The international exhibition “Surprising Lace. Openwork in Arts and Crafts” is organized by the Latvian Folk Art Association in co-operation with the foundation RĪGA 2014 and Riga City Council. The exhibition is expected to be an impressive event in the exhibition context of Riga.

“In culture nothing exists by itself. In each of us culture starts from the simplest things and reaches the most complicated ones: family, work, environment where we live, relations, striving for knowledge and art – everything that makes an integral part of our lives. Thus, also the international exhibition “Surprising Lace. Openwork in Arts and Crafts” is about us, human skills, inexhaustible creativity and imagination in various fields of art, design, architecture and crafts. The exhibition will reveal the historic link between Arts and Craftsin the work created manually by humans, when the works transform and change as a result of socialization, assimilation, integration as well as modern technological processes. Ancient, new, authentic, influenced by other cultures, fine and not so fine pieces of art illustrate the range of the openwork things in the exhibition”, this is how the exhibition is characterized by its organizers.

After the selection made by a professional jury the artists representing various genres, designers, applicable folk art studio masters, and craftsmen from 12 countries were invited to participate – among the 24 participants there are artists and craftsmen from Finland, Germany, Norway, Bulgaria, England, France, Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Ireland and Georgia. Latvia will be represented by 81 author.

The exhibition will focus on several themes – Ethnography, Crafts and folk art, Art and design, Classic lace, Architecture and city space, Closing design and lace as well as Nature.The author of the artistic concept and curator of the exhibition is Dagmāra Prīberga, Dr.sc.ing. (idea, contents, management), head of the artistic group Mārtiņš Heimrāts, Mg.art. (exhibition scenography), artist Katrīna Neiburga, Mg.art.  (installation, multimedia),  - artist Baiba Vaivare, Mg.art., Dace Pudāne, Mg.art.,  Juris Leitāns, Mg.art., Aiva Bumbure, Mg.art., (exposing) and Gita Prīberga, Mg.sc. ing.(exposing, coordination).

Entrance fee – EUR 3.00, students - EUR 2.00, pupils – EUR 1.00.

Publicity photo – Odeta Braženiene, paper lace (Lithuania).