Throughout November, an exhibition of works by students of the Art Academy of Latvia (LMA) titled “Latvijas valsts meži Art Scholarship 2023” is on display at the Latvijas valsts meži Riga customer centre at Vaiņodes iela 1. In their creative works, the young artists seek answers to the question: how can one create associations with sustainable environmental development and the growing role of the forest in Latvia?
LVM Chairman of the Board Pēters Putniņš notes: “The forest has long inspired people to create, to grow together and to discover the unknown. For Latvians, it is also encoded as a part of our identity and our nation’s capacity to build. Looking at the forest through the works of art students means seeing the future we want to live in. That is why Latvijas valsts meži has been organising this art scholarship competition for seven years now, linking creativity with the saplings that grow and shape a flourishing Latvia.”
The exhibition features works by 15 competition finalists, supplemented with descriptions. The descriptions can be viewed in the exhibition catalogue in person or online at www.lvm.lv/maksla
“An exhibition of Peter Doig’s paintings has just opened at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The master’s compositions often look towards the forest and figuratively sing the praises of the splendour of nature. The ‘Latvijas valsts meži Art Scholarship’ is like a forest path for young painters that leads to the forests of world art. Just as our folk song says: ‘I walked through a silver grove, without breaking a single branch...’ says LMA Rector Kristaps Zariņš.
The winner of the competition will be announced at the end of the exhibition. The winner will receive a one-off scholarship of 1500 euros. The scholarship competition in cooperation with the LMA has been held since 2017.
The decision on awarding the scholarship will be made by a jury commission from LVM and LMA, evaluating the artistic professionalism of the candidates and the relevance of their works to the creative task of the competition.