Picture by DIDZIS GRODZS

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Anatomy of integration

Sculpture Quadrennial Riga 2012 (SQR 2012) is devoted to the theme of “Anatomy of Integration”. The chosen theme is topical in a lot of countries on a socioeconomic level. The focus of SQR 2012 is the analysis and determination of the current interrelationship between various cultural zones.

 

The theme of Sculpture Quadrennial Riga 2012 – “Anatomy of Integration” has been planned at European Union level as an international contemporary sculpture festival. Artists and art professionals from the European Union, Nordic countries and elsewhere have been invited to take part, which will lead to the establishment of an intercultural and international dialogue through art.

 

The chosen theme is topical in a lot of countries on a socioeconomic level. The focus of SQR 2012 is the analysis and determination of the current interrelationship between various cultural zones Accessible, socially-aware art, that reflects different political contexts and situations, will increase public understanding of the processes all of us are involved in. The project will also invite people to get acquainted with different interpretations of these themes – philosophical, ethical and aesthetic – by artists from member states of the European Union, Scandinavia and other countries. The focal point of the exhibition is ’personal experience as part of the collective experience’. The main motivation of the festival organisers in choosing this theme was its topicality in Latvia. That is to say, the citizens and inhabitants of Latvia form a union that is, on the whole, bilingual: approximately half of the population speaks Latvian and the other half, Russian. In addition, there are some other communities present, each with their own language, culture and religion. These cultures live independently of each other, as if in parallel worlds and spaces of information. Latvia has always been on the border of great empires – the western frontier of Tsarist Russia (later the USSR), the most easterly point of Germany’s influence and now the eastern border of the EU and NATO. However, Riga, always a crossroads and a battleground between different powers and cultures, has never given up on its dream of a unified society. We would like the Quadrennial pieces of art to act as a ’hot potato’, stimulating thought, discussion and analysis of the issue of integration from different perspectives. The theme of Sculpture Quadrennial Riga 2012 – “Anatomy of Integration” has been planned at European Union level as an international contemporary sculpture festival. Artists and art professionals from the European Union, Nordic countries and elsewhere have been invited to take part, which will lead to the establishment of an intercultural and international dialogue through art. Our primary goal is to make the art objects at the festival more accessible to the general public, particularly those not normally exposed to art. For this reason, the majority of the exhibition will take place in open, urban spaces in the centre of Riga – the surroundings of the Freedom Monument and near the park of the Victory Monument. We hope that this will help to increase interest in – and understanding of – contemporary art among a more diverse range of people, thus creating an ideal environment for a fruitful dialogue.