From November 3 to December 29, 2023, the solo exhibition of the contemporary fashion and art duo MAREUNROL'S "Fieldwork: Invisible exercises" in the Great exhibition hall of "Riga Art Space". So far this will be the most ambitious representation of the authors' visual works, in which art shines as a space for feelings - the means of visual expression, subject to the concept created by the artists, is the most effective tool for conveying the truth.
The exhibition is made up of works of art of various media and the entire space is interspersed with unsynchronized sound installations that tend to disrupt the harmony that otherwise exists between the works. The exhibition conceptually is designed as a path through several stages / ideas that symbolize MAREUNROL'S current visual practice - two entrances into the environment created by both artists represent the beginning of the cycle and the related acceptance of choice; nature in contact with the turbulence of the urban environment creates a landscape of moving pictures, in which man is a sculpturally created work of art. Meditation on creation motivates you to ponder the principles of truth and search for the beautiful, but it can often lead to creative burnout. It is followed by elevation, weariness, the pursuit of the unknown. The exhibition is a visual diary of artists' work, which allows you to become aware of the processuality of art creation in the most direct way - the invisible exercises of the mind and practice. The passage of light leads to the conclusion or the beginning of the next cycle. Movement and further exercise is inevitable.
Exhibition curator: Auguste Petre
MAREUNROL'S (Mārīte Mastiņa - Pēterkopa and Rolands Pēterkops) are design boundary expanders and transgressors at the same time. Thinkers and storytellers who highlight clothing (fashion) outside the usual framework of functionality, using it as a thread for learning about the world and oneself. Their works are constructions of the mind, imagination and feelings that, like sensitive antennae, pick up the vibrations of their time, deconstruct them, extract the essence and visualize them in a universal fashion language. Thus constantly encouraging to look at the world from a different point of view. Have participated in many international competitions and festivals, biennials and group exhibitions outside Latvia. Including the 12th Prague Quadrennial and the traveling exhibition “ARRRGH! Monsters in Fashion" at the Benaki Museum in Athens and La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris, at the Riga International Art Biennale (RIBOCA 2). The duo won two major awards at the 24th International Jera Fashion and Photography Festival. In 2016, they were nominated among ten European nominees for the prestigious international Woolmark fashion award. In 2019, they published a book as a visual retrospective of MAREUNROL'S most vivid works. A retrospective exhibition of MAREUNROL'S works was shown at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga, which became the most visited exhibition of 2019 at the DMD Museum, and was nominated for the final of the Latvian Public Media "Kg Culture" award as the best Visual Art Exhibition of 2019.
Auguste Petre is an independent curator and producer. She obtained a master's degree at the Latvian Academy of Arts, in the field of art history and curatorial studies, and since 2021 has been studying in the doctoral program at the Latvian Academy of Culture. A. Petre's interests are mainly characterized by the cooperation of art and social context, as well as the expressions of Latvian artists born in the 1990s. A. Petre has curated more than 20 contemporary art exhibitions with the participation of international artists, she is also the author of several exhibition concepts and their accompanying texts, was the director of the "Riga Smallest Gallery" program and is the co-author of the "Riga Smallest Auctions" series. In 2023, created the contemporary art collection of SEB Global Services. She is the co-founder of the "ASNI" art society.
Since 2017, she has been working as an art journalist, regularly creating publications for Latvian and foreign media, including working as a Baltic editor on the portal Arterritory.com. The author of several scientific publications and since 2021, Auguste has focused more on academic activities, working as a guest lecturer at the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Latvian Academy of Arts.
The exhibition is organized by the Exhibition Hall "Riga Art Space" of the Association of Cultural Institutions of Riga Municipality, supported by Riga City Council, State Cultural Capital Fund, VV Foundation, Latvijas Finieris, LMT, DHL, Tet, Steel Tech, Sixt, Vulcana.