But now most of the remodeling work is completed and the embassy staff may be able to move into the building in the next few weeks, an embassy spokesperson told Latvians Online.

President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, who recently accepted an invitation to be guest of honor at the U.S.-Baltic Foundation gala scheduled March 4 in Washington, may also preside at a ceremony marking the opening of the new embassy.

The Latvian government paid USD 2.5 million for the new embassy building in November 2001, according to District of Columbia property records. The assessed value of the Embassy Row property is now listed at USD 4.1 million.

The new embassy will replace the current facility, a converted single-family house at 4325 17th St. N.W. in the Crestwood neighborhood of the District of Columbia. That property, which has served as the embassy since 1991 and before then for decades was the Latvian Legation, was purchased in 1953 by the Latvian government in exile.

The old embassy, the spokesperson said, is expected to be sold.

Meanwhile, embassy officials are searching for a new residence for the ambassador.

Latvia’s Council of Ministers on Nov. 22 approved a measure allowing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to spend up to USD 2.6 million to buy the new residence. The Latvian government currently spends USD 69,600 annually to rent the ambassador’s residence. According to the ministry, it will be more cost-effective to buy a home.