The exhibition “Vacation” by Oskars Pavlovskis is the artist’s reflection on a year and a half of parental leave, during which he was the primary caregiver for his child.
This exhibition was created to spark discussion about the division of family roles and normalising diverse family models. Pavlovskis’ drawings stem from thoughts about care, cooking, washing, being present in the family, and playing. These works were created while undertaking the extensive labour of being a primary caregiver—a role that often remains silent and invisible when carried out by a woman.
Aware of the privileges men hold within a patriarchal society, Oskars uses his voice to speak about gender equality in the family – about the right of both parents to care, as well as to realise beyond the domestic sphere. “Parental Leave” poses the question: how would we perceive this story if it were told by a mother?
The works on display are inspired by Oskar’s time spent with his son, drawing illustrations that a baby can engage with in the first months of life, and later, drawing together through conversation. The crooked and distorted shapes in the drawings are born out of moments of overwhelm – too many sleepless nights, too much crying, too many toys and diaper changes, too much loneliness and missed opportunities. These are the moments when parenting feels unbearable, the kind of moments where a mother’s honesty would often be judged and her hardship dismissed as trivial.
One drawing in the exhibition features a father’s hands—Oskars’ hands, and those of his father. Tired hands that embrace, that care. This drawing is the essence of the exhibition. Large, work-worn hands, which in a patriarchal society are often seen as symbols of power, dominance, and threat, are here shown as tools of care, tenderness, and a man’s active participation in feminism and the building of an inclusive future.
About the artist:
Oskars Pavlovskis is a visual artist whose practice is primarily based on the study of form and materiality. His work consciously balances between professional visual art and pop culture. Oskars has participated in group exhibitions in Latvia, France, Slovenia, Serbia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany. His comics have been published by kuš! and featured in publications such as KUTI and Le Monde Diplomatique. In 2024, Oskars was one of the speakers and exhibiting artists at the contemporary character design and art conference Pictoplasma (Berlin). He holds a BA (2009) and MA (2012) in Visual Communication from the Art Academy of Latvia. Oskars is a member of the art collective “Persistence” and a co-founder of the Part Time Gallery.
Oskars Pavlovskis
“Vacation”
Part Time Gallery
22.05.2025 – 21.06.2025
Exhibition curator: Liene Pavlovska
Exhibition graphic designer: Anete Krūmiņa
The exhibition is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia.
Photography: Pauls Rietums
