Riga Contemporary launches this summer as a new meeting point for contemporary art in the Baltics – bringing together 40 international galleries and a two-day Public Programme designed to provoke dialogue and connection.
With 11 panel discussions, 46 speakers, and 3 key themes – Art + Ideas, Art + Capital, and Art + Tech – the Public Programme invites artists, curators, collectors, and cultural thinkers to unpack the forces shaping art today.
All talks are free to attend with registration.
JULY 11
13:00–13:40
THE ROLE OF GALLERIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY:
BRIDGING LOCAL AND GLOBAL
Moderator: Jeffrey Rosen (Co-director, Misako & Rosen Gallery, Tokyo)
Speakers: Indriķis Ģelzis (Artist, Riga), Olga Temnikova (Founder, Temnikova & Kasela, Tallinn), Markus von Platen & Toke Flyvholm (Artists, Co-directors of Simian, Copenhagen)
13:50–14:20
INSTITUTIONAL POWER AND THE ARTIST’S VOICE
Moderator: Valentinas Klimašauskas (Director, CAC, Vilnius)
Speakers: Maija Kurševa (Artist, Riga), Itha O’Neill (Head of Curatorial, Amos Rex, Finland), Michal Novotný (Director of Modern & Contemporary Art, National Gallery Prague)
14:30–15:00
STRATEGIES FOR EMERGING COLLECTORS
Moderator: Justė Jonutytė (Curator, Art Advisor, Vilnius)
Speakers: Daiva Lialytė (CEO, Integrity PR, Vilnius), Riivo Anton (Founding Partner, Specialist VC, Tallinn), Jānis Zuzāns (Founder, Zuzeum; Collector, Riga)
15:10–15:40
THE ART MARKET IN 2025
Presentations: Matilde Tariello (Senior Account Manager, Artsy, London), Susanna Mancini (Associate Director, Artscapy, London), Vanessa Vainio (Curator & Advisor, London/Helsinki)
15:50–16:20
ART IN PUBLIC SPACE – STORIES, IMPACT, COMMUNITIES
Moderator: Ieva Zībārte (Architect, Writer, Riga)
Speakers: John Riepenhoff (Director, Green Gallery, Milwaukee), Eric Booker (Associate Curator, Storm King, NY), Kari Conte (Curator/Writer, NYC), Anna Līva Traumane & Harijs Vucens (Co-directors, onlyonly studio, Riga)
16:30–17:00
CULTURE AS CAPITAL – CAN ART DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH?
Moderator: Zane Čulkstēna (Founder, Kim?, Riga Contemporary, ERDA)
Speakers: Liina Vahtras (Managing Director, e-Residency, Tallinn), Fredis Bikovs (Director, Riga Investment and Tourism Agency), Miglė Caporkė (Head of ArtTech Hub, Vilnius)
JULY 12
13:00–13:30
THE POWER OF CORPORATE ART COLLECTIONS
Moderator: Santa Rubīna (Attorney-at-law, Sorainen, Riga)
Speakers: Alexander Lukas Bieri (Curator, Roche Historical Collection, Basel), Pierre Guillet de Monthoux (Scientific Director, SSE Art Initiative, Stockholm), Mindaugas Vanagas (Founder, Vanagas Group, Vilnius), Lisa Berensten (Art Collection Coordinator, Vienna Insurance Group, Vienna)
13:40–14:10
HOW MUSEUMS COLLECT AND WHY IT MATTERS
Moderator: Astrīda Rogule (Curator, Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga)
Speakers: Anna Mustonen (Chief Curator, Kiasma, Helsinki), Lolita Jablonskienė (Director, Lithuanian National Gallery of Art, Vilnius)
14:20–14:50
NEW MODELS OF ART PATRONAGE
Moderator: Zane Čulkstēna (Founder, Kim?, Riga Contemporary, ERDA)
Speakers: Vita Liberte (Founder, VV Foundation), Darius Žakaitis (Founder, TechZity & Rupert, Vilnius), Kristaps Urpens (Head of Baltic Private Banking, Citadele, Riga), Martin Kruus (Co-founder, Sunly, Tallinn)
15:00–15:30
ART-TECH STARTUPS: TURNING CREATIVE IDEAS INTO BUSINESS
Presentations: Evelīna Gorbačova (Head of Digital Development, FOLLOW.ART, Riga), Tālis Reks (Lab Manager, MIT.nano Immersion Lab, Boston), Ernests Kļaviņš (Artist, Riga)
15:40–16:10
ART + SCIENCE + AI
Moderator: Jurģis Peters (New Media Artist/Researcher, Helsinki)
Speakers: Katja Novitskova (Artist, Amsterdam), Raitis Šmits (Artist, Founder of RIXC, Riga), Līga Spunde (Artist, Riga)
More information: www.rigacontemporary.com/programme
