The exhibition’s title is grounded in themes of dialogue, empathy, space and time, with particular emphasis on materiality and spatial thinking. It serves as a deliberate—perhaps even slightly naive—invitation to reconsider the role of contemporary art and its ongoing search for meaning in today’s turbulently unsettling world. The exhibition is a collective reflection by the participating artists on vulnerability and healing, on seeing and finding refuge, and on the continuous responsibility we bear towards ourselves and the space we inhabit.

The exhibition also seeks to decentralise the region’s cultural landscape by bringing contemporary art into direct dialogue with audiences in Ogre.

Curator: Māris Grosbahs

The program is designed as an inspiring and educational experience, where participants will not only engage in creative activities but also explore different art forms, ask questions to professional artists, and become familiar with their daily work, creative journeys, and the specifics of their professions.

At the end of the sessions, an exhibition of the participants’ best works will be organized, offering an opportunity to publicly present the results of the creative process.

The exhibition will be gradual. It begins with the first workshop day on 08.07.2026 and will be open to visitors until September 13.

The exhibition opening will take place during the Ogre City Festival on 22.08.2026 at 12:00 in the small hall of the Ogre History and Art Museum.

Dārta Madara Cielava studies at a Master’s program in painting. Although the artist is a painter by education, other media and materials also play a significant role in her practice. Each technical solution is chosen deliberately, as painting becomes a language that freely transcends the boundaries of a single medium.

The author of the exhibition reflects: “I am a student; I have school, work, and home. And at home, I also work, paint, write, and send endless rows of emails. Routine arises from comfort and the connection of small problems and joys. I am affected by expensive heating in a rental house; I am affected by stupid, ill-considered expressions uttered by people whose staged plays we are all subjected to. My bed is my safety; it is like the starting point of a coordinate plane. I am not untouchable; I am in a cage of my own building. Stepping out of it, a new act begins.”

In her works, Dārta Madara Cielava perceives everyday objects as signs that form a personal visual language. Compositions are formed intuitively, seeking connections between the visible and the experienced, between the physical environment and its emotional resonance. The artist does not try to provide unambiguous answers but rather draws attention to questions and experiences that characterize the daily life of a modern person. In the paintings, impasto brushstrokes, bright colors, and unpainted areas of linen canvas intermingle. This contrast creates a balance between presence and absence, allowing meaning to form not only in what is depicted but also in what remains unsaid.

Dārta Madara Cielava became the laureate of the 2025 competition exhibition “Artists of Ogre Municipality” with the work “Grandpa Doesn’t Know My Name,” which depicted a personal story of the artist. The jury commission consisted of Māris Grosbahs, curator of exhibitions at the Ogre History and Art Museum, photographer Georgs Avetisjans, art historian Māra Lāss, graphic artist and art historian Valdis Villerušs, and scenographer and multimedia artist Ineta Sipunova. The winner of the competition’s main prize received the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition in 2026 in the museum’s Great Hall. Through the work “Grandpa Doesn’t Know My Name,” the author touches upon a relevant and new theme in Latvian painting—dementia. It is important for the Ogre History and Art Museum to support young artists from the region, promote their professional growth, and enhance the visibility of their work in the broader cultural space.

The exhibition will be open to visitors from July 3 to September 27.

Exhibition artist: Dārta Madara Cielava

Project manager: Elīna Cērpa

Creative process mentor: Madara Kvēpa

Graphic design: Kristīne Martinova

Photo: Oksana Okmi Mizgajeva

The exhibition “Boy, Listen!” is a personal visual story by photographer Dace Voitkeviča, featuring interactive elements that explore a child’s life with autism spectrum disorder. Challenges related to the autism spectrum are often invisible, yet greater societal understanding can significantly promote support for diverse needs.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 On June 7, Ogre celebrates Family Day with a special programme. The museum believes it is important to engage the community in this conversation and to promote family values, with particular attention to children with special needs and their families.

The environment of the Ogre History and Art Museum is accessible and suitable for visitors with functional disabilities.

🗣️ The author of the exhibition notes: “Sometimes support doesn’t require much – just an understanding of the challenges that people with autism face every day.”

✅ The exhibition will be open to visitors from June 7 until September 28. Admission is free on the opening day.

🔎 More information: https://www.ogresmuzejs.lv/apmekle/izstades/lapa/

Exhibition is open: May 16 – August 3, 2025.

The competitive exhibition aims to provide artists with an opportunity to showcase their work while strengthening the artistic identity and recognition of the Ogre region, and to encourage regional artists to participate more actively in cultural, artistic, and public processes. Artists with a connection to the Ogre region were invited to participate regardless of their professional experience, and we received 51 applications. The works selected for the exhibition were chosen by a jury: Māris Grosbahs, Curator of Exhibitions and Displays at the Ogre History and Art Museum; photographer Georgs Avetisjans; art historian Māra Lāss; graphic artist and art historian Valdis Villerušs; and scenographer and multimedia artist Ineta Sipunova.

For the Museum, fostering dialogue between the past, present, and future is essential, as is seeking connection with people, the region, and the present day through art. We bring art to people – from the heart. We need to present diverse perspectives, which is why we seek to collaborate with artists, partners, and audiences whom we do not always encounter in museum spaces.

The aim of the Ogre History and Art Museum is to establish the regional artists’ exhibition as a regular event that will serve as a stable platform for showcasing the diversity and potential of local art.

Exhibition Artists:

Agnija Ģērmane, Ainis Erdmanis, Aivars Slišāns, Andris Linde, Dace Voitkeviča, Dagne Ventiņa, Dārta Madara Cielava, Diāna Vernera, Edgars Mucenieks, Elīna Umule, Evija Krīgere, Hoder, Ieva Pienene, Ieva Pukāte, Ināra Liepiņa, Inese Kleine Pētersone, Inta Putniņa Cīrule, Jānis Ziņģītis, Juris Ģērmanis, Lāsma Pujāte, Liene Strazda, Liena Muceniece, Maija Potgītere, Marta Karolīne Ziņģīte, Nikolajs Kondratjevs, Peter Jansen, Pēteris Sidars, Ramona Juhņeviča, Sanita Čevere, Sanri, Tatjana Stumbre, Uldis Stepāns, Vineta Kaulača, Vita Skutele, Žanete Žvīgure

Curator and Exhibition Designer: Māris Grosbahs

Jury: Georgs Avetisjans, Māra Lāss, Valdis Villerušs, Ineta Sipunova, Māris Grosbahs

Working Group: Elīna Cērpa, Laura Tuča, Jānis Ziņģītis

Graphic Design: Anitra Eglīte–Poikāne

Technical Implementation: Guntars Andersons, Nils Miķelsons.

The winner of the Main Prize and the winner of the Audience Choice Award receive the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition in 2026 or 2027 (by individual agreement with the Museum management).

The exhibition tells the story of the struggle for freedom by the people of Latvia and Ogre Municipality, leading to the independence of the Republic of Latvia.

The exhibition provides an understanding of the continuity of the Road to Freedom, the heroism demonstrated by the people of Latvia and the Ogre region, and the sacrifices made in the name of freedom. The exhibition highlights key events in Latvia’s struggle for independence and presents significant personalities from the Ogre region who took part in these historical events.
The exhibition conveys the understanding that the freedom and independence of the Republic of Latvia are fundamental values – values that also define the freedom and independence of each individual. It emphasises that state independence was historically won through great courage, perseverance, and sacrifice.

Visitors are invited to embark on the Road to Freedom, beginning in the early 20th century, when the idea of Latvia’s independence first emerged. The journey leads through the trenches of the Latvian Riflemen and the War of Independence, ultimately arriving at the establishment of Latvia as an independent state. The exhibition emphasises that the struggle for the country and its independence continued throughout the long years of occupation, culminating in the events of 1990–1991. The exhibition concludes with reflections on the responsibility of preserving the state and its freedom.

In the new building of the Ogre History and Art Museum at Brīvības Street 2, on the third floor, visitors can experience the guided tour “Us or Them”, accompanied by a museum specialist. The tour takes place in a specially designed space that allows visitors to form an emotional connection with Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine. The room displays authentic military artefacts and materials from Ukraine, deposited by the Chernihiv charity fund DOBRODIYA. Tours are held on weekdays (except Tuesdays) and are available only with a guide – a military specialist.

Video series about the Ogre History and Art Museum’s exhibition “Road to Freedom”

Narrated by: Dr. hist. Ritvars Jansons, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Ogre History and Art Museum

Video by: Oksana Okmi Mizgajeva

1. Where in Ogre Municipality did the battles of the Latvian Riflemen take place?

5. Was there an attack during the Barricades of 1991?

Several legends associated with the Daugava River and Ķente Hillfort, as well as Andrejs Pumpurs’ epic “Lāčplēsis” (Bear Slayer), have inspired Kuwajima’s other works. The exhibition presents both historical imagery and entirely new visual interpretations of the region.

Ikuru Kuwajima is an artist and photographer born in Japan. He was educated at a university in the United States and, since 2007, has lived and worked in various Eastern European and Central Asian countries. His artistic practice focuses on historical and social issues, primarily in post-Soviet regions, and includes photography, video, artist books, and installations. His works have been exhibited and published internationally. His books “Children of the Tundra” (2015, Vienna) and “I, Oblomov” (2017, Moscow) have received wide recognition. Kuwajima is also a Japanese–English–Russian–Ukrainian translator; he speaks French and a little Romanian.

Exhibition curator: Elīna Cērpa
Texts: Ikuru Kuwajima
Graphic design: Bumbierkoks
Text editing: Antra Lezdiņa

The exhibition features images from the archives of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.

Ogre History and Art Museum extends its thanks to: Velta Riekstiņa, Līksma Dzelme, Sarmīte Poikāne, Ingrīda Ķezbere, Dzintars Kvants, Vija Links & Aivars Links, Mirdza Jačino, Daiga Sosnare, Liene Kainaize, Lelde Neimane, Jūlija Berkoviča, the Meņģele branch of Taurupe Primary School, Edgars Kalnriekstiņš, Vita Gžibovska, Ilze Jankuna, the Inķēni family, Daiga and Andris Eklons, Dāvids Zaķis, and Irisa Janēvica.