Curiosity Cabinet at the Latvian Museum of Photography / Article / LSM.lv

Opened on Friday at the Riga Photography Biennale exhibition “Wunderkammer”. The exhibition features artists from Latvia, Spain, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania and Finland, and focuses on the phenomenon of collecting, revealing how artists use their own and others’ collections to create new works of art. –

As explained by the curator of the exhibition, art scientist Šelda Puķīte, “Wunderkammer” means “curiosity” from German, which are the direct ancestors of the museum and collecting, including the creation of exhibitions and performative presentation of the collection.

It was the first source of inspiration for the exhibition. “The second, of course, was the artists who create their works of art through collecting. The third source of inspiration was the Latvian Museum of Photography itself, which in itself is one big office of curiosity, both as a building and its interior, where you can feel different historical layers, times, 20th century. the beginning, the Soviet years, the 90s and today – everything can be felt in these premises both as an institution and as a building, ”said Pukite.

She explained that the name of the exhibition “Wunderkammer” is an international designation for the cabinet of curiosity, which includes a game between the words “miracle” and “camera” (also room or cabinet), allowing to think about a place where different wonders of the world are gathered together also about the photo camera as a room where miraculous images are created.

“The exhibition focuses on the theme of the artist as a collector who uses his findings to create new works of art. These collections can also be seen as a distilled, curated and personalized view of the modern world, which is constantly flooded with a sea of ​​images,” explained Puķīte.

The exhibition includes not only collages of old photographs and magazine clippings, but also collections of childhood impressions in poster format, photo documentation as artist’s souvenirs, as well as collections of dead plants created in cooperation with Riga residents who donated their withered pets to the exhibition.

“The exhibition as a whole is shaped like a Russian doll [matrjoška], including works by other people,

while the works of the exhibition become part of the museum ‘s collection, but the museum – a curator’ s curiosity room to show to its guests, “said the curator of the exhibition.

Signe Valtiņa, a representative of the Riga Photography Biennale 2020, emphasized that the organizers feel satisfied, because despite the pandemic, the Biennale has managed to keep the whole program, and it will take place in Riga, Cēsis and Daugavpils until the end of November.

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