On July 11, the contemporary art exhibition “Unscheduled Sandy Meeting II”, organized by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, was opened to the public at the Bertschy Hall of the Art Gallery “Romas Dārzs”. The exhibition will be on view until mid-September.
The show features works by 14 emerging artists from Liepāja, offering reflections on environmental issues and the post-war legacy along the Baltic Sea coast.
“Why is the unscheduled meeting sandy? Because all the scenes and themes depicted in the exhibition take place by the sea or in the sea. The legacy left to us by previous generations – in the form of environment, architecture, and ecology – are the themes that the young artists in their twenties are addressing in this exhibition,” said one of the curators, Ieva Rubeze, at the exhibition opening.
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.
Some of the works make us think of the imprint of military heritage, with one series documenting the daily work of a State Environmental Service inspector. Several works cast a spotlight on Karosta, the storied coastal neighbourhood of Liepāja, where young artists through photographs, installations, and time-based media come face to face with the values, fears, and worldviews of a generation slowly fading into the background. In their still life and quiet photographic meditations, artists lay bare a sobering truth: our cultural heritage is slipping through the cracks — swallowed bit by bit by creeping nature and the fallout of human carelessness.
This exhibition 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.
Authors: Kate Babre, Leons Skudrītis, Anete Meire, Anna Mieme, Ulvis Grenovskis, Zelma Eltermane, Karīna Kristiņa, Kristians Šuideiķis, Elizabete Eroda, Patrīcija Ķeire, Agate Garsone, Miks Bumbulis, Ksenija Matvejeva, Nikola Tērauda. Project curators: 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. For details on 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.
On Saturday, 19 August at 16:00, the banks of the Ālande River in Grobiņa will come alive with the opening of the new environmental art trail “Face to Face with the Natural”, created by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation as part of the European Capital of Culture programme.
For tow summer days, the beating heart of Kuldīga – Latvia’s jewel in the UNESCO crown – will cheer to the rhythm of street concerts, artist happenings, secret garden gigs and chatter at the market with some pleasant surprises awaiting in the small streets of the old town.
On the weekend of 5 July, a new series of masterclasses and discussions “From Know-How to Do-How” was opened with an event at Liepāja Peter’s Market, focusing on historical heritage and offering practical creative workshops for all family. The programme promotes the preservation of cultural heritage and encourages sustainable practices as a new standard of living.