Lecture:
We invite you to the lecture “Fabulous Failures” by Erik Kessels at the Art Academy of Latvia. On 26 April at 18:30 the artist will speak about the mistakes that inspire him to create new works:
“We live in an age where most of the tools we use are close to perfect. However, our computers, phones, applications and navigation systems make mistakes and suffer glitches. Perfection is not a good starting point to create new ideas, therefore sometimes it is good to deliberately go towards a mistake and find a new direction from there. Society teaches us to avoid mistakes, but for creative people and innovators mistakes are essential.”
As previously announced, Erik Kessels’ masterclass “Failure is Important” will happen on 27th of April 12.00-16.00, at Academy of Art. For more information please visit RIBOCA Facebook page.
Erik Kessels’s artist talk is a part of the Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art Public Programm.
Masterclass:
Continuing collaboration with Art Academy of Latvia, Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art is offering a chance to participate in a masterclass by Dutch artist, designer and curator Erik Kessels “Failure is Important”. The Masterclass will take place on 27 April at the Art Academy of Latvia and it will help you to accept and love your failures.
“Failure is important.
If you’re not willing to humiliate yourself, make mistakes and downright fuck-up, you should consider working in a cubicle firm. It’s safer there.
Because as a creative person, you’ll be called an idiot at least once a day.
That’s okay.
Making mistakes and failures, is how you progress.
Without them, you’ll be stuck in the same old safe zone.
In other words: boring.
So if we want to do the thing we love, to make stuff, we have to get over our fear of failure.”
For the first part of the masterclass, you are invited to Erik Kessels’ public lecture “Excellent Failure” on 26 April at 6:30 pm at the Art Academy of Latvia (New Building).
For the masterclass on 27 April participants should bring examples of their own work as a portfolio printed on A4 (maximum 10-15 pages) in a plain white envelope with only their name written on it. You can also bring a digital camera or your phone and a laptop.
Please apply electronically until 20 April: https://ej.uz/
You will receive a confirmation of participation on 24 April.
Erik Kessels is a Dutch artist, designer and curator and since 1996 he is the Creative Director of the international communications agency “KesselsKramer”. As an artist and photography curator Kessels has published over 50 books of his ‘re-appropriated’ images; he is the editor of the alternative photography magazine Useful Photography and has written an international bestseller titled “Failed It!”. Kessels has held and curated several exhibitions, such as “Loving Your Pictures”, “Use me Abuse me”, “24HRS of Photos”, “Album Beauty”, “From Here On” and “Unfinished Father”.
In 2010, Erik Kessels received the Amsterdam Prize of the Arts and in 2016 he was nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. In 2017, his mid-career retrospective was shown in Turin and Düsseldorf.
