“At Ease!” – Contemporary Art Exhibition in Liepāja

The contemporary art exhibition “At Ease!” organised by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, has been extended and will now remain on view in the display windows at 36/38 Graudu Street until 28 August 2026. The works featured in the exhibition explore creative practices of peacebuilding.

The exhibition’s title carries a dual, and even contradictory energy. “At Ease!” is a military command. It instructs to stop, stand still, and cease all movement. A pause on the brink of inevitable. In this reading, peace is not something that arises of its own accord; it is an act of will. “Like a manifesto: ‘I choose peace, despite all the chaos!’, to maintain inner peace at a time when social and political turmoil seems uncontrollable, it is important to draw a boundary between external and internal space,” says curator Ieva Rubeze, explaining the core idea of the exhibition.

For this exhibition, Pēteris Rubezis has created a new piece, “Dūmi Kāpās” (Smoke in the Dunes, 2026) – an architectural installation that beckons to embark on a journey of creative discovery. It doesn’t simply entertain but offers an opportunity to engage, allowing one to reconcile their own thoughts. Whereas, Vita Liepiņa, both artist and musician, presents two works: “Bez darba rokas meklē nedarbus” Idle Hands Seek Idleness, 2025) and “Batika” (2024), both exploring crocheting as a rhythmic, cyclical process, almost mechanical in nature, that gently calms and steadies the mind.

The exhibition forms part of the CreArt 3.0 #stringing_together initiative, a project co-funded under the European Union’s Creative Europe programme, through which contemporary art events happen in unexpected locations across partner European cities during May. CreArt is a network of 13 European medium-sized cities that has been exchanging experiences and best practices to promote contemporary art.

The “(un)rest” programme of “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” is implemented by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, with funding allocated by the City of Liepāja, the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, and the Ministry of Culture. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”, Jsc; its main partner in air mobility and international communications, AS “airBaltic Corporation”, Jsc; its partner in legal matters SIA “Sorainen ZAB”, Ltd; its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”, Ltd; alongside its maritime mobility and international communication partner SIA “Stena Line”, Ltd; The Foundation’s media partners are: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, Ltd; SIA “Žurnāls Santa” Ltd; SIA “Tvnet grupa”, Ltd; and AS “Kurzemes Radio”, Jsc.