What do old Latvian words and peat as a resource have in common with art? At the exhibition “Vārdene”, on display at the Riga customer centre of AS “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM), everyone is invited to discover the peat figures created by textile artist Ginta Kristjansone, which give form to old Latvian words. The exhibition is open on weekdays from 8.30am to 5pm.
Setting out to draw viewers’ attention to the subject of old words and to appreciate the value and significance of peat in society today, the artist invites us to reflect on the richness of the Latvian language.
“Each figure reflects hidden symbols, my own associations with old Latvian words whose meanings are, for the most part, no longer known to the public. The sheer initial delight at how a string of sounds rings out, and the vivid associations that formed as I read those sounds, also shaped the making of my ‘Vārdene’. The figures in the exhibition are like markers of identity, pointing to my belonging to Latvia. With this exhibition I want to invite viewers to reflect on events that touch on the transformation of language and on the search for self-awareness and identity,” says the exhibition’s creator, Ginta Kristjansone.
The exhibition features 16 figures made of peat, inspired by Janīna Kursīte’s books “Neakadēmiskā latviešu valodas vārdnīca” and “Tautlietu vārdene”, which gather together old Latvian words so that they do not disappear and are passed on to future generations.
The use of peat as the raw material for the figures is no accident; it was chosen to complement the artist’s associative message. “Peat is a metaphor for something forgotten, then found, yet valuable. A material with a beautiful texture and a graphic quality all of its own. Peat is a book that nature has been writing over countless years. Today’s generation is learning to read it. It is the same with old words, which are our heritage and whose meanings we are learning anew,” the artist explains.
The figures and descriptions on display are accompanied by explanations of the meanings of the old words, recorded by actor Kaspars Zvīgulis. The exhibition runs until 28 March.