From 8 to 22 March, the Rothko Museum in cooperation with SIVIA hosted the twelfth International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium, which brought together artists from Poland, France, Croatia, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, and Taiwan.
The Latgale Graphic Art Symposium is a unique phenomenon in the country’s art scene, physically and figuratively grounded in a particular geographical region of Latvia and known for its broad international outreach. Its idea and concept belong to Association SIVIA, which has ably run the symposium since its inception in 2013 as part of the Rothko Museum’s residency programme. Through its dedication to nurturing creativity and promoting artistic exchange, the symposium remains a solid support and networking platform for eminent graphic artists. On the verge of its twelfth iteration, the forum continues to be a magnet for creators worldwide. Its first eleven rounds have already brought together more than a hundred printmakers from forty-plus countries.
A jury of experts selected ten artists for the 2024 symposium team, which includes Magda Szplit (Poland), Henryk Krolikowski (Poland), Peili Huang (Taiwan), Vitalia Samuilova (France), Lorenzo Natali (Italy), Edvin Dragičević (Croatia), Kadri Toom (Estonia), Pascal Pignon Jaf (France), Anna Kłos (Poland), and Oksana Vronska (Latvia).
The artists drew inspiration from the city of Daugavpils to create original contemporary artworks in the printmaking medium on the topic of Time, which had been named the umbrella theme for this year’s symposium programme that featured artist presentations, workshops, master classes, and field trips.
The XII International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium closed at 4 p.m. on 22 March at the Rothko Museum with a group exhibition celebrating the participants’ new creative output.
SIVIA 