“Under stone vaults in domed structures”
Solo show by Annemarija Gulbe
Culture Center of Alsunga, Latvia
29.09. –29.10.2023.
In the solo show “Under stone vaults in domed structures,” Latvian artist Annemarija Gulbe focuses on the local environment of Courland region – nature, meadows, and oil production in Adze. Adze is a small parish, where in 1963 the first oil wells in Latvia were discovered and those are the only ones that are still functioning currently. The artist spent the month of August, 2023 in Alsunga, a village that is significant in the Western part of Latvia with its peculiar heritage as part of the residency project called “The Residence of Kuldīga Municipality for Creative Authors,” which promotes the involvement of creative people in Kuldīga region, paying attention to the knowledge of local cultural environment, and exchange of experiences. The residence welcomes creatives of different disciplines each year, offering them time and resources to transfer their creativity both locally and outside the region.
“Have we started to avoid the rush to get away, move upward or descending without stirring the dust in this changing climate? My interest in oil extraction from the ground does not include scientific precision. But Latvian researcher Ilgvars Grosvalds once pointed out that ‘Oil originates from plant residues that are charred under the pressure below the ground. Oil and gas deposits are usually found where the thick layers of organic sludge—sapropel—were formed hundreds of millions of years ago.’ Oil is an essential resource and comes in first in the world’s energy balance. Globally, oil consumption is dominated by the transport sector.
The remains of walked through meadows, after summers in which pure beauty blossomed, ended up in traps, under stone vaults, in domed structures.
How do I find out where to dig? Where to drill? Trust my gut and guess? Humans feel what to take out of nature. An oilfield has been detected in the depths of the earth in traps or in isolated geological elevations also in Latvia, more precisely about 15 km from this cultural space. Its origins in this geographical area appear to be unconscionable and inconsistent with the perceptions of its surroundings.
I’m returning back to the meadow. The fixed details remain in the images almost unchanged, as well as in their continuity and usefulness. Will it become more desirable once it’s bloomed and degraded, layered in the depths? The installation, as a work environment, a base camp, or a research field, outlines exploratory notes and the actual result of this short run. The purpose of this moment is to go into the depths without drilling at all, grasping as far as I can, only what I can take by myself,” says Annemarija Gulbe
Annemarija Gulbe (b.1997) is a Latvian artist, who currently lives and works in Paris. Her art practice is expressed through photography, video and installations. The artist obtained masters degree from the Visual Communication department in Art Academy of Latvia (2023). She additionally studied photography at ISSP School and Andrejs Grants Studio, as well as did an internship in curatorial collective Komplot (2022, Brussels, BE). Gulbe has become one of the winners of Kim? Contemporary Art Center Open call (2023), has received the Grand Prix prize at the Contemporary Art Biennale Jeune Creation Européene in Paris, Montrouge (2019) and the FK Award as the best young Latvian photographer (2018). Artist’s recent solo shows: Challengeable heritability at the gallery Look! (Riga, LV, 2023); Love Re-Search at ISSP Gallery (Riga, LV, 2020); Love Re-Search at Photo Festival Organ Vida (Zagreb, HR, 2019). Annemarija Gulbe has curated a group exhibition Decentrality, Dispersing in One Place at Padure Manor (LV, 2023).
“The Residence of Kuldīga Municipality for Creative Authors” is organized by Kuldīga Artist Residency” in co-operation with the Kuldīga Municipality and Alsunga village.
Curator of the residence: Maija Rudovska
Supporters: Kuldīga Municipality and Kurzeme Planning Region.
Photography: Annemarija Gulbe
