From April 10 to April 16, everyone is invited to take part in the events taking place in our city. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy the best of art, music and activities. Come with your friends and family and enjoy a week full of adventure.

April 10

• 13.00 | Knitting Club | Rainis Center, Komunālā Street 2
• 15.00 | Museum for Children | Creative Reading | Rothko Museum, Mihaila Street 3
• 16.00 | Boris Borisov’s Painting Exhibition “Stories of Earth and Sky” | Jaunbūves Cultural Space, Varšavas Street 14
• 16.00 | Ceramics Workshop for Adults | Rothko Museum Craft House, 18. novembra Street 8
• 17.20 | Masterclass “Making Wooden Whistles” | Tradition House, Rīgas Street 22a
• 18.00 | Open Discussion with Mikhail Labkovsky – Inner Balance as a Choice: How to Reduce Everyday Anxiety | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 18.30 | Performance „Life on the Fridge Door“ | Daugavpils Theater, Rīgas Street 22A
• 20.00 | Guess the Melody | “DIČbar” Restaurant & Bar, Viestura Street 59
• 22.00 | April Birthday Weekend | One More Club, Viestura Street 53

April 11

• 9.00 | Mexican taco masterclass | Latgale Training Center, Saules Street 38
• 9.00 | Contest “Ceļā uz lielo skatuvi” | Unity House, Rīgas Street 22A
• 10.00 | Peaceful Morning | Sensorā Pērle, Valkas Street 3
• 11.00 | Creative Charity Festival/Business Forum “MID” | Park Hotel Latgola, Ģimnāzijas Street 46
• 11.00 | Performance “Three Little Pigs and the Wolf” | Daugavpils Puppet Theater, Cietokšņa Street 4
• 13.00 | Karting Season Opening Event | Karting Club “Karting-D”, Blāzmas Street 11
• 16.00 | Opening of the Documentary Exhibition “Museum of Physical Evidence” | Association “New East”, Vienības Street 34
• 17.00 | Ice show “The Road to a Dream” | Daugavpils Ice Hall, Stacijas Street 45a
• 18.00 | Contemporary dance performance “Believe in Yourself!” | Daugavpils University Concert Hall “V-13 ”, Vienības Street 13
• 22.00 | April Birthday Weekend | One More Club, Viestura Street 53

April 12

• 16.00 | Sitcom “Run for Your Life…” | Daugavpils Culture Palace, Smilšu Street 92
• 17.00 | Performance “The Eldest Son” | Daugavpils Theater, Rīgas Street 22A
• 20.00 | Masaki Nakagawa concert | Bar “Miezis un kompānija”, Rīgas Street 63

April 14

• 16.00 | Knitting class | Tradition House, Rīgas Street 22A

April 15

• 11.00 | Performance “Spreideits” | Daugavpils Theater, Rīgas Street 22A
• 16.00 | Opening of Mikhail Vinnitsky’s painting exhibition “All Roads Lead Home” | Grīva Cultural Space, Komunālā Street 2
• 16.00 | Museum for Children | “How Colors Interact” | Rothko Museum, Mihaila Street 3
• 18.00 | Discussion Club “Let’s Talk?!” | “New East” Association, 18. novembra street 41A
• 18.00 | 30-Minute Run | Stage 4 | Esplanade Park

April 16

• 11.00 | Performance “Spreideits” | Daugavpils Theater, Rīgas Street 22A 
• 16.00 | Ceramics workshop for children | Rothko Museum Craft House, 18. novembra Street 8
• 17.00 | Museum for Families | “Come into the Museum! See and Draw” | Rothko Museum, Mihaila Street 3
• 18.00 | LATVIAN FOOTBALL PREMIER LEAGUE | BFC Daugavpils vs. FS Jelgava |  Stadium “Esplanāde”, Stadiona Street 1
• 19.00 | “LOTO” Game | “DIČbar” Restaurant & Bar, Viestura Street 59
• 19.00 | Favorite Songs from Movies | Park Hotel Latgola, Ģimnāzijas Street 46

More information about the events: http://daugavpils.lv/afisa

Movie screening schedule: https://dkp.lv/kino/

Daugavpils Theater performance schedule: http://daugavpilsteratris.lv

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On 12 April, closing the current display of Mark Rothko paintings at the Rothko Museum, admission will be offered at a fifty per cent discount on the full ticket price.

The museum’s Rothko display, unveiled in April 2023, currently features six original works by Mark Rothko from the family collections of the artist’s daughter, Kate Rothko Prizel, and son, Christopher Rothko. Created across different periods of Rothko’s career, the works trace his transition from early figurative painting towards the iconic colour field abstraction.

The display is designed as a rotating presentation, with works periodically replaced while maintaining a focus on different stages of Rothko’s artistic development. Since the museum opened in 2013, visitors have had the opportunity to view a total of twenty-four Rothko paintings, with every new selection offering further insight into his art.

On 12 April, admission to the latest Rothko display will be €3 (standard concession discounts are not combined with this offer). The ticket also includes access to the Rothko Museum collection exhibition “No. 2 [Untitled]”, likewise on view for the last time.

Following a brief changeover period, a new exhibition, “Rothko. From the Family Collection”, will open on 24 April 2026, headlining the museum’s thirteenth anniversary programme.

Publicity image: Mark Rothko’s art at the Rothko Museum. Photo by Pāvels Terentjevs

Information:
Inga Gedžūne, Rotko muzejs
inga.gedzune@daugavpils.lv
+371 26070651

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The Rothko Museum in Daugavpils has joined the global arts and culture platform Bloomberg Connects, becoming the first museum in Latvia to be featured on the app and marking a significant step in expanding digital access to art.

Through the Bloomberg Connects mobile app, audiences can explore the Rothko Museum on site or remotely from anywhere in the world. The museum’s digital guide offers curated audio, text and visual content, providing insight into its collection, exhibitions and Rothko’s artistic legacy.

At the heart of the guide are personal narratives that bring the museum’s context into sharper focus. These include audio recordings by Rothko’s children, Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko, reflecting on their family’s connection to Daugavpils and their first impressions of the artist’s birthplace. Art historian David Anfam contributes further perspective on Rothko’s work and its presence in his country of origin.

The guide also introduces key aspects of the museum’s collection, including the exhibition “No. 2 [Untitled]”, where artists reflect on their works and their inclusion in the museum’s holdings. A dedicated section is devoted to the museum’s international residency programme, offering insight into artists’ experiences of working within the distinctive environment of the Daugavpils Fortress – a setting shaped by architecture, landscape and proximity to Rothko’s work.

“Joining Bloomberg Connects allows us to extend the museum experience beyond its physical space and offer a more layered engagement for both on-site and remote audiences,” says Pāvels Terentjevs, Head of Art and Communications at the Rothko Museum. “For the museum, this means strengthening the presence of Rothko’s legacy in his birthplace while opening that experience to a global audience.”

The Rothko Museum guide on Bloomberg Connects is available in English. The app can be downloaded free of charge on both Android and iOS devices.

Developed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg Connects provides digital guides to more than 1,250 cultural institutions worldwide – from major international organisations such as Venice Biennale, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tate Modern to more locally rooted regional institutions – offering free and open access to arts and culture anytime, anywhere.

Information: Rothko Museum

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On 24 April, the Rothko Museum will host “Fields of Colour”, a vibrant jazz performance by the Matthias Van den Brande Quartet (Belgium), composed in dialogue with Rothko’s iconic paintings.

Conceived by Belgian saxophonist Matthias Van den Brande, this remarkable reimagining of Rothko’s legacy offers a contemporary musical response to the artist’s emotional and chromatic language. Echoing the layered depth and quiet intensity of Rothko’s paintings, the programme draws on his exploration of colour as a vehicle of feeling and presence, translating visual perception into sound – an approach shaped in part by Van den Brande’s own experience of colour blindness.

Besides showcasing the award-winning trio of Matthias Van den Brande (saxophone), Tijs Klaassen (double bass) and Eouter Kühne (drums), the project also welcomes the acclaimed Belgian trumpeter Jean-Paul Estiévenart, who adds a further dimension of expressiveness and virtuosity to the performance.

The programme builds on the album “Fields of Colour”, recorded in February 2024 at La Buissonne studio in southern France and released in March 2025 on Fresh Sound New Talent Records.

“It is pulsating, powerful, exciting, captivating. A pure joy to listen to.” – Jean-Claude Vantroyen, Le Soir

The concert forms part of a wider cultural programme marking the museum’s 13th anniversary, centred on the opening of “Rothko. From the Family Collection”, a new display of paintings on loan from the private collections of the artist’s children. The day will also see the unveiling of “Transposition. The Rothko Motif”, a satellite project by Latvian textile artist Iveta Vecenāne who has translated into tapestry selected paintings from Rothko’s lesser-known Surrealist period.

The exhibitions will open at 4 p.m. and will be accessible free of charge on opening night. The concert, which concludes the day’s programme at 5:30 p.m., is also free, with advance registration required via the museum’s website.

Support: Daugavpils City Council and Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation.

Matthias Van den Brande (b. 1993) is a Belgian jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger whose work reflects an international background shaped by studies in Belgium, Amsterdam and Philadelphia. He has performed as a soloist with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra and released his debut album “Opus #1” in 2018. With the Matthias Van den Brande Trio, active since 2022, he has won several international awards and released “Three Sides of a Coin” (2023), a studio album widely acclaimed across Europe.

Publicity image: Matthias Van den Brande Trio and Jean-Paul Estiévenart, photo by Victoriano Moreno

Information: Rothko Museum

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On 24 April 2026, the Rothko Museum in Daugavpils will unveil a new permanent display of paintings by Mark Rothko, offering a renewed encounter with one of the defining figures of twentieth-century art in a place where his story began.

Drawn from the private collections of Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel, the exhibition – on view until April 2029 – continues the museum’s distinctive role as the only institution in Eastern Europe to offer permanent access to Rothko’s ground-breaking creative vision.

Conceived as a focused, evolving presentation, the display traces the entire arc of Rothko’s artistic development – from early figurative and Surrealist compositions to multiform experiments and the luminous colour field paintings of his mature period. Together, they reveal a decisive shift: from representation to abstraction, from image to presence, and from form to colour as a vehicle of emotional and spiritual experience.

Anchored in the institution’s founding vision, the exhibition is produced in close collaboration with the artist’s children, whose continuous support maintains a rotating display of Rothko paintings in his birthplace. So far, visitors have encountered twenty-four artworks from the Rothko family collection, and each new selection affords a fresh perspective on his art.

“It is a privilege to present these works in Daugavpils, where Rothko’s life began,” says Māris Čačka, Director of the museum. “The lasting generosity of Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko allows us to keep sharing Rothko’s paintings with audiences from Latvia and beyond. Each new rotation invites a slower, more attentive way of looking and deepens the dialogue between his legacy and contemporary artistic practice.”

Born in Daugavpils in 1903, Mark Rothko spent his formative years here before emigrating to the United States. Although his career unfolded abroad, the city remains an essential point of origin. Opened in 2013, the Rothko Museum honours this connection, inviting visitors to encounter his work not as an illustration of biography, but as an intimate and immersive experience shaped by colour, light and stillness.

The opening day programme on 24 April extends this conversation across disciplines. At 4 p.m., the new Rothko display will be unveiled alongside “Transposition. The Rothko Motif”, a satellite project by the Latvian textile artist Iveta Vecenāne, where she translates selected paintings from Rothko’s lesser-known Surrealist period into tapestry, echoing his expressive line and complex chromatic structures.

At 5:30 p.m., the museum’s concert hall will host “Fields of Colour”, an acoustic jazz performance by the Matthias Van den Brande Quartet (Belgium), inspired by Rothko’s art.

The opening day programme will mark the 13th anniversary of the Rothko Museum and will be accessible free of charge. Advance online registration for the concert will be required via the museum’s website.

With: Collection of Kristopher Rothko; Collection of Kate Rothko Prizel.

Support: Daugavpils City Council; Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation; JCDecaux Latvia; Caparol.

Publicity images:

• Rothko Museum (photo by Santa Suhanova)
• Mark Rothko, Nude (1938/1939). Oil on canvas, 91.4 x 61 cm. Collection of Kate Rothko Prizel.
• Mark Rothko, Untitled (1948). Oil on canvas, 157.5 x 81.3 cm. Collection of Christopher Rothko.

Information: Rothko Museum

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The Rothko Museum has announced an open call for artists from France to take part in a forthcoming group exhibition centred on the legacy of the French modernist painter Yves Brayer.

Opening in September 2026 as part of the Rothko Museum’s autumn exhibition season, the show is curated by the French curator Gilles Bonnevialle. The project takes as its point of departure Brayer’s paintings from the 1930s and 1940s, a period when the artist developed the compositional discipline and structural clarity that would become hallmarks of his work.

Created at a time when Europe was marked by political and social instability, these paintings can be read as visual constructions of order in a climate of tension. Rather than approaching them as direct political commentary, the exhibition proposes to view them as reflections on the resilience of form in moments of historical uncertainty.

In dialogue with this historical material, the Rothko Museum invites contemporary artists based in France to submit works that explore the relationship between form and instability. The exhibition also looks at how visual structures construct space under conditions of geopolitical tension and how they can either stabilise or disrupt our perception of reality. Participating works are expected to respond to these questions as independent contemporary reflections rather than illustrations of a particular historical moment.

Submissions are particularly welcome in the media of photography, video, installation, sculpture and object-based practice. Applications will be reviewed by the exhibition’s curatorial team, who will assess proposals for conceptual clarity, professional quality and their ability to enter into a meaningful dialogue with Brayer’s work.

The open call invites applications from French artists, as well as artists of other nationalities who live and work in France.

Application closes on 1 July 2026.

Further details about the exhibition and the application process are available on the Rothko Museum website: www.rothkomuseum.com.

The exhibition is supported by the Daugavpils City Council and Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation.

Yves Brayer (1907–1990) was a painter, printmaker, illustrator and stage designer, recognised as one of the most significant figures in twentieth-century French figurative art. His work is distinguished by compositional clarity, a carefully structured organisation of space and a confident, expressive use of line. During the 1930s and 1940s, as Europe faced mounting political and social instability, Brayer’s paintings reveal an increasingly pronounced search for visual balance and inner order – an artistic response to the turbulence of his time.

Publicity images:

• Open call’s visual identity

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The two‑year Latvia–Lithuania cross‑border cooperation project “Digital Crafts Tourism” (D-tour) has concluded, resulting in the creation of a new cultural tourism route. The route consists of five digital exhibitions, each highlighting a different field of traditional craftsmanship.

At the beginning of January 2026, the Latgale Planning Region, in cooperation with the Daugavpils City Municipality institution Vienības nams and Krāslava Municipality, invited visitors on a journey through time. Opening celebrations of new, contemporary digital exhibitions took place in Daugavpils and Krāslava, offering an opportunity to explore ancient craft skills, traditional ways of life, and the values of wooden architecture through a modern, interactive digital format.

On 7 January, the doors of the Craftsmanship and Life Wisdom Exhibition opened to visitors at the Traditions House of Daugavpils Unity House. The exhibition is dedicated to the world of the Latgalian farmstead – a place where everyday life, work, and family traditions unfolded through the changing seasons. It offers a contemporary interpretation of ancient crafts, allowing visitors to discover them through visual imagery, sound, hands-on activities, and interactive storytelling.

From early morning, children and young people visited the Traditions House to take part in creative activities together with local historian Evija Maļkeviča-Grundele, bathhouse master Dzintra Abarone, splint basket-weaving craftsman Andris Kačkāns, and blacksmith Edgars Vronskis. Together with the head of the Traditions House, Baiba Pankjāne, children explored the new exhibition and, under the guidance of the masters, learned how threads were made in the past, the significance of the traditional bathhouse, and how splint baskets and metal jewellery were crafted.

In the evening, the celebration was enriched by songs performed by the folklore group Svātra of Daugavpils Unity House. Guests were addressed by Līvija Jankovska, Member of the Daugavpils City Council and Chair of the Committee on Education, Culture and Social Affairs; Iveta Maļina-Tabūne, Head of the Administration of the Latgale Planning Region and Manager of the Latgale Special Economic Zone; Ints Bērziņš, Head of the smart technologies company SIA Solavi; Director of Unity House Diāna Soldāne; and senior expert of the Latvia–Lithuania Programme, Līga Upeniece.

On 8 January, the multimedia exhibition “THE CODE OF WOOD. The Values of Krāslava’s Wooden Architecture” was opened in Krāslava. The exhibition tells the story of the importance of wood in Latgale’s cultural environment and craftsmanship. Visitors can explore the development of Krāslava’s wooden buildings, view traditional craftsmen’s tools and decorative elements, and take part in creative activities that reveal the construction principles and aesthetic qualities of wooden architecture.

On the opening day, workshops for children and young people were led by woodcraft master Aivars Andžāns. Musician and instrument maker Aleksandrs Maijers introduced visitors to the world of wooden musical instruments. Many attendees gathered for a discussion with architect Ģertrūde Rasnača on the distinctive features of single-farmstead wooden architecture in South Latgale.

The opening event was moderated by Sarmīte Teivāne, Project Manager of Digital Crafts Tourism. Welcoming speeches were delivered by Inese Vorslova, Deputy Executive Director of Krāslava Municipality for Financial Affairs; Alla Lomanovska, Acting Director of the Krāslava Regional Museum; exhibition creator Didzis Jaunzems; and senior expert of the Latvia–Lithuania Programme, Līga Upeniece. A special atmosphere was created by the musical performances of instrument maker and musician Aleksandrs Maijers.

The celebrations were organised by the lead partner of the project Digital Crafts Tourism – the Latgale Planning Region (Latvia), together with all project partners: Daugavpils City Municipality institution Vienības nams (Latvia), Krāslava Municipality (Latvia), Anykščiai Art Incubator – Art Gallery (Lithuania), and the Administration of Panevėžys District Municipality (Lithuania).

Iveta Maļina-Tabūne, Head of the Administration of the Latgale Planning Region and Manager of the Latgale Special Economic Zone, emphasises that in order to preserve and promote traditional cultural values more effectively and to pass on the knowledge and skills of intangible cultural heritage practitioners to future generations, it is essential to diversify approaches and introduce modern methods and tools. Direct, in-person transmission of skills from tradition bearers is not always possible, making digital solutions increasingly important.

Overall, five digital exhibitions have been opened within the project:
– the Latgalian farmstead at the Traditions House in Daugavpils;
– wooden architecture and woodcarving at the Krāslava Palace Complex;
– ceramics at the Anykščiai Art Incubator – Art Gallery;
– flax weaving and traditional folk musical instruments in Upytė village, Panevėžys district.

The newly opened exhibitions demonstrate that cultural heritage can be vibrant, engaging, and contemporary. They not only tell stories of the past but also inspire visitors to reflect on the role of craftsmanship and architecture today.

The Craftsmanship and Life Wisdom Exhibition in Daugavpils and “The Code of Wood” exhibition in Krāslava remain open to visitors – to everyone who wishes to experience the stories of Latgale in a digital, emotional, and deeply personal way.

The project “Digital crafts tourism” (acronym D-tour; No LL-00100) is co-funded by the European Union. The project is implemented within the Interreg VI-A Latvia-Lithuania Programme 2021-2027.

The total project budget is EUR 697 275.  The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund with EUR 557 820.

Interreg VI-A Latvia–Lithuania Programme 2021–2027 aims to enhance the sustainable and cohesive socioeconomic development of its regions by fostering competitiveness and attractiveness for residents, students, workers, and visitors alike, thereby creating environments conducive to living, studying, working, and visiting.

Programme website: http://www.latlit.eu. About the project: latlit.eu/theprojects/d-tour/.

This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Latgale Planning Region and does not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament.

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Contributing your artwork is simple. Scan the QR code on a sheet and follow the instructions on your device to photograph and upload your coloured drawing. Your creation will appear on the exhibition’s screen in 3D, alongside the contributions of other visitors.

“Clay Pixels” is on view and open to visitor participation on the museum’s top floor throughout 2026.

The exhibition has been realised in collaboration with “We Rock” and with the support of Latvia’s Culture Capital Foundation.

Born in Daugavpils on 28 January 1931, Pēteris Martinsons (1931–2013) made history as Latvia’s most internationally celebrated 20th-century ceramicist. His pioneering work transformed Latvian ceramics, establishing it as a vibrant and contemporary artistic medium. The Rothko Museum holds an extensive collection of his works, with hundreds on permanent display in the museum’s ceramic gallery, Martinsons House. Since 2016, the museum has hosted the international Martinsons Award exhibition as part of the Latvia Ceramics Biennale, honouring his legacy and celebrating the enduring vitality of the ceramic medium.

Publicity images: “Clay Pixels” at the Rothko Museum (photographed by Santa Suhanova)

For more information, please contact

Inga Gedžūne, Rothko Museum

+371 26070651

inga.gedzune@daugavpils.lv

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Daugavpils becomes a crossroads of creativity as professional printmakers from Europe, Asia, and North America gather for the 14th International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium – a lively creative forum culminating in a group exhibition at the Rothko Museum on 7 March.

From 23 February to 8 March, the Rothko Museum’s studios will pulse with creative energy. For two immersive weeks, nine artists from Italy, Canada, Poland, India, Ukraine, Lithuania and Latvia will work together, creating new artworks for the museum’s collection and shaping an exhibition that will celebrate their journey through the residency.

Selected from applications representing thirty-three countries, this year’s participants are Alessandro Cugno (Italy), John Graham (Canada), Kamila Bednarska and Katarzyna Tereszkiewicz (Poland), Kateryna Svirgunenko and Valentyna Ariepieva (Ukraine), Kethavath Vijay (India), Nida Shah (Lithuania) and Ināra Garklāva (Latvia).

Beyond the focused studio practice, the symposium opens its doors to the public through meet-the-artist events at the Rothko Museum.

On 27 February, 4 p.m., participating artists will present their creative portfolios.

The symposium exhibition will open on 7 March, 4 p.m., unveiling the results of this dynamic creative fortnight.

Admission to both events is free.

Conceived and produced by SIVIA Association, the symposium is part of the Rothko Museum’s residency programme and runs with support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia and the Daugavpils City Council.

Since its inception in 2013, the Latgale Graphic Art Symposium has brought together over a hundred artists from nearly forty countries. Today, it continues to revitalise the graphic medium in Daugavpils and elevate Latgale’s global reputation, attracting artists to this crossroads of cultures to distil their impressions, exchange ideas and experience the contemporary resonance of traditional printmaking techniques.

Publicity image: In the Rothko Museum’s printmaking studio (photo by Pāvels Terentjevs)

Information:
Tatjana Černova
Curator of the symposium
tatjana.cernova@daugavpils.lv

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At 4.00 p.m. on Friday, 20 February, the Rothko Museum opens its first exhibition season of the year with six new projects bringing together artistic voices from Italy, Finland, and Latvia. Moving from contemplative and restrained non-figurative painting and installation to photographic narratives that trace experience as it inscribes itself on mind and body, the season echoes silence, light, belonging, memory, and stillness.

Gregorio Botta: “Painting Brings You Home”

Gregorio Botta (Italy) is the first Italian artist to exhibit solo at the Rothko Museum in Daugavpils. The city that gave birth to Mark Rothko and his Abstract Expressionism now represents a “home” for a silent, contemplative form of non-figurative painting – an ideal legacy that has long inspired Botta’s artistic research.

According to the exhibition’s curator Bruno Corà, art historian and critic, although Botta’s practice unfolds through a plurality of media, often in three-dimensional installations and sculptures, it is grounded in painting understood as an originating artistic gesture and continues to be deeply meditative:

“Using natural materials such as wax, rice paper, water, glass, leaves, and stone, the artist creates rarefied works that evoke emptiness and silence through minimal forms.”

Over the years, Botta has exhibited in important museums and institutions in Italy and abroad, establishing himself as one of the most distinctive voices of contemporary Italian art. At the Latvian exhibition, around thirty works are presented, some created specifically for this occasion.

Rose-Mari Torpo: “Strange Light”

Inspired by the fragile threshold moments of dawn and dusk, Finnish abstractionist Rose-Mari Torpo paints shifting, almost illusory spaces where light, colour, and movement generate immersive encounters. Working across canvas, paper, polyester, and found readymade materials, she experiments with spray paint, acrylic, and ink to test the boundaries of painting itself, letting the work extend beyond its frame and become an active spatial element.

Curator Tatjana Černova highlights the artist’s recent engagement with iridescent materials, which refract and reflect light, intensifying the inherent dynamism of her compositions:

“At times her surfaces resemble atmospheric dust; at others they appear liquid, or more solid and congealed. The structural indeterminacy of Torpo’s painting corresponds to an emotional register that remains consciously suspended and mutable, existing beyond figuration.”

Artists from Latgale: “Borderland”

The Rothko Museum’s annual spring exhibition of Latgale artists turns its gaze to the border, both as a line on a map and as a threshold of imagination. Bringing together sixty-four artists across generations and media, it reflects a shared connection to Latgale as a home, muse, crossroads, or point of departure.

Curator Aivars Baranovskis frames Borderland as a mental and physical space between staying and leaving, tradition and modernity, the local and the global:

“Beyond geography, the exhibition reflects on art itself as a practice unfolding at the border between normality and abnormality, between what is accepted and what is condemned. Because art’s very purpose is to test and redefine existing boundaries: illuminate the marginal, challenge the norm, and celebrate the richness of experience and meaning life has to give.”

With this conceptual focus, the show is both a meeting point for artists and an invitation for the viewer to see this complex region not just as lines on a map, but as a source of possibility and inspiration.

RZ Collection: “Ways of Seeing”

“Ways of Seeing” presents selected works from the RZ Collection – the private assemblage of entrepreneur and art patron Raivis Zabis (1973–2023). Guided by intuition and emotional response rather than systematic acquisition, he approached collecting as a deeply personal, almost artistic process. Contemporary art, which he saw as the clearest mirror of its time, formed the core of his engagement.

Curator Dace Dēliņa-Lipska notes that the exhibition’s title reflects the collector’s belief that art must be seen to be fully alive:

“For Zabis, artworks belonged out in the open rather than in storage. Indeed, art truly breathes and comes alive when someone stops to look. This exhibition is an invitation to reflect on ways of seeing – art, time, and our shared humanity.”

Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva: “Habitus”

In “Habitus”, Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva presents a photographic series unfolding as a visual and emotional inquiry into the boundary between appearance and experience, between what is visible and what is lived. Working at the intersection of documentary observation, subtle staging, and directorial control, the artist constructs a finely calibrated narrative that traces how social environment, upbringing, and personal history inscribe themselves in posture, gaze, and silence, shaping how we relate to ourselves and others.

Curator Tatjana Černova observes how in Verbicka-Vasiļjeva’s practice, habitus moves beyond its sociological origins to become a lived imprint – an experience absorbed into the body, behaviour, and emotional memory:

“At the heart of the exhibition lies an understanding of the human being as a process rather than a fixed state, drawing attention to the entanglement of individual stories with collective experience and urging viewers to consider how we all reflect the world around us.”

Pēteris Martinsons: “Reflection”

In 2026, the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics partners with the Rothko Museum towards an exhibition series at the Martinsons House gallery to mark the 95th anniversary of the Latvian ceramic artist Pēteris Martinsons (1931–2013). Drawing on works from Latvian and international museum collections, the programme offers a wide-ranging view of the artist’s impressive creative legacy.

The first exhibition in the series presents large-scale ceramic sculptures from the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art. Curator Valentīns Petjko highlights the exhibition’s anchoring diptych “Reflection” – early yet assured figurative abstractions where the human figure is distilled into geometric minimalism and archetypal signs. Meanwhile, the later works articulate Martinsons’s mature visual language, shaped by architectural thinking, sculptural experimentation, and a pronounced engagement with graphic line.

Exhibition Dates and Opening Night

The Rothko Museum’s spring exhibition season runs from 20 February to 24 May 2026.

Admission to the new exhibitions is free on opening night.

The Rothko Museum’s spring exhibition season was prepared in partnership with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics, the Latvian National Museum of Art and Il Cigno Arte, with valued support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Daugavpils City Council, Italian Embassy in Latvia, Nordic Culture Point, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, and Caparol.

Publicity images:

• Gregorio Botta “Horizon”. Glass and wax, 20 x 200 x 8 cm, 2024
• Rose-Mari Torpo “Dawn”. Ink, acrylic, and spray paint on polyester and canvas, 180 x 125 cm, 2025. Photo by Janette Holmström
• “Borderland” – the exhibition’s graphic identity. Designed by Irina Bogdanova
• Anna Zholud “The Way Series No. 1”. Oil on cardboard, 75 x 105 cm, 2017. Photo by Valters Pelns
• Jūlija Verbicka-Vasiļjeva “Star” (from the Habitus series). Photography, 100 x 70 cm, 2025
• Pēteris Martinsons “Tension”. Chamotte, engoe, drawing, 72 x 34.5 x 33.5 cm, 1980. Latvian National Museum of Art

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As February 14 – Valentine’s Day, the Day of Love – approaches, the Latgale Culinary Heritage Centre “Šmakovka” once again invites everyone to celebrate love in a special way. Throughout the entire month of February, visitors will have the opportunity to take part in the romantic and exciting Valentine’s Day quest “We Met in Šmakovka!”.

During the quest, couples will be able to test their knowledge, intuition, and teamwork skills by completing tasks that lead them through the Šmakovka Centre’s exhibition, revealing the flavours, traditions, and stories of Latgale. It is not only a chance to spend quality time together but also to create new, heartfelt memories.

We invite you to embrace the adventure and let your hearts meet in Šmakovka – a place where love and the spirit of Latgale intertwine in one story.

Advance reservation is required.

Contacts:
Phone: +371 25666201
smakovka@daugavpils.lv
www.facebook.com/SmakovkasMuzejs
www.smakovka.lv

Address: Rīgas iela 22A, Daugavpils

Illustration by: Guna Gamazina

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At 4 p.m. on Friday, 5 December, the Rothko Museum will open its winter season with five new exhibitions exploring humour, presence, technology, and the shifting nature of contemporary experience. From introspective painting and dreamlike landscapes to porcelain shaped by both hand and machine, the season brings together voices from Lithuania and beyond, offering viewers a contemplative passage through the winter months.

Meda Norbutaitė – Wedge
Lithuanian artist, curator, and educator Meda Norbutaitė uses irony and grotesque to probe the social anxieties of contemporary life – our fears and expectations, jealousies and insecurities, inflated egos and self-doubt. Humour becomes both her language and her lens for exploring the dilemmas of today’s masked and performative self.

Art researcher Dr. Evelina Januškaitė observes: “In an age when social media offers almost endless channels for connection and floods our vision with images, Norbutaitė’s clowning becomes a wedge – a means to prise open the rigid frames that confine us so we can laugh at ourselves and rediscover a sense of freedom. Spanning the full range of emotion, the exhibition invites us to recognise and awaken the clown within – the self that reflects, opens up, critiques, loves, plays, errs, dares, and begins again.”

Solveiga Gutautė – Genius Loci

Lithuanian painter Solveiga Gutautė creates atmospheric spaces where shadow, silence, and quivering light become experiences in themselves. Unfolding on the threshold between day and dusk, dream and awareness, memory and today, her “shadow painting” is influenced by the meditative rhythms of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music and invites viewers into a slower, more intuitive mode of perception.

The project’s curator Māris Čačka calls the exhibition a soft yet powerful reminder that “art does not need to be understood. It is enough to let it happen and to linger, for a while, within its quiet breath.”

Rokas Dovydėnas – Porcelain and the Machine
Doctor of Arts, interdisciplinary artist and curator Rokas Dovydėnas, Lithuania, traces European porcelain’s evolving language across three centuries, focusing on the meeting of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary digital solutions. Drawing on historical vase forms and the inventive spirit of pioneers like Johann Friedrich Böttger, he asks how porcelain’s meaning shifts when the hand yields part of its authority to algorithmic design and robotic fabrication.

“Using Limoges porcelain fired at 1250°C, my works follow the blanc-de-Chine tradition of white vessels with transparent glaze. Yet their creation belongs to a new era: designed with computer modelling and produced by 3D clay printers, they embody the meeting of centuries-old material with robotic precision,” the artist says.

Diana Rudokienė – Dream Topographies
Lithuanian artist Diana Rudokienė explores the fragile boundary between the visible and the unseen, guided by an enduring fascination with memory, transformation, and the subconscious. Using translucent layers of oil and subtle tonal shifts, she creates dreamlike spaces where figures dissolve into atmosphere and light, suggesting inner landscapes shared across human experience.

“In the half-light between sleep and waking, images surface – shifting, dissolving, reappearing. Painting becomes a map of the unseen, tracing the delicate borders between dream and perception. In mapping my dream topographies, I invite viewers to recognise fragments of their own,” the artist notes.

Tensions and Transitions: Navigating the Boundaries of Being
Produced by Pashmin Art Consortia, Germany, the exhibition brings together Zhang Dawo, Peter Backhaus, Horst Wagner, Fant Wenger, Reinhard Hanke, Holger Dempwolff, Sonia Parchet, and Anna van den Hövel – eight artists whose works reflect the emotional and spiritual transitions of our rapidly changing world. Blending abstraction, expressionism, and a sense of the transcendent, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the shifting boundaries of personal and collective identity and to reflect on the struggles of modern existence – alienation, pursuit of meaning, and thirst for connection.

Exhibition Dates and Opening Night
The Rothko Museum’s winter season runs from 5 December 2025 to 8 February 2026. At the same time, until 1 February 2026, visitors can still enjoy two autumn season’s exhibitions – “Martinsons Award 2025” and “Matchstick in the Sand” by Milena Pirštelienė, Lithuania.

Admission to the new exhibitions is free on opening night.

The Rothko Museum’s winter exhibition season was prepared in partnership with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics and Pashmin Art Consortia, with valued support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Daugavpils City Council, Panevėžys City Municipality Cultural and Art Grant, and “Caparol”.

Publicity images:

1. Meda Norbutaitė. Vignette. Pie to the Face. Oil on canvas. 150 x 200 cm. 2022
2. Solveiga Gutautė. Untitled. Oil on canvas. 200 × 286 cm. 2025
3. Rokas Dovydėnas. A Meiping Vase. Porcelain, glaze, 3D printing. 2024
4. Diana Rudokienė. Twilight. Oil and gold foil on canvas. 80 x 160 cm. 2024
5. Holger Dempwolff. Mr Smith Walking on the Seaground. Oil on canvas, 100 x 70 cm

The post Where Art Invites to Linger: Rothko Museum Announces Winter Exhibition Season appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

Daugavpils invites you to experience a winter holiday season filled with miracles! From child-friendly performances and musical concerts to creative activities and New Year’s Eve celebrations — the city offers a wide range of events for the whole family.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM

December – the Month of Winter Miracles

December 27

• 10:00 – 15:00

Charity fair and concert

Shopping centre “Ditton”

• 10:00

Christmas performance for children “Dwarfs` Winter Fairy Tale”

Unity House Concert Hall Foyer, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 13:00 – 17:00

Closing day of the Christmas residence

Imperatora Street 8, Engineering Arsenal, activities both in the yard and indoors

• 14:30

Interactive performance “The Grinch in the Golden Fairy Tale” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 16:30

Interactive performance “The Grinch in the Golden Fairy Tale” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 17:00

End-of-year concert “For My City”

Rothko Museum Concert Hall, Mihaila Street 3, Free admission

• 17:00 and 18:00

The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 18:00

Musical performance “Nutcracker”

Daugavpils Palace of Culture, Smilšu Street 92

December 28

• 11:00

Christmas performance for children “Dwarfs` Winter Fairy Tale”

Unity House Concert Hall Foyer, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 11:00

Creative master class “Christmas Tree in 3D” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 12:00

Performance „New Year`s Commotion”

Daugavpils Palace of Culture, Smilšu Street 92

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 14:00

Master class „Christmas Tree Decoration“ at the miracle workshop „Astra“

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 16:00

Concert “Christmas Musical Cocktail”

Unity House Concert Hall, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

December 29

• 11:00

Christmas performance for children “Dwarfs` Winter Fairy Tale”

Unity House Concert Hall Foyer, Rīgas Street 22a

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 11:00

Creative class “Creative Reading in the Museum” at the Rothko Museum

Mihaila Street 3, Daugavpils

Registration: mairita.folkmane@daugavpils.lv or by phone +371 26564817

• 12:00

Master class „Little Princess“ at the miracle workshop „Astra“

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 14:30

„Golden Fairy Tale“ at the miracle workshop „Astra“

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

December 30

• 11:00

Creative class “Creative Crafts and Where to Store Them?”

Mihaila Street 3, Daugavpils

Registration: mairita.folkmane@daugavpils.lv or by phone +371 26564817

• 14:00

Holiday program “Santa’s Mail” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 15:30

Holiday program “Santa’s Mail” at the miracle workshop “Astra”

Vienības Square

Registration by phone: 25144770

• 16:00

Performance “Three Baba Yagas and the New Year”

Daugavpils Palace of Culture, Smilšu Street 92

• 17:00 and 18:00

The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

• 18:00

New Year`s Run

Vienības Square

December 31 – New Year’s Eve

Starting from 11:00 p.m., immerse yourselves in the rhythms of dance music!

Shortly before midnight – New Year’s Message of the President and greetings!

We`ll ring in 2026 with the Latvian anthem and festive fireworks!

The celebrations will continue at the Night Disco until 3:00 a.m.

January – Holiday Season Continues

• January 1 to 4:

Weekdays: 17:00-18:00; weekends and holidays 16:00-17:00

Moments of joy for children with fairy-tale and cartoon characters

Vienības Square

• January 1 to 7:

17:00–20:00

Musical walks in the Christmas spirit

Dubrovin Park, A.Pumpurs Square

• January 5

17:00 and 18:00

The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online

Lights, music, laughter and the joy of being together – come and experience the magic of winter holidays in Daugavpils!

May every moment be filled with warmth and holiday miracles with your family and friends.

The post Daugavpils Winter Holiday Adventures – Come and Experience the Miracle! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

The city has prepared a wide and warm program of events that will delight both children and adults. From the lighting of the Christmas tree and creative workshops to musical events and a Christmas residence – Daugavpils invites you to experience a holiday season filled with miracles.

HOLIDAY PROGRAM

November – beginning of the holiday

November 29 at 16:00

Lighting the first candle in the city’s Advent wreath

Square near St. Peter`s in Chains Roman Catholic Church

November 30 at 17:00

Lighting of the city’s main Christmas tree „When the Stars Light up the Christmas Tree…“

Vienības/Unity Square

December – a month of holiday miracles

December 1 to 30 (weekdays 17:00-18:00; weekends and holidays 16:00-17:00)

Moments of joy for children: meetings with fairy-tale and cartoon characters

Vienības/Unity Square

December 1 to January 4 (weekdays 17:00-18:00; weekends and holidays 16:00-17:00)

Miracle workshop “Astra” (“Chucha Chacha” program)

Registration by phone: +371 25144770

December 1 to 20

Rides on The Little Prince’s Christmas Musical Tram (for children aged 4 to 9)

Registration by phone: +371 25144770

December 3 at 17:00 and 18:30

Master class “Porcelain Christmas tree decorations”

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office

House of Traditions, Rīgas Street 22a

December 4 at 17:20 

Master class “Crocheted Christmas tree decorations”

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office

House of Traditions, Rīgas Street 22a

December 11 at 17:20

Master class “Gingerbread baskets”

Tickets: at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office

House of Traditions, Rīgas Street 22a

December 12 at 16:00

Christmas graphics workshop for families “Welcome to the Museum!”

Participation fee: 6 EUR

Registration by phone: 26564817

Rothko Museum, Mihaila Street 3

For families and children

December 5 at 17:30

Family game “In the Footsteps of St. Nicholas”

Free participation

Polish Cultural Centre, Varšavas Street 30

December 13 at 14:00 – 18:00

Opening of the Christmas residence

Engineering Arsenal, Imperatora Street 8

December 16 at 18:00

Christmas concert performance “On the Planet of the Little Prince”

Free admission

Unity House Concert Hall, Rīgas Street 22a

December 19 at 17:00 and December 20 at 11:00

Family event “Christmas Quiz”

Free participation

Registration by phone: 65449090

Latgale Central Library, Rīgas Street 22A

December 20 at 13:00 – 17:00

Christmas residence

Engineering Arsenal, Imperatora Street 8

Second Day of Christmas – December 26

16:00

Free microphone for children with Santa Claus, Snow Maiden and fairy-tale characters

Vienības/Unity Square

17:00

Concert “Feel Christmas” by the band “Eridana”

Vienības/Unity Square

 Go on a holiday adventure with your family to Daugavpils!

Lights, traditions, warmth and the joy of being together – all of this awaits you in our city.

The post Spend the Christmas season with your family in Daugavpils! appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, 5 September, the Rothko Museum will unveil its autumn season with six impressive exhibitions that show the richness and vitality of contemporary artistic practice. From the international Martinsons Award and its celebration of excellence in ceramics, to intimate, poetic explorations of memory, time, and nature, the season spans mediums, voices, and visions, promising an immersive encounter with creativity, imagination, and profound artistic expression.

Martinsons Award 2025
The autumn season opens with Martinsons Award, the flagship exhibition of the fifth Latvia Ceramics Biennale, which will unfold through autumn and into winter across venues in Daugavpils, Cēsis, and Liepāja. For the Martinsons Award 2025 at the Rothko Museum, an international panel of experts selected eighty works by artists from thirty countries, including twenty-three Latvians, from an incredible nine hundred and forty-one submissions. On the exhibition’s opening night, the jury will announce the winners, who will share a twenty-thousand-euro prize fund.

Co-curators Aivars Baranovskis and Valentīns Petjko emphasise the exhibition’s scale and breadth: from technically sophisticated pieces with matching conceptual depth to more intuitive, experimental works where clay itself shapes form and rhythm, revealing the poetic dialogue between material and maker. Under the Biennale theme, “From Stardust to Lush Sprouts”, the show reflects on cosmic origins and transformation, highlighting how clay, one of humanity’s oldest materials, continues to inspire contemporary creativity.

Milena Pirštelienė. Matchstick in the Sand
Lithuanian artist Milena Pirštelienė, international Gold Prize winner at the previous Biennale, presents a lyrical meditation on memory, attention, and the often overlooked details of daily life. Focusing on the small and seemingly unimportant – a shadow, a fragment of a street, a match in the sand – she asks: “Do we ever pause before the ‘insignificant’?”

In her hands, ceramics becomes a medium of quiet reflection, subtly revealing how the tiniest of objects can carry memory, emotion, and unexpected depth. The show invites the viewer to slow down, look closely, and rediscover the poetry in the everyday.

Sanita Ābelīte. Creatures
Latvian ceramicist Sanita Ābelīte, national Gold Prize winner at the Martinsons Award 2023, brings imagination to life in “Creatures”, an enchanting world of beings both real and fantastical. From animals of the forest, field, and sky to figures drawn from history and myth, Ābelīte’s creative touch transforms ideas into tangible, expressive forms that feel alive.

Created specifically for this exhibition, the ensemble of characters forms a cohesive, multi-layered world, inviting viewers to step inside and experience the artist’s nuanced vision, where craftsmanship and creativity converge and every form sparks curiosity and reflection.

Lost for words. Poland’s contemporary ceramics
“Lost for Words” presents contemporary ceramics from Poland, guest country of the 5th Latvia Ceramics Biennale. The exhibition’s title, drawn from the Polish expression brak słów, reflects both being speechless in awe and struggling to articulate profound emotion when words alone cannot express the scope of feeling.

Through striking forms, intriguing textures, and symbolic gestures, the twenty-three featured artists shape clay into a universal language, inviting viewers to interpret and connect with the intangible and thus discover resonance and meaning beyond words.

Sandra Strēle. The Night Before
Latvian artist Sandra Strēle presents “The Night Before”, an intimate yet expansive meditation on new motherhood and the fluid boundaries between humanity and nature. Through painting, Strēle explores the ebb and flow of life, where water becomes both witness and agent, preserving, transforming, and revealing connections between the personal and the ecological.

Drawing on hydrofeminist thought, the exhibition examines liminal thresholds of bodies, ideas, and actions while reflecting on ecological change and the fragile, cyclical nature of existence. Strēle’s large-scale series, unfolding in a dynamic continuum she calls seriality, invites viewers to encounter familiar images re-imagined, generating ever-new meanings and resonances.

Uģis Auziņš. Improvised
Latvian painter Uģis Auziņš presents “Improvised”, a celebration of nature’s fleeting moments and ever-changing rhythms. Drawing profusely from the landscape of his birthplace, Auziņš transforms the subtle shifts of light, season, and colour into canvases that engage both the senses and the imagination.

A lifelong observer and sensitive interpreter of the natural world, Auziņš captures the ephemeral beauty of the sky, foliage, and wind, creating works that are at once emotional, reflective, and deeply attuned to the physical world around us.

Exhibition Dates and Opening Night
The Rothko Museum’s autumn season runs from 5 September to 23 November 2025. Two exhibitions – “Martinsons Award 2025” and “Matchstick in the Sand” by Milena Pirštelienė – will extend into the winter season and conclude on 1 February 2026.

Admission is free on opening night.

The Rothko Museum’s autumn exhibition season was prepared in partnership with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Ceramics and the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, with valued support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Daugavpils City Council, the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, Embassy of Poland in Rīga, “Format”, “Szkło i Ceramika”, and “Caparol”.

Publicity images:

Rothko Museum. Photo by Didzis Grodzs.
Martinsons Award 2025. Logo.
Milena Pirštelienė. “Matchstick in the Sand”. White clay, pigment drawing, overglaze paint, glaze, 1020 °C, electric firing. 2025.
Sanita Ābelīte. “Creatures”. Ceramics. Varied sizes. 2025.
Karina Marusińska. “Self-Destruction”. Ceramics, synthetic materials, earth, ash, mixed media. Diameter 75 cm. 2023. Photo by Paweł Góral.
Sandra Strēle. “Triumphal Arch”. Water-based paint and acrylic markers on canvas. 80 x 40 cm (detail). 2025.
Uģis Auziņš. “March”. Acrylic on canvas. 40 x 50 cm. 2024

The post Six Exhibitions and the International Martinsons Award: Rothko Museum Announces Ambitious Autumn Lineup appeared first on VISITDAUGAVPILS.

On June 1, on the last day of the City Festival in Daugavpils, a car show hosted by the “Rolling Team” community will take place in the courtyard of the Centre of Technics and Industrial Design «Engineering Arsenal». The event will be held from 10:00 to 17:00. Many cars of different categories from Latvia and Lithuania will take part in the show.

Different contests are planned within the event:

– competition of the most powerful exhaust;

– competition of car audio systems;

– contests for all visitors and other surprises.

Entrance to this event (courtyard) is free of charge.

Let’s celebrate the 750th anniversary of Daugavpils together!

Information: „Rolling Team“

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From 29 May to 1 June, Daugavpils will celebrate its 750th anniversary. This year, the city’s celebrations will expand considerably, offering a varied and rich programme of culture and entertainment.

The celebrations will begin on Thursday, 29 May, at the Daugavpils Fortress, where visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a musical programme in the courtyard of the Rothko Museum – a cabaret concert performance „THIS IS LIFE …“. This musical and theatrical experience will create a special atmosphere where passion, music and the performance of outstanding artists will merge into one breathtaking evening.

On Friday, 30 May, three stages will be set up in the city centre for concerts offering a varied musical programme. Visitors will be able to enjoy attractions, a wide range of markets and outdoor cafés starting on Friday.

On Friday afternoon, 30 May, the Rothko Museum will open its Summer Exhibition Season and Daugavpils Fortress will host a concert by “PALÚ” and “House of Berries”. The festivities will continue in the city centre – in parks, squares and Rīgas Street, as well as on the main stage at the Unity Square, where the performance of the drum and bagpipe band „AUĻI“, the band „LATGALĪŠU REPS“, the concert programme „ABBORN, „ABBA“ and the musical show „RICO SANCHEZ and „The GIPSIES“ will be held.

On Saturday, 31 May, the city centre will become the epicentre of the festivities. Music, entertainment and various activities will take place throughout the day. There will also be a colourful festive parade, with the participation of both local residents and visitors. At the end of the day, a grand concert will take place in Vienības Square, which promises to be one of the highlights of the festival. “SUDDEN LIGHTS” and “Bi-2” will perform in the Unity Square.

For the second time, the international event „Tourism Street“ will take place during the Daugavpils City Festival. Visitors will be able to get new ideas for their holidays in Daugavpils, other parts of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. During the event, professional advice and recommendations for planning an unforgettable holiday for different target audiences will be available. The „Tourism Street“ will be open in the city centre – on Ģimnāzijas Street from Saules Street to Rīgas Street:
30 May from 15.00 to 19.00;
31 May from 10.00 to 19.00.

On Sunday, 1 June, youth will take over the baton with sports activities in Vienības Square. There will be a variety of events attracting sports enthusiasts, amateurs and others.

This year the Latgalian tradition of singing together turns 100 years old, and the Latgalian Song Festival celebrates its 85th anniversary. In this regard, the Latgalian Song Festival will take place on 1 June at the Stropi open air stage for the first time in the last 10 years. During the festival there will be several concerts. The culmination will be a big festive concert, which will bring together both Latgalian artists and guests from other parts of Latvia. The programme will include Latgalian folk songs and modern compositions.

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From 10 to 22 March, Daugavpils will welcome graphic artists from nine countries for the 13th International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium – a vibrant creative forum for professional printmakers that will result in an exhibition at the Rothko Museum.

As the most significant international event in the graphic medium held in the Latgale Region, the symposium has, over the years, brought together more than a hundred printmakers from over forty countries. Its idea and concept belong to Association SIVIA, which has run the symposium since its inception in 2013 as part of the Rothko Museum’s residency programme. Today, the symposium continues to revitalise the graphic medium in Daugavpils and boost the international profile of Latgale by drawing artists to this vibrant region where creativity can truly thrive.

The symposium format gives artists two productive weeks away from the distractions of daily life, enabling them to concentrate on nothing but creation. Settled in the Rothko Museum’s printmaking studios, they distil their impressions of Daugavpils and its historic fortress and translate Latgale’s distinctive scenery into original artworks for the symposium exhibition. Some choose to hone their long-preferred techniques, while others opt for unconventional experiments to capture the creative impulse of the here and now.

Participation in the forum is competition-based. A jury of experts selected eleven artists from nine countries for the symposium’s 13th edition. Thus, the 2025 team of participants includes Ana Vivoda (Croatia), Anatolijs Šandurovs (Latvia), Antonia-Styliani Taralli (Greece), Caterina De Nisco and Michele Bernardini (Italy), Martyna Rzepecka and Łukasz Koniuszy (Poland), Indraagni Ghosh (India), Lilli-Krõõt Repnau (Estonia), Sioban Piercy (Ireland), and Sirkku Ketola (Finland).

The public will have the opportunity to get to know the artists and explore their practices at a meet-the-artist event scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, 14 March, in the Rothko Museum’s video room.

The symposium will close on 21 March, 4 p.m., in the museum’s gallery space with the unveiling of an exhibition that will display the tangible results of the intense creative fortnight.

Admission to both events is free of charge.

The 13th International Latgale Graphic Art Symposium is supported by the Daugavpils City Council, Latvia’s State Culture Capital Foundation, Caparol, and Devona.

Publicity image: In the Rothko Museum’s printmaking studio (photo by Pāvels Terentjevs)

Information: Rothko Museum

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Daugavpils will celebrate its 750th anniversary from 29 May to 1 June. Daugavpils city has already started intensive work on the city’s celebration programme, which highlights not only the city’s significant anniversary, but also the 85th anniversary of the first Latgale Song Festival at the Stropu Stage.

This year, the cultural and entertainment programme of the City Festival will be extensive and diverse. The city’s cultural institutions will offer events with a strong focus on exploring the history of Daugavpils.

The celebrations will start on Thursday, 29 May, at the Daugavpils Fortress, where visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a musical programme in the courtyard of the Rothko Museum.

On Friday, 30 May, three stages will be set up in the city centre for concerts offering a varied musical programme. Visitors will be able to enjoy attractions, a wide range of festive market stalls and outdoor cafés starting on Friday.

On Saturday 31 May, the city centre will become the epicentre of the festivities. Music, entertainment and activities will take place throughout the day. There will also be a colourful parade with the participation of both residents and visitors. At the end of the day, a grand concert will take place at the Unity Square, which promises to be one of the highlights of the festival. For the second time, the Daugavpils City Festival will feature a „Tourism Street“, where representatives of the Baltic tourism industry will offer their best tips and advice for an unforgettable holiday here in Daugavpils and in other places.

There will be a variety of events attracting sports enthusiasts, amateurs and others on Sunday, 1 June.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Latgale tradition of communal singing and 85 years since the first Latgale Song Festival was held in Daugavpils. To celebrate this jubilee, the Latgale Song Festival will take place on 1 June at the Stropu Stage, featuring the most beautiful Latgalian folk songs and contemporary compositions. This festival is an important cultural event that celebrates Latvian singing culture, strengthens the identity of Latgale and promotes the development of local music and folk art. The Latgale Song Festival will include a number of cultural events, culminating in a large concert that will bring together local and regional artists, as well as guests from other parts of Latvia.

The programme of events will follow.

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At 4 p.m. on Friday, 29 November, the Rothko Museum will launch its winter season, closing the year with six profoundly moving exhibitions. The season’s international dimension comes from “The Beginning and the Light”, a metaphysically oriented solo exhibition by the Italian-Argentine artist Ernesto Morales. Also on show are five domestic projects – the sombre and expressive “Wind Breaker” by Gustavs Filipsons, the enigmatic “Islands” by Mārtiņš Zitmanis, the spiritual and luminous “Eternal Child” by Ruta Štelmahere, the tenderly reminiscent “I’m in the House” by Jekaterina Griškjāne, and the gently comforting “Warm Light” by Inese Margēviča.

“The Beginning and the Light” by Ernesto Morales

The winter season introduces to the local public Ernesto Morales, an Argentinian whose creativity unfolds in Italy since 2006. More recently, Morales has anchored his creative practice in the themes of origin and light. The artist’s interest transcends the purely metaphysical realm. His radiant yet clouded compositions help him trace how space, in dialogue with the viewer’s movement, can alter how the painting is perceived depending on its interaction with the ambient light.

“The exhibition title is about awakening and triumph, a source of strength that fuels growth, renewal, betterment, and new creation. A thinking and perceptive viewer will notice how Morales paints the essence of the universe’s origins, his clouds absorbing and reflecting light in an eternal cycle: spilling into lakes, rivers, and seas before returning, rising up again, reflected in the oceanic mirror, to form new clouds and thereby signal a perpetual rebirth and an interminable new beginning,” comments Māris Čačka, Morales’s curator for the current show.

“Wind Breaker” by Gustavs Filipsons

The latest solo exhibition by Gustavs Filipsons outlines his personal progression through almost fully black and monochrome abstraction. The artist’s famously expressive style draws its dynamic energy from the robust, wind-beaten shores of Kurzeme, the western coastal region of his native Latvia. The vastness that unfolds within the black in Filipsons’s paintings defies all spatial boundaries and dimensions. What happens in the dark is both irrational and mesmerising, and the layered textures seem to be suggesting an experience, a dream, a vision.

“The images appearing in my work are beacons that guide my soul on its unfolding journey through the dark – a voyage that will ultimately bring me home. We all seek inner peace and balance, but without us diving deep into our souls, without profound purification that will cleanse us from our fears, malevolence, and selfish greed, we’ll never find true happiness or freedom. All our experiences are active forces that move us towards freedom and help us to keep changing for the better. But it will only happen if we truly want it,” the artist opens up about what underpins his work.

“Islands” by Mārtiņš Zitmanis

The “islands” that the artist Mārtiņš Zitmanis refers to in his exhibition title are painted objects that appear in almost everything he paints. The exhibition leans towards abstraction, but the “island objects” invariably take centre stage. From realism to abstraction, the viewer is continuously invited to reflect on the specific lens and properties of Zitmanis’s mental archipelago and to consider where we all are drifting in humanity’s vast ocean of ideas.

“For me, an observation sparks association, which, in turn, suggests an image. The latter I develop, discarding anything that feels excessive, into a geometrically structured graphic composition, with its distinctive lines and planes, metallic surface properties, and rhythmic textures. I’m drawn to mediaeval iconography and modern sculpture – their way of representing things that isn’t literal or strictly realistic but can be likened in its impact to an ornamental sign,” the artist says.

For Zitmanis, who spent the first thirteen years of his long, itinerant career in Daugavpils, the exhibition is a homecoming – a return to the earliest in a line of memorable “islands” that have anchored him in his creative voyage.

“Eternal Child” by Ruta Štelmahere

Ruta Štelmahere, Latvian artist, poet and art educator, draws from defining moments of her life – embracing faith in God, the birth of her two children and the passing of her parents. These moments have been her sacred, enigmatic glimpses of eternity when she has brushed the curtain that separates us from the great beyond. This final frontier is where we all come face to face with our eternal child, so vulnerable and genuine.

“A shining image flashes in the cloud of light that is my childhood – my first awareness of eternity and time, infinity and space. Immediately, ageless archetypal questions are storming through my fledgling mind. I’m wondering what existed before I came to be and what will happen once I am gone. What does it mean to be and never end? And how can something have no end? Our inner child is growing and maturing as we live, yet it remains a child, holding the hand of God the Father, our eternal origin and destination,” Štelmahere says.

The artist navigates these timeless questions in her painting with depth and reverence for the sacred, endlessly reaching for the edge of light and bearing faithful witness to its revelations.

“I’m in the House” by Jekaterina Griškjāne

Jekaterina Griškjāne, artist and children’s book illustrator, adds to the winter season with her moving solo exhibition, deeply rooted in a painful loss and journey of acceptance – a young mind trying to make sense of the departure of someone dear. The artist was only nine years old when her secure and happy world was shaken by the passing of her grandfather, who’d been her closest friend. Not fully understanding what exactly death entailed, she felt it had to be a kind of final passage. The exhibition traces such a journey between two worlds and draws from a first-hand experience of facing death and navigating the rugged path towards acceptance.

“My message is that death need not be feared because our loved ones remain within us, living forever in our hearts, their final home,” sums up the artist.

“Warm Light” by Inese Margēviča

On view in the Rothko Museum’s Martinsons House, the latest solo show by Inese Margēviča, a noted Latvian ceramicist, explores the two-way interaction between humans and plants by diving into our reciprocity and energy exchange, which gives us inspiration, solace and support. The exhibits all feature a recurring image – wild cyclamen, seen by the artist in the wild in an abandoned garden in off-season France.

“I wonder what wild cyclamen is doing, cocooned in velvety, protective dark, and if it feels the gardener’s caring hands when gently nestled in a bank of soil. Or maybe it is sound asleep, and the unsightly wood-like bulb is destined to remain forever dormant in its unappealing form? What is this force that changes everything and coaxes from the humble root a tender shoot that starts unfurling, reaching up towards the sun, then grows into a delicate rosette, develops leaves, and ultimately blossoms into soft pink blooms? Slowly, the plant transforms and starts to breathe anew….” the artist opens up about her inspiration.

The Rothko Museum’s winter season runs from 29 November 2024 to 23 February 2025. Still on view from the autumn season through 16 February 2025 is “Disegno Interno: Surrender to Your Obsessions” – a sweeping tribute exhibition celebrating the iconic surrealist filmmaker Jan Švankmajer and Eva Švankmajerová, his wife and co-creator (Czechia).

Admission to the new exhibitions is free on opening night.

Supporters: State Culture Capital Foundation, Daugavpils City Council, Italian Embassy in Latvia, Devona, Caparol.

Information: Rotko muzejs

Publicity photo: Gustavs Filipsons, Wind Breaker, oil on plywood, 120 x 160 cm, 2021

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From 12 October to 3 November, Daugavpils Central Park will become the mysterious „Horror Park“, which promises to be the most ambitious and spectacular event of this autumn. Every evening from 3 pm to 10 pm, the park will open its doors to all those who are willing to immerse themselves in an atmosphere of mysticism and fear.

Last year, the „Horror Park“ in the city of Bauska attracted thousands of tourists from all over Latvia. And this year, the hosts have decided to bring the Horror Park to Daugavpils, the second largest city in Latvia! In Daugavpils, guests will be greeted by terrifying scenery, scary sculptures and interactive zones. The park will feature more than 200 objects – pumpkin and spider web mazes, „live“ zombies ready to scare even the bravest visitors. Special attention has been paid to the design and lighting to make every corner of the park look even scarier in the evening hours.

What can you expect at the „Horror Park“ in Daugavpils?

– A witch’s house on hen’s legs: children can take part in magic rituals and the witch will give them unusual advice.

-Magic labyrinths: mysterious corridors of spider webs and lanterns where you can test your courage.

-Photo zones: specially designed areas for taking terrifying and colourful photos to remember this event for a lifetime.

Whether you are an adult or a child, whether you like edgy sensations or are simply looking for unusual entertainment, the Horror Park in Daugavpils offers something for everyone.

Entrance fee:
– Adult ticket – 10 euro
– Children’s ticket (6-12 years) – 5 euros
– Senior ticket – 5 euros
– Children under 6 and people with disabilities – free.

The organisers invite everyone to follow the Horror Park’s news and competition announcements on Facebook and TikTok to find out about all the surprises that await visitors to the park.

„The organisers of the Horror Park also invite catering companies to join the event.
Contacts: Facebook or e-mail: shausmu_parks_daugavpils@inbox.lv.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of this most exciting autumn event!

Information: Horror Park 

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If you are planning a holiday in Daugavpils from 9th August to 15th August, take a look at the cultural and sports events on offer.

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This year, Latvia’s second largest city – Daugavpils – celebrates its 749th anniversary. To celebrate this event and to offer a varied programme of festivities to the citizens and visitors of Daugavpils, the Daugavpils State Municipality has started work on the development of the City Festival programme. The main events of the Daugavpils City Festival will take place from 31 May to 2 June.

As usual, residents and visitors will enjoy a varied programme of festivities with concerts by different artists, as well as performances by local collectives and artists. The Family Park will invite young visitors to enjoy unforgettable adventures and thrilling attractions. Outdoor cafés and the Festive Market on Rigas Street will delight you with special tastes. Sports enthusiasts will be able to watch athletes in action and take part in various activities.

For the first time in the history of Daugavpils City Festival “Tūrisma iela” (Tourism street) will take place. In this event, everyone will be able to get new ideas for vacation right here in Daugavpils, elsewhere in Latvia, as well as in Lithuania and Estonia. For two days- on May 31 and June 1, representatives of the tourism industry of the Baltic States will gather at Gimnazijas Street to give the best advices and recommendations for your vacation.

On June 1, in celebration of International Children’s Day, activities for children, youth and families will take place in Dubrovin Park.

One of the biggest and most magnificent events of City’s Festival celebration is traditional march of Daugavpils companies, organizations, educational institutions and other collectives that will take place on June 1, at 13.00 from the Rail Station.

Special music surprises are expected on the evenings of May 31 and June 1, when the biggest musical guests of the Festival will take the big festive stage in Unity Square.

Special thought has also been given to sports activities. On June 1 in the Esplanade Park, little champions will be able to test their athletic straight at the “Get to know athletics”. On June 2, the Youth and Sports Festival will take place near to the Daugavpils Olympic Centre.

The Daugavpils City Festival will end on June 2 with historical atmosphere of Daugavpils Fortress. Visitors of the Festival will be able to rediscover pages of the history of the Fortress and participate in the ceremonial opening of the Nicholas Gate, and raising of the Fortress flag.

This year’s City Festival promises to be especially colorful and unforgettable!

DAUGAVPILS CITY FESTIVAL 2024 PROGRAMME

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The hen party is an old and beautiful tradition before the wedding. Exciting, fun and original ideas for the hen party will make it unforgettable. Here are some ideas for a party scenario in Daugavpils.

Painting masterclass under the guidance of a professional artist
Painting masterclasses are organised in the “Albrecht Art&Wine” Gallery. Painting classes are an opportunity to acquire basic knowledge and skills in painting in order to further develop yourself in one of the painting techniques and styles.
For more information and to apply, call +371 26627031.

A visit to the Shmakovka Museum and shmakovka tasting experience
The Shmakovka Museum offers a fascinating story about the process of making shmakovka and the features of the drink. You will see the authentic and impressive production equipment and taste the drink during the tour.
For more information and to book a visit, please call +371 25666201.

Enjoy the thrill of the quest
„Escape room“ – a quest in reality. Intellectual entertainment for teams. At the beginning of the game, participants will be locked in rooms from which they will have to get out within 60 minutes. Here you can celebrate birthdays, corporate events or even bachelor/bachelorette parties.
For more information and to register call: +371 20337130.

Visit a unique exposition dedicated to the history of medicine
The medical exhibition with an exposition of birth control items invites you to familiarise yourself with the medical history of Daugavpils, the most outstanding doctors, and medical institutions that used to be in Daugavpils.
For more information and to apply call: +371 28872898.

Enjoy a bright and interesting adventure at the Daugavpils Innovation Centre
The Innovation Centre offers to get to know the magic of the kitchen in the kitchen laboratory. It offers to learn how to cook: NAAN – Indian bread, Palak paneer – spinach main course, pea flour sweets (candies). Groups up to 25 people are accepted.
For more information and to apply call: +371 29 411 895.

Apply for educational, active and creative master classes
The House of Traditions in Daugavpils offers various kinds of master classes.
For more information and to apply call: +371 29118992.

Enjoy delicious and exciting entertainment at the „Orange Bowling“
The entertainment and leisure complex „Orange Bowling“ in Daugavpils offers bowling – with 10 lanes and equipment from the world-famous bowling company „Brunswick“. There is an opportunity to play air hockey, billiards, and non-gambling games. The complex has four pool tables certified by the European Billiards Federation.
For more information and to apply call: +371 65427102.

The Clay Art Centre is always inquisitive and creative!
Daugavpils Clay Art Centre invites everyone to creative ceramic workshops. The Daugavpils Clay Art Centre has a Folk Applied Art Studio „Latgale“, and the participants have their own creative workshops where the working process takes place – shaping, turning, glazing and firing.
For more information and to apply call:  +371 65425302.

Horseback riding is a way to enjoy peace and see the world from a different perspective!
The horse stable in Mezciems offers horse riding, a chance to get to know and cuddle a stately animal and go for a nice ride with an instructor.
For more information and to apply call +371 28480332.

An exciting cruise on the Daugava River on the boat „Sikspārnis”
During the trip, passengers have the opportunity to see the Vienibas Bridge, Daugavpils residential districts, Daugavpils Fortress and get to know the biodiversity of the river and its banks. Passengers can enjoy a picnic on the water, take food or a hot drink and admire the beauty of the Daugava River.
For more information and to apply, call +371 29839631, +371 29965098.

Cocktail masterclasses at the “IGGI” Bar to learn new skills
The cocktail masterclass is an opportunity to make cocktails in a fun and friendly atmosphere, accompanied by a professional bartender, and enjoy them in the company of friends. It’s a great addition to a celebration or just a good start to a fun evening.
For more information and to book call +371 25428500.

Come and paint at the Rothko Museum!
Let your imagination run wild, learn painting techniques under the guidance of an artist and create your own painting in one masterclass!
For more information and to apply call +371 22471925, +371 26564817.

Creativity in cocktail making at the “D.O.M.bar” Cocktail Bar
The masterclass will teach you step by step the basics of cocktail making, the history of cocktails and, of course, how to enjoy your drinks at the end.
For more information and to register, call +371 26178575.

Want to learn the secrets of sushi making?
Book a sushi making masterclass at “VĒSMA” Gastrobar, learn about the sushi culture and get the sushi-making skills.
For more information and to register, call +371 22009991, +371 29298093.

The city has a wide range of caterers and a varied food offer – there is something to suit everyone’s taste. Check the website for more information: https://ieej.lv/ZPcKa

After a long and emotional day, stay overnight in one of Daugavpils‘ accommodation options. For a more extensive list of accommodation, please visit the website: https://ieej.lv/7z1eI

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At 4 p.m. on Friday, 8 September, the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre will launch its autumn exhibition season with the awards ceremony for the Martinsons Award 2023 International Juried Exhibition.

This year, the tone of the autumn season at the Rothko Centre, the Daugavpils Fortress, the city of Daugavpils and elsewhere in the country is set by the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale, bringing together world-class artists and tracing the latest tendencies in contemporary ceramics worldwide.

The star event of the autumn exhibition season and the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale is the Martinsons Award 2023 International Juried Exhibition. This year, the award received a record 685 applications from artists representing 71 countries, including 68 submissions from Latvia – the largest number to date and a solid testament to the platform’s global outreach and eminence. The prize fund of 20,000 EUR will be split among Gold, Silver and Bronze Prize winners in National and International categories. All the artworks on display will be featured in the exhibition catalogue, and all participant artists will be welcome to all the events in the biennale programme.

The autumn season at the Rothko Centre also includes “Fear Whispering” – the new solo exhibition by the distinguished Lithuanian ceramicist Agnė Šemberaitė, Gold Prize winner of the Martinsons Award 2021 at the 3rd Latvia Ceramics Biennale. Her work represents an ongoing exploration into human nature through a bold re-imagining of fairy-tale and sci-fi themes and characters, ritual practices, mythical beliefs and archaeological totems. Another highlight in the autumn season’s offer is “Elements” – a memorial solo show of Kaspars Geiduks, Bronze Prize winner of the Martinsons Award 2018. The artist’s work covers acute social issues and questions about the body, its structural setup and self-awareness, along with instinctively shaped objects through which he contemplates the diversity of natural forms, creating his individual interpretation of the microcosm, space and its structure.

Besides ceramics, the autumn season at the Rothko Centre offers an exciting solo project in Latvian contemporary painting – “The Grounded Moment” by Uldis Čamans. In his approach to the medium, the artist draws from messy, visceral sensations and juxtaposes dynamic episodes that capture his imagination. Although it is no easy task to isolate the most distinctive features of his art, one thing stands out above all else – the finely balanced pastel lustre of the morning that softly gleams in nearly all his work.

The grand launch of the Rothko Centre’s autumn season on 8 September is only one episode in a long day of events within the 4th Latvia Ceramics Biennale. At 2 p.m. near the open-air 4METRES Gallery, 8 Hospitāļa Street, Elīna Titāne and Una Gura will open their duo exhibition “3+4”. At 3 p.m., an open-storage chamber for contemporary ceramics will be unveiled at the Daugavpils Fortress 7th Bastion Casemate. Martinsons House will host “Visualising Gravity”, a public performance by the internationally renowned Latvian artist Dainis Pundurs, two-times winner of the Martinsons Award, and open a memorial catalogue on Pēteris Martinsons.

Admission to all the events is free of charge.

The autumn exhibition season will be on show through 19 November 2023.

The autumn season at the Rothko Centre still includes the Ceramic Laboratory International Symposium Exhibition along with “Doors of Perception” by the British painter John Hoyland and Mark Rothko’s originals. On top of that, from the end of September, visitors will be able to see the Mark Rothko 2023 International Painting Symposium output.

 The exhibitions are produced with REACT-EU funding towards Europe’s post-pandemic recovery. The autumn exhibition season is supported by the Daugavpils City Council, Caparol.

The Latvia Ceramics Biennale and the Martinsons Award 2023 are supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Development Programme for Latvia’s Historical Lands and the Latgale Region Development Agency, Keramserviss Ltd., Lighton International Artist Exchange Program and Daugavpils City Council. Some biennale activities are supported by the European Union through Project No. LVIII-060, Heritage.lv.

Additional information and exhibition details:

https://www.rothkocenter.com/en/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/

Publicity photo:

• Agnė Šemberaitė (LT) “Nightmare”, stoneware, porcelain, engobes, glazes, pigments, 40x37x16 cm, 2023;
• Exhibition “Martinsons Award 2021” at the Rothko Centre.

Contacts:

Inita Paegle

+371 654 30273

inita.paegle@daugavpils.lv

Follow us online:

WWW.ROTKOCENTRS.LV

FACEBOOK / Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre

DRAUGIEM / Daugavpils Marka Rotko mākslas centrs

TWITTER @rotkocentre

INSTAGRAM / markrothkoartcentre

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On 28 January, the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre launches this year’s first exhibition season with five very different projects featuring Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and German artists.

Diversity in means of expression and varying degrees of directness in address. From charming natural elements in delicate colour fields to unmistakably textual representations. From serene classical painting to impulsive installations. These different descriptions all fit the latest artistic output available at the Rothko Centre’s temporary exhibition rooms from 28 January.

Although such diversity might seem puzzling at first glance, a perceptive viewer should appreciate the latest change in scenography and the opportunity to get an almost theatrical experience, as one space prepares the visitor for entering the next, as tension switches to contemplative nostalgia, whilst expressiveness gives way to profoundly individual self-reflection.

“The X Project” is a continuous art event where creators from different fields are invited to work in pairs on a joint work of art, sharing different creative and technological experiences and ideas and being given free space to interpret the theme. This is a great challenge, but it offers an invaluable experience to creators who often come up with truly unexpected, intriguing works. Through this project, Lithuanian curator Albinas Vološkevičius brings together his country’s leading artists, lately also attracting participants from abroad. In this exhibition season, the Rothko Centre receives two latest instalments of “The X Project” – “X: Free Space” and “X: EGO”.

In “Mycelia”, five German artists teamed up with another five from Latvia to work in tandems and produce their small creative ecosystems. In the Latvian version of the title, “Micēlija”, the biological term is used in an altered, feminine form, “-a” being a typical inflexion for Latvian nouns in the feminine grammatical gender. This was a deliberate choice to highlight the feminine connotation of the project. The artists interpret the biological concept of mycelium through the prism of interpersonal interactions, communications and relationships on the broader social level. Another goal was to reference their own cooperation within the project when they were looking for common grounds and points of intersection that would bring together different views, ideas, geographical backgrounds and concerns into site-specific art made expressly for this exhibition in this particular setting.

In “The Sea of a Thousand Dreams”, Estonian photographer, illustrator and graphic designer, Andres Adamson, depicts water – the mystical primordial environment from which we all, all life on Earth, originated. In his images, the author tried to express the human desire for peace, lightness and tranquillity.

A markedly different take on water is proposed by Lithuanian ceramic artist, Milena Pirštelienė. Her work integrates diverse techniques, which makes it sculptural, graphic, ceramic and illustrative, all at the same time. The title and the principal theme of the exhibition is “Water”. It is also the central object of the artist’s reflections, featuring drowning cities, floods, anxiety and a sense of looming threat.

“The Crown” by Agra Ritiņa balances the power and softness of nature. At the start of her painting career, the artist was capturing natural processes, and she has remained faithful to nature to this day. She still goes there to seek inspiration, observe the play of light and colour, and capture moods, shapes and ideas. These impressions she then transforms into art, focusing on the essentials and producing endless studies of floating or low-hanging clouds, frequently shaped like giant tree crowns.

The new season’s exhibitions are on show through 10 April 2022.

The new season’s exhibition projects are another step for the city of Daugavpils towards the European Capital of Culture 2027.
#Daugavpils2027
#kopīgavaloda
EKG2027
#ECoC2027

About the organiser:
https://www.rothkocenter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DaugavpilsMarkRothkoArtCentre
https://www.instagram.com/markrothkoartcentre/

Exhibition details:
https://www.rothkocenter.com/en/exhibitions

Supporters:
Daugavpils City Council, State Culture Capital Foundation, Caparol.

Other exhibitions on show:
Mark Rothko’s originals;
“Found in the Collection” – finest pieces from the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre;
“Talk to Me!” – group show by the Ceramic Association of Latvia at the Rothko Centre courtyard.

Opening hours:
Monday: closed
Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Publicity photo:
Miglė Kosinskaitė, Peeter Krosmann, Gertrūda’s dream, oil on canvas, 120×180 cm, 2021
Andres Adamson, Quadrivision, giclée print on satin canvas, 100 x 180 cm, 2020;
Milena Pirštelienė, The Anxiety diptych, white clay, porcelain, pigments, glazes, metal, 1020 °C, 1250 °C, h – 117 cm, 2021;
Agra Ritiņa, Autumn palette, oil on cavas, 120 x 100 cm, 2021.

Contacts:
Aivars Baranovskis
aivars.baranovskis@daugavpils.lv
+371 65430273

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On Sunday, 16 January, all temporary exhibitions currently on show at Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre will be available at a discount price.

Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre enters the final preparation stage for its new exhibition season. This means ongoing week is the last chance for the public to see the current temporary exhibitions before they are gradually replaced by new projects. For this reason, the upcoming Sunday, all temporary exhibitions will be available at a discount price – 2.00 EUR for pupils, students and senior citizens and 4.00 EUR for all the other visitors.

Opening hours on discount day (16 January) – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please be reminded that, in keeping with government stipulations, admission to the art centre shall be contingent upon the demonstration of a valid Covid-19 certificate of recovery or vaccination.

17 through 27 January, visitor access shall be limited to the permanent exhibition with Mark Rothko’s originals and “Found in the Collection” – the finest pieces from the Rothko Centre collection.

Currently on show:
Michael Kidner (UK) “Love Is a Virus from Outer Space”;
Ilze Lībiete (Latvia) “Road to the Sea”;
Jānis Kupčs (Latvia) “Cruel Romances”;
Daniel Fuchs (Germany) “Creation”;
Elissa Marchal (France) “The Space Between”;
“Mark Rothko 2021” – closing exhibition of the 17th International Painting Symposium.

Publicity photo:
Santa Suhanova

About the organiser:
https://www.rothkocenter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DaugavpilsMarkRothkoArtCentre
https://www.instagram.com/markrothkoartcentre/

Address:
3 Mihaila Street, Daugavpils

Information:
Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre

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Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre presents a new historical exposition. The new exposition is called “Nicholas Gates – a door to the past” and is located in Nicholas Gates in Daugavpils Fortress.

Historically four gates were built in Daugavpils Fortress but only Nicholas Gates differs from the others with their unique external appearance and the presence of side rooms. In the past, these side rooms were used as guardhouses and short-term prison rooms.  But nowadays they have also found applications. A souvenir shop and a Bat Centre have been located at the gates for several years.

The other empty rooms of the gates were turned into a small historical exhibition where a large number of artifacts can be seen. History enthusiasts will be able to find many interesting things there. The exhibition includes fortress plans, Soviet army uniforms, a collection of historic bricks and trim, historic windows and doors of civilian buildings and fortifications, and more.

The exhibition is available from 10 am to 7 pm.  In order to visit the exhibition please visit Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre (5 Nikolaja street) and purchase a ticket.

The entrance fee: 1 EUR for adults; 0,50 EUR for pupils, students, seniors, and persons with special needs.

Information is written by:
Daugavpils Fortress Cultural and Information Centre
Phone: +371 65424043; +371 28686331
Email: cietoksnis@daugavpils.lv
Web: www.daugavpilscietoksnis.lv
www.facebook.com/Daugavpils.cietoksnis

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