September 7 – October 8, 2023
opening reception September 7 @ 18h
Vidzeme Market
Brivibas street 90
Riga
Long-distance Friendships
Artists: Younes Baba-Ali, Zbynek Baladran and Tereze Stejskalova, Endri Dani, DAVRA Collective (Valeriya Kim, Dona Kulmatova, Zumrad Mirzalieva and Saodat Ismailova), Nolan Oswald Dennis, Inga Erdmane, Anna Ehrenstein together with DNA, Vidisha-Fadescha, Shaunak Mahbubani and Rebecca Pokua Korang, Ângela Ferreira, Yonamine, Ala Younis, Šejla Kamerić, Jeanne Kamptchouang, Nikolay Karabinovych, Žulijens Nuhums Kulibali, kuš! comics (Anna Malicka, Isaac Zavale, Luntu Vumazonke, Mārtiņš Zutis, Oskars Pavlovskis), Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien, Ilona Nemeth, Lala Raščić, Liene Pavlovska, Natalie Perkof, Jaanus Samma, Janek Simon and Max Cegielski, Anastasia Sosunova, Adéla Součková, Jihan El Tahri, Thierry Oussou, Sumayya Vally and Moad Musbahi with Thania Peterson and Sukanta Majumdar, Evita Vasiļjeva
Curators: Inga Lace and Alicia Knock
Organizers: Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art
The idea of the exhibition Long-distance Friendships stems from history of emancipation struggles in the 1960s, when the Soviet Union and other socialist bloc countries purposefully cooperated with countries in Africa, participating in their decolonisation processes – from economic and military aid to educational and cultural exchange programmes, while attempting to impose socialist ideology through indirect colonization. Although the primary aim of these ideologically motivated aid programmes was to extend socialism’s influence in the world, they often offered the communities of students, artists and workers involved a completely new experience and a new perspective on the world.
Lala Raščić 