Jānis Taurens is father of four children. Reads books (for example, Pindar's odes, Pynchon's novels and The Pickwick Papers). Does not hunt or fish; does not play football. Writes about philosophy, contemporary art and architecture. Has worked in urban planning and translated the works of Ludwig Wittgenstein: “Work on philosophy is - as work in architecture frequently is - actually more of a work on oneself. On one's own conception. On the way one sees things. (And what one demands of them.)” Studied architecture at the Riga Polytechnical Institute (now Riga Technical University) and philosophy at the University of Latvia, where he earned a PhD in philosophy in 2005. Has been an associate professor at the Latvian Academy of Art since 2006.