From June 20 to August 2, the contemporary art gallery ASNI will present “This Feels Familiar”, a solo exhibition by photographer Pēteris Vīksna. In this new body of work, Vīksna explores two parallel narratives—urban and corporeal—examining their intersections, contrasts, and shared textures. The exhibition is part of the Riga Photography Biennial—NEXT 2025, which this year centers on the theme “invisible but present”. Vīksna’s contribution resonates deeply with this focus, offering a meditation on the uncanny sense of recognition—the moment when the unfamiliar becomes personal, even intimate. Curator of the exhibition is Auguste Petre.
For a month and a half, the ASNI gallery will be transformed by photographic works of diverse materialities, alongside a unique installation dedicated to urbanity. This installation frames the urban environment as both an inclusive space for people and a subject of anthropological inquiry. Vīksna suggests that the trajectories shaped by human movement can shift in meaning when captured through photographic fragmentation; familiar places lose their assigned significance when the camera reveals unexpected details. In line with this conceptual approach, Pēteris Vīksna has created a new series specifically for the exhibition, exploring the theme of human corporeality. His portrayal of the nude challenges the androcentrism of traditional representations. By treating the body as an expressive actor, he investigates the boundaries of comfort and discomfort and reflects on the varied belief systems that shape our perceptions. Through a collaborative visual dialogue with each model, Vīksna creates a layered and inclusive perspective on the human form.
Writer and curator Charlotte Cotton has noted that one of the most powerful techniques in photographic still life is when artists explore the way we see—or fail to see—the world around us. In doing so, photography becomes a tool for examining perception itself. Pēteris Vīksna engages with this idea by inviting viewers to reflect: he is an intellectual photographer who consciously documents cities and people, as if mapping states of awareness. At the same time, his work is laced with irony and a sharp sensitivity to paradox—often revealing tensions rooted in historical, political, or social contexts.
Pēteris Vīksna (1994, LV/NL) is one of the most active emerging Latvian photographers of his generation. His work centers on collective environments and urban landscapes, where he captures striking contrasts and moments of absurdity. Vīksna is a photographer who seeks not to interfere with the urban space—yet he actively documents his generation in informal situations, where control becomes his primary compositional tool.
He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, and his work has been featured in international publications. In 2021, he held a solo exhibition The Skin at Brīvība gallery in Riga. In 2024, he took part in the ĒTER project Nail Salon at MAGAZIN in Vienna. His cinematography was also featured in the 2023 RIGA IFF premiere of A Dog’s Gaze, directed by Ieva Aleksejeva. Alongside photography, Vīksna is actively involved in filmmaking and directing. In 2021, he received the Golden Microphone Award for Best Music Video of the Year. In 2020, he participated in the exhibition Dīkstāve (Standstill) as part of Riga Photomonth, and his work was included in the Latvian Photography Yearbook published by FK. He currently lives in Amsterdam, collaborating with international artists and institutions such as DAS Theatre, Frascati Theater, Arno Schuitemaker, Ira Brand, and others.
The Riga Photography Biennial (RPB) is an international contemporary art event, focusing on the analysis of visual culture and artistic representation. The term ‘photography’ in the title of the biennial is used as an all-embracing concept encompassing a mixed range of artistic image-making practices that have continued to transform the lexicon of contemporary art in the 21st century. The Riga Photography Biennial—NEXT offers visibility and provides a platform for promising young artists and helps to announce themselves to a wider audience and context. Riga Photography Biennial—NEXT 2025 program from 24 April to 6 July offers a wide-ranging program of exhibitions and education events, giving the floor to emerging artists and curators from the Baltic and other countries who have addressed aspects of the theme ‘invisible but present’.
For more information: www.rpbiennial.com
Exhibition is supported by: State Culture Capital Foundation, Riga City Council, GroGlass, Ramirent, printing house “Adverts”, Arctic Paper, Arterritory.com, Echo Gone Wrong, NOBA.
