Exhibition of Baltic exile and émigré artists 'Portable Landscapes' in Gotland Körsbärsgården Konsthall, Gotland

August 3, 2018
Author Echo Gone Wrong

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Exhibition of Baltic exile and émigré artists PORTABLE LANDSCAPES in Gotland
Körsbärsgården Konsthall, Gotland
04.08.18 – 30.09.18

On 4th August, the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art in cooperation with the Baltic Art Center will open an exhibition : “Portable Landscapes. Gotland. A Shelter with a View of Home” at the Körsbärsgården Konsthall in Gotland, focusing on the Baltic émigré and exile personalities viewed in a broader context of art events, migration and globalization of the 20th century.

Exhibition is a part of the bigger research and exhibition project Portable Landscapes, that follows different stories of Baltic émigré and exile artists. Gotland has played a significant role in the Latvian and Estonian history, becoming a shelter for thousands of refugees crossing the Baltic sea in small fishermen boats during the World War II. The families chose the risky and dangerous routes over the Baltic sea to escape the return of the Soviet forces which re-occupied the Baltic countries in 1943-1945. This exhibition follows the stories of Latvian exile artist Laris Strunke and Estonian exile artist Enno Hallek, as well as welcoming contemporary Latvian – Finnish artists Inga Meldere and Mikko Hintz to address the theme of migration and add new narratives in the interpretation of recent collective history in the Baltic Sea region.

“If we take a longer look back, people’s migrations caused by wars or political and economic changes have taken place ceaselessly. Exile, diaspora and migration are characteristic elements of global culture and their manifestations have not only determined changes in the world’s map but also contributed to the basis for the development of various trends in art and culture, promoting the blending and overlapping of cultures and the birth of new ideas and movements,” believe the curators of the exhibition Solvita Krese and Diāna Popova.

In addition to the historical narratives, the curators in collaboration with Baltic Art Centre have commissioned new contemporary artworks by Latvian artist Inga Meldere and Finnish artist Mikko Hintz, who, living abroad from their countries of origin, have addressed and interpreted the theme of the migration and historical context in Gotland.

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Exhibition series „Portable Landscapes” is an international contemporary art and research project carried out by the Latvian Centre of Contemporary art in the occasion of the celebration of the Latvia’s centenary, taking place in Riga, Gotland, Paris, Berlin and New York between 2017 and 2019.

Involving a wide range of Latvian and international art institutions, researchers, curators and artists, the Latvian Centre of Contemporary Art has developed a project, launched in 2017 and lasting till 2019, that consists of four satellite exhibitions in Paris, New York, Gotland and Berlin, with the central exhibition, Portable Landscapes, held at the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga.

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The Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art (LCCA) is the largest institution of contemporary art in Latvia that curates and produces contemporary art events of national and international scale since 1993.

Baltic Art Center is a residency for contemporary art on the island of Gotland. It has supported the Portable Landscapes project through an exchange of Latvian and Swedish artists and supporting research on the relationship of Baltic refugees to Gotland.

Körsbärsgården Konsthall is an artspace and a sculpture gallery in Gotland, exhibiting contemporary Swedish and international art. Their program is various and includes different forms of art – painting, sculpture, video art, photography.

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The exhibition Portable Landscapes in Gotland is supported by The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Baltic Art Center, Körsbärsgården Konsthall, Frame Contemporary Art Finland.

The exhibition is on view from 4th August till 30th September, 2018 at Körsbärsgården Konsthall, SUNDRE VÄSTERGÅRDE 135, 623 30 Burgsvik, Sweden. The gallery is open daily 11AM – 5PM in August and weekends only in September.

More information

Latvian Centre for Contemporary art www.lcca.lv

Baltic Art Center www.balticartcenter.com

Körsbärsgården Konsthall www.korsbarsgarden.se