AAL Rector Kristaps Zariņš and Olga Smirnova, Member of the Board at Semarah Hotels, a hotel chain founded in Latvia, participated in the gallery’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and signing the memorandum. Later on, “Phenomenon” (Parādība), a solo exhibition of the AAL third-year student Madara Kvēpa, opened at the new gallery and will run until September 13.
“With the establishment of the Latvian modern art collection Grand Poet Art Collection, we especially want to spotlight and support our young and talented artists, and at the same time we want our patrons to not only discover and explore Latvian art, but also involve them in the assessment of artists and their works of art. Most of our patrons are life lovers, travellers from different countries of the world who are interested in the culture of other countries, and we are very excited to give them a chance to meet Latvia’s young talents,” says Olga Smirnova who came up with the idea of the project.
The objective of the cooperation is to support AAL students and young Latvian artists – to encourage them to strive for new achievements, build self-confidence and pursue an international career, provide financial support for talent development, create a space for solo exhibitions, thereby promoting the development of art in Latvia.
“The closest neighbours of the Art Academy of Latvia are the Ministry of Culture, the Latvian National Museum of Art, and Grand Poet Hotel, and we are very pleased with our successful cooperation with these institutions. Our students are the creators of the bustling life in the centre of Riga, they embody creative energy. We are very happy that young artists will have the opportunity to exhibit their works at the hotel. This is a nice tradition that will benefit both sides,” points out Kristaps Zariņš.
The solo exhibition by the young artist Madara Kvēpa is the first exhibition in the newly opened gallery. “The opportunity to have my works exhibited at Grand Poet Hotel’s art gallery is the most significant turning point in my career so far. Even though painting has always been an intimate process for me, which I often compare to a special form of meditation, I cannot disagree with Edgar Degas, who said that ‘art is not what you see, but what you make others see.’ The hotel is an international venue for culture lovers from all over the world, so I can hardly imagine a better place for exhibiting my works to a wider audience,” emphasizes Madara Kvēpa, adding that any passer-by and art lover can visit the exhibition.
Each visitor to the gallery is welcome to participate in voting for the best works until September 13, giving his or her favourite work a special sticker – a five-grand coin. The stickers are available at the reception of Grand Poet Hotel.
About Madara Kvēpa
Madara Kvēpa began her art studies at Janis Rozentāls Art School, in 2012 she graduated from the Fashion Department of Riga School of Design and Art. She is currently studying painting at the Visual Arts Department of the Art Academy of Latvia. She has been exhibiting since 2016. In 2017, she had her first solo exhibition, “IntueriI”. In the spring of 2018, she participated in the international project Gattopardo II Palermo-Riga-Vienna.
About Grand Poet Hotel
Grand Poet Hotel was opened by Semarah Hotels, a hotel chain founded in Latvia. At the moment, the hotel chain includes resort hotel Lielupe in Jūrmala and two hotels in Riga: the four-star historic Metropole hotel on Aspazijas Boulevard and the elegant five-star design hotel Grand Poet Hotel at 5/6 Raiņa Boulevard. Each one has its own unique story to tell.
Grand Poet Hotel officially opened on May 31. The hotel’s Diplohemia concept combines diplomatic and bohemian design solutions developed by the internationally acclaimed and award-winning concept and design agency Stylt Trampoli (Sweden). The hotel was designed by the architectural firm Sarma un Norde (Latvia), preserving the architectural uniqueness of the building. The name of the hotel carries a duality that is often embodied in poets – earnest and bohemian.