The exhibition “Graduation” at MABOCA gallery Visuma centrs 2 (Poruka street 2 in Madona) can be viewed until August 25. “Graduation” features works by four multimedia artists: Uldis Hasners, Jānis Jankevics, Eltons Kūns and Gustavs Lociks. They all are graduates of the Art Research Laboratory (MPLab) at Liepaja University and their works explore different stages of Student life.
Latvian philosopher Artis Svece writes: “Graduation characterizes a whole worldview, an understanding of the course of life and the tasks of education. By deciding whether or not to hold a graduation ceremony, we confirm or question the importance of this understanding.” The exhibition “Graduation” explores the meaning of graduation both in the context of the author’s personal experience and in the wider cultural field.
Uldis Hasners’ sound installation “Those who usually sing” examines an important ritual aspect of graduation – music. Hasner writes “Songs that have become a stereotypical part of graduation make people feel nostalgic about the ritual. These songs no longer reflect their original message or even the purpose of their creation.”
Gustavs Lociks’ series of synthetic images “Festive rasol” examines the culture of the graduation dining table.
At the exhibition, Jānis Jankevics presents the video work “Īslaidums” in which he describes his reflections on his master’s graduation, which took only 20 minutes. As a person grows, the space around him seems to shrink. But what happens to the building you spend half your life in and never return to? Eltons Kūns examines his memories of the high school building in a pseudo-documentary format, a series of images titled “#6”.
The gallery is open on Mondays (15.30 – 18.30), Wednesdays (15.30 – 19.00) and Sundays (12.00 – 16.00).
The project was created thanks to the State Cultural Capital Fund and Municipality of Madona.
