NEWS
EXHIBITIONS FUTURE PAST ARTISTS
ARTWORKS 20th CENTURY ART PROJECTS ART FAIRS ABOUT US E-MAIL

RITUMS IVANOVS
OPTICAL DIFFUSION

03.09.2004. - 10.10.2004.

Artist Ritums Ivanovs’ solo exhibition was organised at Eva Poll Gallery in Berlin from 3 September to 10 October 2004. The event was included in the project “Gallery Tour of the Ten”.

The artist's main subjects of research are human emotions and different emotional states. His images are both actual contemporaries of the artist and photographic prototypes from printed sources, like advertising photographs of show industry (series “I Feel Loved” (2001) with the group “Depeche Mode” participants’ portraits), journals portraying the most popular actresses, models and other pop stars who have become beauty and lifestyle standards of the epoch, promoted by mass media and successful public relations campaigns (series “Trade Mark Beauty” (2004), series “Poster for an Unknown Movie” (2004) and even erotic literature (series “Erotic Movie”).

As new member-states have joined the European Union, culture diplomats from Eastern and Central Europe have founded Society for Promotion of Culture in Expanded Europe (Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Kultur im erweiterten Europa e.V.) that organises “Cultural Year of the Ten” (“Das Kulturjahr der Zehn”) to welcome the new members. One of the central projects in autumn 2004 was “Gallery Tour of the Ten”, realised in collaboration with Landesverband Berliner Galerien and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
Contemporary art project “Gallery Tour of the Ten” took place in several galleries in Berlin and Munich in September – October 2004. Participants were ten artists from the ten new member-states of EU. Each country was represented by one artist, and his/her works were exhibited at one of the Berlin galleries as well as at two group exhibitions in Berlin and Munich.
The aim of this series of exhibitions was to focus attention on the new member-states of EU and their contemporary art as well as to promote co-operation between galleries in the expanded EU.
Ritums Ivanovs was chosen to represent Latvia; it was decided by a jury of gallery owners and art critics from Berlin.
Alongside solo exhibitions in ten galleries of Berlin, large group shows of all participants’ works were organised – two group exhibitions in Berlin and Munich: “Extension is More Fine Arts” at the International Club of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin from 10 to 30 September;
“ART of the TEN” at Munich City Exhibition Hall (Marienplatz) from 11 September to 3 October.
Ritums Ivanovs presented 4 series of works, 27 works in total, for “Gallery Tour of the Ten”, including solo show at Eva Poll Gallery and both group exhibitions.


Ritums Ivanovs (b. 1968) graduated from the Latvian Academy of Art in 1994. Then he studied for a year at the prestigious Humboldt University in USA.
The artist has organised solo exhibitions in Paris (1993, 2001), California (1995). His works were included in significant group exhibitions – Latvian art exposition “New Reality. Identification” at the 5th International Contemporary Art Fair “Art Moscow” (2001), “Art Moscow” shows (2003, 2004), multimedia exhibition of Latvian art “Nothing Personal” in Bremen City Gallery (2002), exhibition of young artists’ works “Fresh Art” at Business Design Centre in London (2002, 2003), exhibition “Rape of Europe” at Eskilstuna Museum (2004) etc.

RIGA GALLERY organised Ritums Ivanovs’ solo exhibition in Berlin.
Exhibition was supported by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Latvia, Latvian Embassy in Germany, airline “Air Baltic” and State Culture Capital Foundation.

RITUMS IVANOVS. Kate Moss