The exhibition explores the boundary between the personal and the public. The paintings become a space where silence and information overload collide, revealing how conditional and fluid our understanding of private space is today. The body of work forms a reflection on social structure, our adaptation mechanisms, and collective and individual tension, creating a unique documentation of the era.

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.

On the opening day of the exhibition, admission is free.

Exhibition artist: Dārta Madara Cielava

Project manager: Elīna Cērpa

Creative process mentor: Madara Kvēpa

Graphic design: Kristīne Martinova

Exhibition author: Inese Dreimane
Design: Rolands Vēgners
Graphic design: Estere Vītola

Translation to English:
In the images:
Notices published in a newspaper in 1941 about looting carried out by employees of the Jumprava Parish Executive Committee while fleeing.
A notice published in a newspaper in 1941 searching for a driver who had been forcibly taken away.
Jumprava parish partisan Kārlis Balodis (1911–?). Arrested on April 30, 1949. On July 18, 1949, the Military Tribunal of the troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the Latvian SSR sentenced him to 25 years of imprisonment and 5 years of exile. He was imprisoned in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Released on June 11, 1955.
Pēteris Zelkāns–Kūkseliņš (1896–1941). Lived in Riga. Taken off a train at Ogre station and shot on June 24, 1941, on suspicion of attempting to seize a Red Army officer’s pistol on the train.

Pēteris Zelkāns–Kūkseliņš (1896–1941)

Laikrakstā 1941. gadā publicētie sludinājumi par Jumpravas pagasta izpildkomitejas darbinieku veiktajām laupīšanām bēgšanas laikā.

Jumpravas pagasta partizāns Kārlis Balodis (1911–?)

Laikrakstā 1941. gadā publicēts piespiedu kārtā aizvesta šofera meklēšanas sludinājums.

The artist’s designs were regularly featured in fashion shows organised by the Riga Fashion House; however, her name – like those of many designers working with mass-produced items – remained unmentioned. This exhibition is therefore a deliberate step towards inscribing Ārija Skudra’s name into the history of Latvian design of the second half of the 20th century.

Ārija Skudra received secondary art education at the J. Rozentāls Riga Art High School but was unable to pursue higher education. Alongside her work as a designer, she developed a second field of creative activity – painting. She participated not in the professional art scene, but in exhibitions organised by amateur artists, presenting landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and figurative compositions executed in oil.

Her most significant artistic achievement, however, lies in her work with the batik technique, which she practised from the 1970s until the beginning of the 21st century. These works are distinctly decorative, characterised by a virtuoso rhythm of lines and a high degree of generalisation in both natural and human motifs.

The exhibition features selected press photographs, materials from Riga Fashion House magazines, and a collection of the artist’s batik works.

Exhibition curator: Irēna Bužinska

Exhibition scenographer: Ineta Sipunova

Ārija Skudra. Song for Riga. Linen, batik. 116 x 130 cm

Ārija Skudra at work. 1975.

Ārija Skudra. Photograph from the pages of “Rīgas modes” magazine. 1988.

Ārija Skudra. Photograph from the pages of “Rīgas modes” magazine. 1988.

Ārija Skudra. Experience. 1976. Linen, batik. 92 x 81 cm

Ārija Skudra. Photograph from the pages of “Rīgas modes” magazine. 1991.

Ārija Skudra. 1965.

Photo: Oksana Okmi Mizgajeva

Photo: Oksana Okmi Mizgajeva

Photo: Oksana Okmi Mizgajeva

Photo: Oksana Okmi Mizgajeva

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?