Press release - 11 January 2013 11:01

Bildmuseet: Soviet Mythology in Latvian Art

Sunday January 27 Bildmuseet opens two new exhibitions: Soviet Mythology in Latvian Art and Daniel Canogar / Quadratura. Welcome to the press preview, Thursday January 24, at 10:00.
Image: Aleksandrs Stankevičs, On Guard for Peace, 1965. Courtesy of The Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga. Photo Normunds Braslins

Soviet Mythology in Latvian Art is opened by Director Katarina Pierre on Sunday February 27, at 14:00. Curator Elita Ansone, Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga, gives a lecture at 15:00, Socialist Realism as Instrument for Constructing Communism.
(The exhibition Daniel Canogar / Quadratura is opened the same day)

Soviet Mythology in Latvian Art is an exhibition of paintings and sculptures from the period 1945-1985. It focuses on socialist realism as an art movement shaped by ideology and as a part of the Soviet political programme. Art was strictly regulated and the job of the artist was to articulate the ideals of communism. The myths that were formulated were about the happy Soviet society and the sense of duty, diligence and bravery of the Soviet people.

The exhibition displays works by Vladimirs Andrijenko, Aleksandra Briede, Jānis Briedis, Aleksejs Fjodorovs, Sejmons Gelbergs, Tenis Grasis, Edgars Iltners, Eduards Kalniņš, Mihails Korņeckis, Emīls Melderis, Gunārs Mitrēvics, Anna Nollendorfa, Jānis Osis, Līvija Rezevska, Herberts Siliņš, Džemma Skulme, Aleksandrs Stankēvičs and Rita Valnere.

Soviet Mythology in Latvian Art is produced by Bildmuseet in collaboration with the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga, Latvia. Curated by Elita Ansone.

Program in connection with the exhibition

SUN 27/1 AT 15:00
Socialist Realism as Instrument for Constructing Communism
Lecture by Curator Elita Ansone, Latvian National Museum of Art

SUN 3/2 AT 14:00
The Ideological Significance of the Totalitarian Aesthetics
Lecture by Lena Berggren, Historian at Umeå University.
Language: Swedish

SUN 3/3 AT 14:00
Soviet Period Modernists in Latvia. From Thaw to Perestroika
Lecture by Curator Irēna Bužinska, Latvian National Museum of Art

SUN 24/3 AT 14:00
Art Criticism in Soviet Latvia
Lecture by Stella Pelše, Senior Researcher, Institute of Art History at the Latvian Academy of Art

SUN 7/4 AT 14:00
Guided tour by Sofia Johansson, Curator Bildmuseet
Language: Swedish

SUN 21/4 AT 14:00
Guided tour by Brita Täljedal, Curator Bildmuseet
Language: Swedish

For more information

Sofia Johansson, Curator Bildmuseet
sofia.johansson@bildmuseet.umu.se
090-786 9353

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Bildmuseet
Bildmuseet, Umeå university, is a public institution for contemporary art and visual culture. We exhibit and engage with international contemporary art, design and architecture. In conjunction with our exhibitions program we also arrange lectures, screenings, concerts, performances and workshops. Ethics and aesthetics, the global and the local, creativity, society and human living conditions are central to Bildmuseet’s programme. Over the years, the museum has established itself as a leading venue for contemporary art in Sweden.

Umeå University
Umeå University is one of Sweden's largest institutions of higher learning with over 36,000 students and 4,200 employees. We have a well-established international research profile and a broad range of study options. Our campus constitutes an inspiring environment that encourages interdisciplinary meetings - between students, researchers, teachers and external stakeholders. Through collaboration with other members of society, we contribute to the development and strengthen the quality of our research and education.

Umeå University

Umeå University is a comprehensive university and one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with around 38,000 students and 4,600 staff. We have a diverse range of high-quality educational programmes and research within all disciplinary domains and the arts. Umeå University is also where the groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool was discovered, starting a revolution in genetic engineering that led to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The University has an international atmosphere and centres its work around core academic values. Our tightly knit campus makes it easy to meet, collaborate and share knowledge, something that encourages a dynamic and open culture where we celebrate each other’s successes. Umeå University prides itself in offering a world-class educational and research environment and expanding knowledge of global significance, where the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030 inspire and motivate. We have creative and innovative research environments that offer the best potential for taking on the challenges facing society. Through long-term collaborations with organisations, industry and other higher education institutions, the University is helping northern Sweden become a knowledge region. The societal transformation and the massive investments currently occurring in northern Sweden create complex challenges but also opportunities. Umeå University is focused on conducting research about and within a society in transition and continuing to offer academic programmes for regions that need to expand quickly and sustainably.

Campus Umeå and the Umeå Arts Campus are close to the city centre and next to one of Sweden’s largest and most renown university hospitals. Education is also provided in several other towns, including Skellefteå, Örnsköldsvik, Lycksele and Kiruna. Umeå University is home to the highly ranked Umeå Institute of Design, the environmentally certified School of Business, Economics and Law, and the School of Architecture, the only one in Sweden with an artistic profile. Next door is Bildmuseet, which is Umeå’s contemporary art museum, and Curiosum, Umeå’s science centre. Umeå University is one of Sweden’s five national sports universities, has an internationally leading Arctic Research Centre, and has Várdduo, which is Sweden’s only research unit for Sámi research and indigenous research.