Warm Nevertheless

Mika Solomon (USA/LV)
12/03-11/04/2026

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A homey atmosphere can be experienced through the invitation of another. Through such an invitation, one can enter a place shaped by a particular warmth of its inhabitants, expressed as care – as the ability to set oneself aside in order to be there for another. In this way, the other is welcomed by being offered one’s place, time, and warmth.
Within a home, a particular form of togetherness arises, united by shared affects. In Baruch Spinoza’s theory of affects, love (amor) and desire (cupiditas) are understood as forces that form the shared space of human beings. In this sense, love also possesses a political dimension – it brings forth the idea of the common. The common does not belong to a single subject and can be shared. Yet every form of commonality also marks its own boundaries. These boundaries arise from the difference between our own being and that of others. Thus, even if everyone experiences desire and love, different spaces are formed in which other lovers may not even be invited at all, because they are considered too foreign.
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Mika Solomon is a visual artist currently living in Riga, but originally from Portland, Oregon (USA). They graduated from the Art Academy of Latvia with a Master’s degree in Drawing (2024). Mika’s work often explores themes of fantasy, emotional/affective visualization, living space, and tenderness. Most of the work aims to create the illusion of tactility to enhance awareness of the space. Their practice encompasses a variety of media, but drawing and video are the most important.

Text: Ainārs Kamoliņš
Graphic design: Elīna Salnāja, Mika Solomon
Exhibition supported by SCCF