Contemporary art exhibition “Concerns. Crazy Days” opens with a surprising performance at Liepāja’s Peter’s Market

On 30 April, the foundation Liepāja 2027 launched its contemporary art exhibition “Concerns. Crazy Days” at Liepāja’s Peter’s Market, setting the tone with a performance that caught many visitors by surprise. Open until the end of May, the exhibition brings together the works of seven artists, turning a spotlight on the pressing issues of our time – rising societal anxiety, the grip of consumer culture, and the need to make more mindful choices in our everyday lives.

This exhibition is part of the international art campaign “CreArt Creative Europe”, which brings contemporary art to life in unexpected places across European cities throughout May.

Curator Ieva Rubeze lays it out plainly: “Every artwork in this exhibition has been handpicked to speak to the space we’re in. Since we’re in a market, it’s only natural that the central theme is consumption, and all the strings attached. Shopping has gone way beyond just filling our cupboards—it’s turned into a pastime, sometimes even a bottomless pit that’s hard to climb out of. Emotional marketing plays us like a fiddle, convincing us to fork over cash for things we don’t need and leaving us with buyer’s remorse. This exhibition is a reality check, a moment to stop and ask ourselves: What are we really buying into?”

The opening performance titled “Hoarder”, created by the artist duo “Normal Babyy” (Elza Auguste Zīverte and Kristofers Knesis), was a striking reflection on excessive consumption. Extending this idea further, a creative clothing exchange point – also called “Hoarder” (Vācēja) – is available for the duration of the exhibition. It invites visitors to take part by giving new life to clothes they no longer need, allowing garments to carry on in fresh stories and new hands.

Among the featured artworks, Kristīne Niedrāja’s “Included in the Price” poses a thought-provoking question: what is really included in the price we pay? The artist draws a sharp comparison to the invasive Spanish slug – an uninvited guest in the local ecosystem – and reminds us of the daily toll consumer culture takes: pollution, climate change, pesticides in our food, dwindling natural resources, underpaid labour, overproduction, and the reckless waste of materials. Those are also ‘included in the price’.

In The “Hectic Calm”, Nikola Tērauda explores the emotional toll of modern life. Her work portrays characters overwhelmed by a world of constant noise and abundance, where the pressure of choice and overstimulation scrambles their thoughts into a disjointed inner monologue – echoing the chaos around them.

Jānis Šneiders’ series “Place” offers a quieter reflection. Through minimal forms – straight lines and squares – he explores silence, with even the smallest changes becoming letters, words, and sounds. These abstract spaces, undefined in scale, invite each viewer to interpret them in their own way – some may see towering architecture, others something microscopic.

In her new series “Sirens’ Bathroom”, Annemarija Gulbe takes over the market’s Fish Pavilion, turning its smells, textures and sea-inspired details into a sensory meditation on the human body as a commodity. Myths, waves, tiles and physicality all blend together in a bold reimagining of space and identity.

During the exhibition, artist Kristaps Tinte will create a brand-new mural entitled “Laipnības patvērums” (Haven of Grace) in the courtyard of Peter’s Market. Painted live throughout the event, the mural will become a permanent fixture of the space, using the artist’s refined visual language to call for awareness and kindness as an antidote to the madness of modern consumption.

“Concerns. Crazy Days” runs until 28 May and is open during Peter’s Market hours—Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Entry is free and all are welcome.

The exhibition is organised by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation and is co-financed by the Liepāja City Council, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, and the European Union’s Creative Europe project CreArt 3.0 #STRINGING_TOGETHER.