Contemporary art fundamentally differs from the legacy of classical art and modernism, which undoubtedly still influences the creation of many wonderful works.
Not only born of talent, contemporary art is also the fruit of serious cognitive endeavour. It is characterised by the conceptual nucleus of art  – intuitive gestures, moods or motifs are not enough for contemporary art.
Only a small section of the range of art which began to be collected in 2005 will be on show in the exhibition “Test. Works of Art from the Collection of the Future Museum of Contemporary Art”. The name of the exhibition is a reference to artist Vilnis Zābers’ (1963–1994) cycle of graphics “Test for Identification of Horizons” from 1992. Amateur photos taken by Vilnis Zābers’ father in the District of Lubana during the 1950s are utilised in the aforementioned cycle of graphics. Zābers’ works (and his father’s photographs) emphasise the aestheticised sunny side of Soviet life - sports festivals and “new creation” work. Just like barriers, the horizons in Zābers’ graphic works render the erstwhile Soviet era more alien. Its alienation is also manifested through a number of other metaphors coined by the artists featured in the exhibition.
The works selected for the exhibition depict the human world, whose content is defined by a reality shaped by sensual perception and intellectual interpretation, i.e. the social media around us.
Among other things, the exhibition’s name “Test” also alludes to the opportunity to contemplate a certain, albeit fragmentary, overview of the process of the development of Latvian contemporary art. Five decades are covered from the 1960s onwards. Therefore, the works from the 60s, 70s and 80s were created in the Soviet context which will test the cognition of younger viewers.
The exhibition’s works by 22 artists span the period ranging from the 60s through to the first decade of the 21st century. Although Monika Pormale’s huge work, exhibited on the LNMA’s intermediate floor, has not yet been included in the future museum’s collection, a decision on its inclusion in the collection will be made by the international commission of experts at its next meeting.
The design for Riga CAM (Riga Contemporary Art Museum) was created in 2006 by the globally renowned architect Rem Kolhaas. Its planned home is at Andrejsala. With the onset of the global economic crisis, implementation of the museum design has been put on hold.
The collection is currently comprised of works by 65 artists and has been placed under the administration of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
The international commission of experts responsible for its formation has been active since 2005. It is forming the collection of the State and
ABLV Bank which the bank will transfer to the State once the Riga Contemporary Art Museum (Riga CAM) has been built. Part of the collection is made up of art works acquired with funds from the European Economic Zone’s Norwegian financial instrument. The remaining works are gifts certified by experts and purchases made using a grant directly awarded from the State Budget in 2008. The members of the international commission of experts are: Mara Lace, Helena Demakova, Ieva Astahovska, Ernests Bernis, Leonards Laganovskis, Raitis Smits (all from Latvia), Norbert Weber (Germany), Sirje Helme (Estonia), Leonid Bazhanov (Russia), Mareta Jaukkuri (Finland) and Raminta Jurenaite (Lithuania).
In 2013, the exhibition “Test” will be on display at the National Contemporary Arts Centre in Moscow and at the KUMU Art Museum in Tallinn.
The exhibition is accompanied by an 80 page catalogue compiled by Helena Demakova and Ojars Petersons.
The exhibition is supported by: the State Culture Capital Foundation, Riga City Council, SIA Alfor and Aigars Rostovskis. The organisers of the exhibition are: the Latvian National Museum of Art and the society “Andrejsala. The Riga Contemporary Art Museum”.

Text by: exhibition curator Helena Demakova

The exhibition will be running till May 27th at Latvian National Museum of Art (10a K. Valdemāra Street, Riga).