Exhibition by Monika Korpa – Untitled No. 20

The artist describes the exhibition as follows: “m — the 20th letter of the Latvian alphabet — becomes a symbol of the artwork and the starting point for ten words that sound like ‘commandments’ for today. They are rooted in a single language, yet their meaning extends beyond its boundaries — as if these words were echoes of some older and greater language that unites all people. A language that requires no translation, for it speaks of what a person recognizes within themselves even before words exist. Just as in calligraphy, words are “written” again and again, as if to illuminate them in our memory. Words become symbols, and repetition becomes silent reflection, until their meaning becomes present.”

Monika Korpa, formerly known as Inese Monika Pormale, is one of Latvia’s most internationally recognized set designers. The artist’s works are moving; they reveal what has previously gone unnoticed in the everyday and bring together seemingly unusual concepts.

Monika Korpa has collaborated with several renowned directors, including Alvis Hermanis, Elmārs Seņkovs, and Gerda Lapoška, as well as Hungarian film, theater, and opera director Kornél Mundruczó and German opera director Claus Guth, who were named the best opera directors in Switzerland and Austria, respectively, last season.

She has designed sets for productions in Latvia and at major European theaters, including Geneva, Zurich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Munich, Hamburg, Salzburg, Warsaw, and elsewhere.