With this open call for artists to participate in the exhibition and symposium, the association “ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education” launches the project “ElektrON – The Future of Amber”, interpreting the heritage of amber—along with the future potential of other fossil materials—through a symbiosis of art and science, within the programme “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027”.
The artistic objective of the project “ElektrON – the Future of Amber” is to rediscover the lesser-known properties of amber—the symbolic identity marker of Liepāja and the entire “land of (un)rest”—by re-evaluating assumptions regarding this fossil resource found along the Baltic Sea coast. Through an international contemporary art symposium and exhibition, we will bring together artists and researchers from Latvia and abroad to reflect on the past and present significance, as well as the future potential of amber and other fossil resources.
Through the international open call for the “ElektrON – the Future of Amber” project, five artists will be selected who integrate nature, technology and/or scientific insights into their creative practice. In collaboration with researchers and historians at an international symposium in June 2026 on the shores of the Baltic Sea—in Liepāja and Pāvilosta—they will deliberate the cultural footprint of amber and other fossil resources.
During symposium and optional creative residencies organised in cooperation with the “VV Foundation,” artists are invited to seek innovative and provocative ways to utilise and represent fossil resources today. Their insights will be integrated into artworks to be featured in the project’s final exhibition at the Liepāja Museum from January 8 to June 27, 2027. This exhibition will mark the opening of Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 year.
Applications to participate in the project can be submitted by completing the online form by 23:59 on 19 April.
For enquiries and further information, please contact: elektron@aste.gallery or sabiine.j@gmail.com (Project Manager Sabīne Jermaloviča).
More information about the project is available on the website: aste.gallery
The project “ElektrON – the Future of Amber” is implemented within the programme “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027”, with funding provided by the Ministry of Culture, the City of Liepāja, and the municipalities of Dienvidkurzeme and Kuldīga. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”, its principal partner for mobility and international communication, AS “airBaltic Corporation”, and its mobility partner, the transport provider SIA “Lux Express Latvia”. The activities of the association “ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education” are supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation.
On 11 April, Liepāja 2027 will take to the stage at Tallinn Music Week 2026’s City Stage to present the concept of Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027: (un)rest.
On July2, experimental music festival Skaņu Mežs will hold an exclusive mini-edition in the city of Liepāja, featuring musical acts and sound artists from Latvia, Japan, Norway, United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany.
The residency “Notes on the Margins” is now open for applications from creative practitioners, inviting them to engage in the exploration and development of the local cultural landscape.. Application period: 1 April to 13 May 2026.