The exhibition brings together works by six students from the Painting Department of the Art Academy of Latvia, in which the image of the body becomes a vehicle for ideas and stories – both for personal self-reflection and for dialogue with the surrounding world.
As we know, pharmacy takes care of maintaining and restoring the health of the physical body, while art essentially works with the mental and emotional body. Emotions—joy, anxiety, sadness, or "butterflies in the stomach"—are as physical as they are psychological processes. Suppressing these reactions also affects physical health, so both fields, although different, are united by a concern for the overall well-being of the human being.
The exhibition features works by three first-year students and three artists who have just graduated with a master's degree, bringing together the beginning and end of the study cycle. The exhibition is complemented by a replica of an antique sculpture painted by Kristians Brekte, head of the Painting Department, which transforms the classical form into a contemporary interpretation and becomes a symbolic sign of transition between tradition and innovation.
This enduring interest in the body in art has existed for thousands of years – from cave drawings and the classical ideal to today's fragmented or conceptual forms. The Art Academy of Latvia continues the tradition of academic drawing, which is becoming increasingly rare in Europe, and figurative painting remains an important part of the curriculum.
The exhibition is a visually and emotionally multi-layered story about the cyclical nature of human life. The grand rhythm of life and death is reflected alongside smaller cycles – those of study, professional development, and personal change. The body is a constant companion in these processes – the most primitive instrument for experiencing the world, which simultaneously changes and preserves the imprints of its experiences.
Exhibition artists: Kristians Brekte, Jānis Grāvītis, Dārta Grīsle, Aleksandrs Isupovs, Gunta Lante, Anastasija Sirotska, Paula Viļuma.
Curator: Ieva Stalšene