Contemporary Art Exhibition “Unscheduled Sandy Meeting II” to Open at “Romas Dārzs” Art Gallery

On 11 July at 18:00, the Bertschy Hall of the Art Gallery “Romas Dārzs” will open its doors to the public with the exhibition “Unscheduled Sandy Meeting II” organized by the Foundation “Liepāja 2027”. The exhibition, which will run until 12 September, brings together 14 young artists from Liepāja who explore the post-war legacy of the Baltic Sea and the environmental issues shaping life along its shores.

The story behind the exhibition begins with a bag caught on fire — an unrehearsed encounter of the “amber” and textile on the beach. Four years ago, the exhibition’s author Ulvis Grenovskis placed what he thought was a piece of amber into his bag, only for it to ignite moments later. The object was, in fact, white phosphorus — a deadly remnant of the Soviet military presence along the coast. This jarring experience planted the seed for what would become “Unscheduled Sandy Meeting” — a meditation on the unpredictable, often uninvited intersections of past and present, community and conflict, heritage and hazard.

“Our lives are woven through with silent, unrehearsed encounters — many of which choose us, not the other way round,” say curators Ieva Rubeze and Ieva Epnere. “In this exhibition, the next generation of artists offers their lens on life by the Baltic Sea — a place that, in today’s geopolitical climate, once again finds itself under the magnifying glass.”

Several pieces spotlight the imprint of military history on the Baltic Sea. And, there is a photographic series portraying the everyday work of a State Environmental Service inspector.

A number of works focus on Karosta, the once-militarised coastal neighbourhood on Liepāja’s northern fringe, where young artists find themselves in dialogue with the values, anxieties and outlooks of a generation on its way out. Through image and sound loop structure, they reveal processes that are as irreversible as the tide — where entropy and erosion mark the chaotic exchange between human ambition and the natural world.

The artists also take aim at environmental degradation, laying bare the stark realities facing the Baltic coast. In still-life photographs and carefully staged compositions, they expose how nature and man-made pollution steadily encroach upon our cultural legacy.

This exhibition is part of the Sea Festival and builds upon a joint project initiated back in 2024 by both Ieva Rubeze and Ieva Epnere together with the art school students. It was first shown at the Kunsthalle Rostock during the First Baltic Sea Youth Biennale. This second iteration, however, hands the reins to the artists themselves, with additional new artists introduced to the team.

“Unscheduled Sandy Meeting II” authors are Kate Babre, Leons Skudrītis, Anete Meire, Anna Mieme, Ulvis Grenovskis, Zelma Eltermane, Karīna Kristiņa, Kristiāns Šuideiķis, Elizabete Eroda, Patrīcija Ķeire, Agate Garsone, Miks Bumbulis, Ksenija Matvejeva, and Nikola Tērauda. The project is curated by Ieva Epnere and Ieva Rubeze.

“Unscheduled Sandy Meeting II” will be open to the public until 12 September Tuesdays to Saturdays between 12:00 and 18:00, and on Sundays from 12:00 to 15:00. Admission is free on 12 July, in celebration of the Sea Festival.

For details on regular ticket prices, please visit www.galerijaromasdarzs.lv

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

Released by

Foundation “Liepāja 2027”
Head of Public Relations and Marketing Department
Zita Lazdāne
Phone: + 371 22 017 277
E-mail: zita.lazdane@liepaja2027.lv