"Some Unhappaned Exhibitions" by Ēriks Božis at the LCCA’s Office Gallery

dazas_nenotikusas_izstades_47db1“Some Unhappened Exhibitions” by Ēriks Božis will open to public from 4 March until 6 April at the Office gallery of the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art. It is comprised of several spatial models representing the Office gallery on a 1:10 scale. Each model depicts ‘an exhibition’ or to be more precise – a model or an idea for a potential exhibition, albeit one that will never be carried out in real life.

Ēriks Božis describes the main idea behind his work: ‘Focus here is on the hidden aspects of the creative process – choices that are required in order to arrive at a finished exhibition. One of the main constituents of any creative process is the ability to immerse fully in fantasy, while at least initially ignoring any material of moral restrictions. Experienced artists recognise that even unrealised ideas still exist in their own right, every now and then attempting to force their way through the oblivion, which is why ‘Some Unhappened Exhibitions’ is like a confession of sorts illustrating what goes on in an artist’s head. The question ‘What kind of an exhibition can be put on at the LCCA’s Office gallery?’ will be answered in an extremely subjective and slightly ironic visual manner. One of the main considerations is the complex configuration and minute size of this space, therefore each one of the not occured exhibitions has been dedicated to ‘playing’ with the gallery layout, reflecting on the idea that this space exhibits itself.’

Ēriks Božis (1969) studied restoration at Liepaja College of Applied Arts and later on was employed as a photography tutor there. He has been exhibiting since 1992. His practice involves a number of mediums, ranging from installations and environmental projects to video installations and photography. Božis’ work has been exhibited at the Latvian National Museum of Art, Latvian Museum of Photography, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, ‘Manifesta 2’ Festival, Rauma Bienalle in Finland, The 11th International Architecture Exhibition, ‘Contemporary Art Festivals Survival Kit’ etc. One of his latest urban installations is the art object ‘Benches’ (2014) in Bastejkalns.

The exhibition at the LCCA’s Office Gallery (Alberta Street 13, 7th floor) will be open every day Monday to Friday from 12noon until 6pm, free entrance. The exhibition is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation.