What’s up? The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and spring has finally sprung, and that is something to be happy about! You don't want to sit at home, you want to walk more, be with your family or friends, visit new places, and just enjoy life. By the way, you can do it all this Thursday, 27 April, in our favourite gallery evening. Below we've divided the 22 galleries participating this month into groups to make it easier for you to decide whom you’d like to visit, and we've also highlighted our special picks.
You will find exhibition openings at art spaces Galerija Rāmis, K.K fon Stricka Villa, M/Gallery, and Provodņiks.
In this group, you’ll get the chance to meet the artists and hear about their art from the direct source: DOM, Galerija Rāmis, ISSP, K.K fon Stricka Villa, Kalnciema kvartāla galerija, Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija, M/Gallery, MASA x HEX, Provodņiks, Rīgas Mazākā galerija, Smilga, and The Typewriter Museum. M/Gallery and Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija will also host a number of performances.
This month we also introduce Curator’s Tours, where galleries either specify their tour times or leave it open for you to request one on demand: Bazar’t, M/Gallery, MASA x HEX, Smilga, The Typewriter Museum, and Zuzeum. Gallery Smilga will also have a workshop.
All the other galleries will stay open for you to visit until 21:00/22:00: Aminori, Art RC Gallery, Galerija Birkenfelds, Galerija Istaba, Rāmis x Marmelāde, Māksla XO, Mākslas bars Liepa, TUR.
Check out the map to plan your journey.
We would also like to highlight three spaces this month: Zuzeum, TUR, and Smilga.
Zuzeum is taking part in the gallery evening for a second time, with a special pop-up exhibition. This time, they invite everyone to take a look inside the glass greenhouse and experience an installation artwork by Jānis Avotiņš in an exhibition "Untitled".
Maija Kurševa's exhibition "Sheet on Sheet", which will take place at TUR, has been nominated for the Purvītis Prize 2025. The work consists of 300 drawings arranged in straight lines in a wooden structure, which flutter gently as the viewers pass by. Each drawing is a moment of movement of a solitary sheet of paper as it swings from beginning to end to beginning again. The result is a loop projected onto the wall in a classical animation technique, creating a sense of dynamization of space and spatialization of time.
Smilga will present exhibition "Supermarket as a laboratory of the future" or T/C Latvija (TCL) that will take part in the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale in May 2023. But before they leave for Venice, TCL will participate in the RLT gallery evening. This time, TCL employees from the design, production, and procurement departments will tell in detail about the design and creation of the spatial structure of the pavilion, the dancing with artificial intelligence, and careful work on product preparation and packaging. There will be an opportunity to experience the pavilion, touch the freshly-produced products, and maybe even get a unique TCL receipt. Smilga will also prepare a pleasant atmosphere with music and drinks.
This is a wonderful month with the largest number of galleries we have ever had - 22! We are really happy to see the ever-growing gallery list and we hope that this event will be one that you will remember for a long time!