Artūrs Virtmanis and Daniela Vētra performance “Against the Tragic Wall”

On October 23 this year, in the Great Hall of the exhibition hall Riga Art Space, the performance of the artists Artūrs Virtmanis and Daniela Vētra “Against the Tragic Wall”, will take place resulting in impressive exhibition with newly created art objects.

The performance “Against the Tragic Wall” heralded seemingly opposite impulses that form cycles of creation and destruction both on a deeply personal, existential level of the individual and in external interactions with society as a whole. Inspired by Martin Luther King's legendary speech on the centenary of the abolition of slavery in 1963, the central motif of this performance and exhibition is his quote "I have a dream", which evolved from a visually impressive, dynamic performance process into a graphic, entropic installation. The performance consisted of both show and farce-worthy elements with a good dose of irony, and unpredictable and physically demanding repetitive action, in which gender roles were changed and the object, through action, became a mirror of society. The performance was created by installation artist Artūrs Virtmanis, Daniela Vētra, musician Linards Kalniņš, as well as DJ Monsta and Olivers Veldre, a student of the Riga Dome Choir School.

Artist Daniela Vētra is engaged in performance art, "live art", installation art, is an author and actress of contemporary circus performances. Currently lives and works in Riga, Latvia.

Artūrs Virtmanis is an installation artist who, after studying in the Sculpture Department of the Art Academy of Latvia, has moved to New York, working in the fields of visual art, scenography and design. He has authored and co-authored numerous exhibition projects, Broadway musicals, productions for European operas and theaters, as well as participated in several important projects, such as the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics, the MTV Award in New York, the Cirque de Solei shows in Dubai and elsewhere. In his work, he often focuses on the multi-layered representation of the dimension of time, turning it into a three-dimensional monochrome installation.

Performance and exhibition curator: Luīze Lismane. The exhibition is organized by the Association of Culture Institutions of Riga City Council and the exhibition hall “Riga Art Space” with the support of the Riga City Council.

Performance tickets can be purchased at the exhibition hall Riga Art Space and “Biļešu Paradīze” box offices and website. Ticket price - 15 EUR.

Photos: Didzis Grodzs and Pēteris Rūcis.