Exhibition – Māra Vaičunas. Outside

Māra Vaičunas’ works did not fit into the art world she entered – particularly in painting, where ideological significance and figurative art were considered the highest and most complete forms of expression. Forms, having overcome gravity, existed in a realm where the body no longer had any experience, and this was already a dialogue beyond the official language.

Māra Vaičunas (1949-2019) graduated from the Ceramics Department of the Latvian Academy of Art in 1976 with a thesis project – a ceramic wall panel for the Valmiera Dairy Plant. After graduating from the academy, she no longer worked in ceramics, as her original goal had been to pursue painting. The artist has participated in exhibitions since 1977.

The exhibition features works by Felicita Pauļuka (1925-2014), Līvija Endzelīna (1927-2008), Baiba Vegere (1948), Antonija Lutere (1946), Inga Meldere (1979), Amanda Ziemele (1990), and Georgs Šenbergs (1915-1989), who are creative peers and kindred spirits who expand the conversation with and about Māra Vaičunas. By placing the artist in this context rather than leaving her isolated, the painted image finds a fitting environment in which it feels at home, away from the hustle and bustle.