On October 9, 2026, in Liepāja, as part of the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme, an open-air photography exhibition titled “One Day in Liepāja 1987–2007 – 2025,” which, through images taken in three different years, will reveal the life of the city and its people over the course of half a century. The photographs will allow visitors to trace the changes in the daily lives of Liepāja’s residents and in the urban landscape, while also highlighting details that remain recognizable in Liepāja even today.
The exhibition will open at 11:00 a.m. at Jānis Čakste Square, 15 Alejas Street, and will be on view through November 12. The exhibition will feature photographs taken in Liepāja during previous photo events, as well as works created in 2025 during the international photography conference “Vision & Voices 2025.” The conference brought together photography professionals and enthusiasts, highlighting the programme for Liepāja as the 2027 European Capital of Culture. Alongside the masterclasses, a photo workshop took place in the city, during which participants documented Liepāja, its residents, and everyday life.
The “One Day in Latvia” project began on August 27, 1987, when photographers Jānis Krūmiņš, Ints Kalniņš, and Gunārs Janaitis organized a large-scale documentary photography project with the goal of capturing life in Latvia over the course of a single day. The original photographic negatives from the 1987 campaign are housed in the collection of the Riga History and Navigation Museum, and the association, in collaboration with the museum, is currently digitizing them to preserve this significant part of Latvia’s visual history and ensure its accessibility to future generations.
Twenty years later, in 2007, Viesturs Koziols and Ilmārs Znotiņš, together with the organizers of the first campaign, brought this idea to life once again. With the participation of professional photographers from Latvia and abroad, as well as thousands of amateur photographers, more than 500,000 photographs were taken.
This portrait of Latvia, created twenty years apart, allows us to compare eras and see how people’s lives, their environment, and their habits are changing. The next “One Day in Latvia” event is scheduled for August 27, 2027 – forty years after the first event – and will also include “One Day in Liepāja.” Anyone interested in photography who wishes to contribute to the visual narrative of Latvia and Liepāja is welcome to participate.
The project partner is the insurance technology company “Balcia,” while supporters include “SAF Tehnika,” VC4, “Latvijas Gāze,” “Sony,” the Latvian branch of “Auto 100,” ĀKF, and “CEWOOD.”
The outdoor exhibition “A Day in Liepāja 1987-2007-2025” is organised by association “Viena Diena.lv” as part of the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme, with funding from the City of Liepāja, the South Kurzeme Municipality, Kuldīga Municipality 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.
Information prepared by:
Elizabete Didža
“Viena Diena Latvijā” Content Creator
Phone.: +371 25 675 081
E-mail address: elizabete@vienadiena.lv
www.vienadiena.lv
