NIEKI
Daugavpils queer community group exhibition, curator - Mētra Saberova
06/06-28/06
The exhibition is as an expanded diverse continuation of Daugavpils as a socially and politically intricate region of Latvia and aims to facilitate further discussion in the cultural environment of Riga. During the past years the active work of local NGOs has continued to grow, sparking the residents to participate in shaping the well-being of their city, which is work that is never-ending, much like the construction of Riga. The main goal of the exhibition is to support the growing self-consciousness of the marginalized queer community of Daugavpils as potent agents for change on a regional scale and in the whole of Latvia. By collecting a material archive of memorabilia from the Daugavpils queer community, an assemblage is created in the form of a map of the city's districts. The formation of the map from everyday materials refers to both the elevated status that is given to the archives of artists' creative work, this time allowing other players to be brought to the forefront, and the imprints of everyday life bring us closer to our fellow human beings living not that far away.
The installation consists of donations by Vitālijs, Līvajs, Inese, Kristīne and anonymous donors, and is supplemented with paintings by Daugavpils and Rēzekne based artist Eren Abramov. His self-portraits pinpoint the vulnerability of an individual, while the author himself continues to stand up for his democratic rights. Eren Abramov is an emerging artist and painter studying at the Branch of Latgale of the Art Academy of Latvia. Eren works with academic painting and digital media, creating various illustrations that are based on the artist's feelings, experiences, interests and LGBTQ+ themes.
Utilizing the connections purposefully cultivated over the past two years between Riga and Daugavpils queer activists, the exhibition provides a platform to linger and delve deeper into queer Daugavpils, or ‘‘Daugaypils’’, beyond the news headlines, inviting us to explore the unpolished narratives of its residents.
Curator: Mētra Saberova
Poster design: Erens Abramovs
Exhibition supported by VKKF and is part of Riga Pride program