RAW | Riga Art Week

Explore performances and other events at the Riga Performance Festival STARPTELPA (@starptelpa ) during RAW! Curated by the Latvian Centre for Performance Art (@latviancentre4performanceart ). From 25–31 May, audiences are invited to experience a diverse programme of performances and events at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church and other venues across Riga, Latvia. This year’s programme features live performances at Theater-Club “Hamlets” and St. Saviour’s Anglican Church, video screenings at Cinema K. Suns, networking opportunities, the interdisciplinary academic conference “Aesthetics of Protest and Legal Mobilization” at the Art Academy of Latvia, the VV Foundation award ceremony and a solo concert by Madame Nielsen (DK) at the Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music. The 2026 theme, SONIC VIBRATIONS, explores the layered and dynamic presence of sound as a performative force. Moving beyond the understanding of sound as mere accompaniment, the festival foregrounds vibration, resonance, silence, and dissonance as active agents that shape bodies, spaces, and collective memory. ⁠Programme highlights: ⚡26, 28, 29 & 30 May – live performance evenings ⚡27 May – video performance night ⚡28–29 May – conference: “Aesthetics of Protest and Legal Mobilization” ⚡31 May – VV Foundation Award ceremony and Madame Nielsen’s solo concert View the live performance programme on the STARPTELPA website, featuring both free and ticketed events. 📸: Laura Jasmane. “A Fugue for Trying Really, Really Hard”. 2025. Photo: Arthur Aizikovich (Apraksts latviešu valodā komentārā)

Excited to introduce the artists of Kim? upcoming festival EDEN: Wet Work Over Lap! ELZA SĪLE ⩙ ALY MILK Elza Sīle, 2026 Elza Sīle chandelier of mating season, 2025 Oil paint, bamboo, aluminium, plaster, collagen, cotton
80x5x15 cm Photo: Conradin Frei A few years ago, a critic at a prominent art magazine described Elza Sīle’s works as paintings-cum-objects on aluminium plates, at once paintings and forms like riot control shields. That duality still applies, with regard to both floor-bound paintings and shields; a more visceral, vulgar reading also remains valid.  The new site-specific installation at EDEN consists of folded, reflective metal units, handmade and shipped from Switzerland, distributed site-specifically throughout the space. They are displayed variously as  furniture, protective shields, and signifying elements. On their surfaces, organic matter is preserved and transformed into painterly material, forming part of a Menu, an organised list of elements titled Units. (..) Eden, once the most beautiful garden, demanded sacrifice – Eve’s nails left behind. A humid staircase leads upwards toward the Resurrected Fountain. Mirror-steel units form mechanised angel wings; Eve’s lost fingertips remain as poles. Last squeeze, then a third round. The space tightens: small, narrow, cell-like, dense, moist, and almost torturous. Elza Sīle (b. 1989) is a Latvian artist living and working in Zurich. Sīle combines mental imagery with analytic divisions and builds up an interwoven vocabulary of psycho-spatial typologies in flux. In 2019, Sīle graduated from ZHdK Zurich. In 2020, Sile was a recipient of the Werkschau Prize Zurich and, in 2021, of the City of Zurich art stipend. In 2022, Sile completed a residency at ISCP New York. Elza Sīle was a finalist for the Purvītis Award 2025.  Aly Milk (b. 1988) is a soft-focus discipline art girl wrapped around low-grade chaos, excellent taste and a deeply questionable sleep schedule. She communicates in beeswax poetic, incense smoke, texture archives and major life crises disguised as aesthetics. Nominated for The Annual Art Award of Latvia in 2026.

Discover RAW City Guide restaurants and hotels to visit and stay at during Riga Art Week 2026. @madamemeiriga - Madame Mei is a contemporary Vietnamese brasserie shaped around Indochine–French culinary heritage with an interior inspired by the modernist aesthetics of the 1950s–70s. @yolkhausriga - Yolkhaüs is an egg-focused breakfast and brunch spot. Known for its stylish interior and vinyl-playing vibe, it is celebrated for serving creative all-day brunch, specialty coffee, and evening dinner. @3pavari - 3 chefs restaurant offers a modern interpretation of Latvian cuisine, bringing together the creativity of three experienced chefs in a shared culinary concept. The open kitchen invites guests to observe the cooking process, while the menu highlights seasonal, high-quality local ingredients.  @neiburgs_hotel - Neiburgs is a family-owned hotel praised for its elegant fusion of the historical and the modern. The hotel rooms offer breathtaking views of the Riga Dome and the meandering medieval streets of the Old Town. @grandpoet_by_semarah - Grand Poet Hotel is defined by the so-called “diplohemia” aesthetic - a fusion of diplomatic elegance and bohemian energy within a contemporary urban setting. @a22hotel - A22 Hotel is a distinctive retreat for those who travel with style and appreciate understated elegance, thoughtful details, and an authentic experience. Rather than ostentatious luxury, the hotel’s philosophy is rooted in a carefully cultivated atmosphere. More information on our website — link in bio.  (Apraksts latviešu valodā komentārā)

Excited to introduce the artists of Kim? upcoming festival EDEN: Wet Work Over Lap! SYLVIE FLUERY  Égoïste, 1993  Acrylic on wall  Dimensions variable  Edition of 3 + 2 AP  © Sylvie Fleury. Courtesy the artist and Sprüth Magers  Photo: Ben Westoby / Fine Art Documentation  Égoïste  Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Berlin, February 10–March 23, 2024  © Sylvie Fleury. Courtesy the artist and Sprüth Magers  Photo: Timo Ohler  In Égoïste Platinum, a wall painting with words shimmering in a luxurious surface effect, Sylvie Fleury appropriates the lettering of Chanel’s eponymous fragrance, explicitly labelled “Pour Homme,” making it one of the first logos she incorporated into her practice. Luxury items frequently recur in Fleury’s work, where they derive distinction from their high price; their designation as art further amplifies their value. The advertising campaign for the fragrance, launched in 1990 with Jean-Paul Goude’s short film Le Carlton, achieved wide visibility throughout the decade through a striking strategy that staged egoism as a positive masculine trait, framing its “seductive power” as the catalyst of female desire. Fleury’s choice of motif is thus deliberate: multiple hegemonic meanings crystallise around the name “Égoïste,” exposing the ideological charge embedded in its reception. At the same time, this dynamic is inseparable from the allure of glamour itself – its promise of swift, superficial pleasure that operates on an almost instantaneous register, producing not only fascination but also lingering consumer desire.  Sylvie Fleury (b. 1961) is a renowned Swiss contemporary artist known for installations, sculptures, and mixed-media works that explore consumerism, luxury, fashion, and gender through a critical, often playful lens. Emerging in the 1990s, she is recognized for using everyday luxury items (shopping bags, makeup, cars) to investigate desire and superficiality.

RAW presents: Justina Semčenkaitė’s (@justina.semcenkaite ) fashion workshop “Wearable Manifesto” Make your own wearable manifesto! This interactive workshop, led by Lithuanian fashion designer and researcher Justina Semčenkaitė, explores fashion as a language of identity, power, and self-expression. Drawing on feminist philosophy, sustainability, and activist practice, the session invites participants to critically reflect on what clothing communicates within social and cultural contexts. The workshop begins with visual references and discussion, examining how fashion operates within systems of consumption, identity formation, and activism. In the hands-on part, participants will create their own wearable manifesto — a personal protest object — using a range of simple materials. Combining critical thinking with practical experimentation, the workshop offers tools to move from passive consumption towards conscious expression. Duration: 1–1.5 hours Participants: 20-25 Materials provided No prior experience required 📍Art center Zuzeum (@zuzeum ) 📅 May 31 2026, 11.00-13.00 RSVP via the link in bio ___ RAW piedāvā: modes darbnīca “Wearable Manifesto” Justina Semčenkaitė (@justina.semcenkaite ) Šī interaktīvā darbnīca, kuru vada lietuviešu modes dizainere un pētniece Justina Semčenkaitė, pēta modi kā identitātes, varas un pašizpausmes valodu. Balstoties uz feministisko filozofiju, ilgtspēju un aktīvisma praksi, nodarbība aicina dalībniekus kritiski izvērtēt, ko apģērbs komunicē sociālajā un kultūras kontekstā. Darbnīca sākas ar vizuāliem piemēriem un diskusiju, analizējot, kā mode darbojas patēriņa, identitātes veidošanās un aktīvisma sistēmās. Praktiskajā daļā dalībnieki radīs savu valkājamo manifestu — personīgu protesta objektu — izmantojot dažādus vienkāršus materiālus. Apvienojot kritisko domāšanu ar praktisku eksperimentēšanu, darbnīca piedāvā rīkus, kas palīdz pāriet no pasīva patēriņa uz apzinātu pašizpausmi. Ilgums: 1–1,5 stundas Dalībnieki: 20–25 Materiāli nodrošināti Iepriekšēja pieredze nav nepieciešama 📍Zuzeum (@zuzeum ) 📅 2026. gada 31. maijā plkst. 11:00-13:00 Reģistrējies pasākumam - saite bio #RigaArtWeek #ArtFestival #ArtWeek #RAW26

2 weeks to go until Riga Art Week begins.💥 Explore the full programme on our website. Among this year’s RAW highlights: 🟠Cem A. (@cem_____a ) (DE) also known as @freeze_magazine performative discussion “Double Bind” at the Dailes Theatre on 28 May at 17.00. 🟠The Gallery Night closing party special guest System Olympia (@systemolympia ) (UK) at the Benjamins House on 28 May at 22.00. 🟠Opening of the contemporary art center “Kim?” festival “Eden: Wet Work Over Lap” (18+) (@kim_cac ) on 29 May from 18.00 to 22.00. 🟠Tobias Gutmann’s (@tobiasgutmann ) (Zurich, Switzerland) portrait drawing action “Face-O-Mat” at the Riga Bourse on 30 and 31 May from 12.00 to 14.00 and from 15.00 to 17.00. Registration for events organized by RAW on the website. ___ 2 nedēļas līdz RAW sākumam. 💥 Iepazīsties ar pilnu programmu mūsu mājaslapā. Daži no šī gada RAW notikumiem: 🟠Cem A., (@cem_____a ) (DE) zināms arī kā @freeze_magazine , performatīvā diskusija “Double Bind” Dailes teātrī 28. maijā plkst. 17:00. 🟠Galeriju nakts noslēguma ballītes īpašais viesis – System Olympia (@systemolympia ) (UK) Benjamiņu namā 28. maijā plkst 22:00. 🟠Laikmetīgās mākslas centra “Kim?” festivāla “Ēdene: Wet Work Over Lap” atklāšana (18+) (@kim_cac ) 29. maijā no plkst. 18:00 līdz 22:00. 🟠Tobiasa Gutmanna (@tobiasgutmann ) portretu zīmēšanas akciju “Face-O-Mat” Rīgas Biržā 30. un 31. maijā no plkst. 12:00 līdz 14:00 un no plkst. 15:00 līdz 17:00. Reģistrācija RAW rīkotajiem pasākumiem mūsu mājaslapā. #RigaArtWeek #ArtFestival #ArtWeek #RAW26

Excited to introduce the artists of Kim? upcoming festival EDEN: Wet Work Over Lap! SOPHIE THUN  Installation views from I Don’t Remember a Thing: Entering the Elusive Estate of ZDZ, Kim?, 2021. Photos by Ansis Starks.  Untitled, 2021 Silver gelatine print on baryta paper 31.5x41.5 cm  Fragments of bodies and an unwavering gaze into the camera define Sophie Thun’s photographic language. Her work foregrounds both the spaces of its production and the material conditions of photography. Like many young artists, Thun also earns her living working as an assistant to successful, mostly male colleagues, a condition that subtly informs her attention to artistic hierarchies and economies of visibility. Working without a permanent studio, she uses hotel rooms as temporary sites of production, staging her body within anonymous interiors shaped by projection, fantasy, and constrained working conditions. Her use of analogue “wet photography” underscores the materially intensive darkroom process, where image-making unfolds through chemical baths and manual interventions, while the darkroom itself – associated with opacity, intimacy and embodied proximity – resonates with queer sex cultures. An important dimension of Thun’s work is her engagement with the archive of Zenta Dzividzinska. In the work shown at EDEN, she uses an enlarged 1967 negative by Dzividzinska and intervenes directly in the darkroom by placing her hands onto the photosensitive paper, so that traces of her fingers and palms appear as light imprints along the margins and surface of the image. These bodily markings function not as illustration but as indexical residues of the printing process itself, folding her presence into that of a previous author. Sophie Thun (b. 1985) works primarily with techniques of analogue photography – its spaces and processes, as well as conditions of production and exhibition. Her work is included in the permanent collections of Kunsthaus Bregenz (Bregenz), Landesmuseum Oberösterreich (Linz), Museum der Moderne (Salzburg), SMART Museum (Chicago),the DZ Bank Art Collection (Frankfurt), the Kontakt Collection (Vienna), the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and others.

RAW presents: Darja Popolitova (@darja_popolitova ) – performative workshop “3D Jewellery Fortune Telling” 3D-Jewellery Fortune Telling is a performative workshop that unfolds between a 3D modelling session and a magical ritual. In the space, you encounter Seraphita - a jewellery witch seated behind a laptop, surrounded by candles and a softly humming printer. She wears a wig and garments, while a screen behind her mirrors every movement on her computer, turning the process into a shared visual experience. Seraphita invites visitors to take part in a guided 3D-session where digital making meets fortune telling, and participants receive personalized readings based on their own 3D-designed forms. 📍Signet Bank (@signet_bank )
📅 28 May 2026, 18.00-21.00 RSVP via the link in bio The performative workshop is supported by: Signet Bank (@signet_bank ) ______ RAW piedāvā: Darja Popolitova (@darja_popolitova ) – performatīva darbnīca “3D rotaslietu pareģošana”  3D rotaslietu pareģošana ir performatīva darbnīca, kas norisinās starp 3D modelēšanas sesiju un maģisku rituālu. Telpā jūs sastopat Serafitu rotaslietu raganu, kas sēž pie klēpjdatora, apkārt sveces un klusi dūcošs printeris. Viņa valkā parūku un īpašus tērpus, bet aiz viņas esošais ekrāns atspoguļo katru kustību datorā, pārvēršot procesu kopīgā vizuālā pieredzē. Serafita aicina apmeklētājus piedalīties vadītā 3D sesijā, kur digitālā radīšana satiekas ar pareģošanu, un dalībnieki saņem personalizētus lasījumus, balstītus uz viņu pašu izveidotajām 3D formām. 📍Signet Bank (@signet_bank )
📅 2026. gada 28. maijā, plkst. 18:00-21:00 Reģistrējies pasākumam - saite bio Performatīvās darbnīcas norisi atbalsta: Signet Banka (@signet_bank )   #RigaArtWeek #ArtFestival #ArtWeek #RAW26

RAW Professionals’ Program: “Introduction to the Contemporary International Art Market” – a lecture by Justė Jonutytė (@juste.jonutyte ) What should you know before acquiring an artwork, whether for your home, office, or the beginning of a collection? How can you assess value and make informed decisions in a complex and fast-moving market? This lecture offers a clear and accessible introduction to the contemporary international art market, focusing on how artworks gain value and circulate across galleries, fairs, and collectors worldwide. The talk will explore how to approach collecting with confidence, how to evaluate the long-term relevance of artworks, and where and how art is best acquired, from galleries and art fairs to direct engagement with artists. 📍Hotel Neiburgs (@neiburgs_hotel ) 📅28 May 2026 | Invitation only 📸Vaidas Jokubauskas (@vaidas_jokubauskas ) The lecture is supported by: Signet Banka (@signet_bank ) ________ RAW Profesionāļu programma: “Ievads mūsdienu starptautiskajā mākslas tirgū” – Justė Jonutytė (@juste.jonutyte ) lekcija Ko būtu jāzina pirms mākslas darba iegādes, neatkarīgi no tā, vai tas paredzēts mājoklim, birojam vai kolekcijas uzsākšanai? Kā novērtēt vērtību un pieņemt pārdomātus lēmumus sarežģītā un strauji mainīgā tirgū? Šī lekcija sniedz skaidru un pieejamu ievadu mūsdienu starptautiskajā mākslas tirgū, pievēršoties tam, kā mākslas darbi iegūst vērtību un cirkulē starp galerijām, mākslas gadatirgiem un kolekcionāriem visā pasaulē. Lekcijā tiks aplūkots, kā ar pārliecību pieiet kolekcionēšanai, kā izvērtēt mākslas darbu ilgtermiņa nozīmi, kā arī kur un kā vislabāk iegādāties mākslu. 📍Viesnīca Neiburgs (@neiburgs_hotel ) 📅2026. gada 28. maijā | Tikai ar ielūgumiem 📸Vaidas Jokubauskas (@vaidas_jokubauskas ) Lekcijas norisi atbalsta: Signet Banka (@signet_bank ) #RigaArtWeek #ArtFestival #ArtWeek #RAW26

Explore multiple exhibitions at the Riga Photography Biennial 2026 (@rigaphotographybiennial ) during RAW The Riga Photography Biennial (RPB) is an international contemporary art event that focuses on the analysis and artistic representation of visual culture. In the title of the Biennial, photography is used as an umbrella term for a wide variety of artistic practices in image-making that continue to transform the language of contemporary art in the 21st century. The biennial’s themes range from cultural theory to current sociopolitical processes in the Baltic and European regions. ⁠During RAW, RPB 2026 programme will include: 🔵Central event of the Riga Photography Biennial 2026 – the exhibition “Zoom In: Ecology” at @makslastelpa 🔵“everything you need to see is already in front of you” Priyageetha Dia (@priyageetha.dia ) solo exhibition @makslastelpa 🔵Rūta Kalmuka’s solo exhibition “DZEN” Rūta Kalmuka (@ruuta_photo ) solo exhibition at @issp_latvia 🔵 “My Friends” Māra Brašmane solo show at @alma_galerija 🔵”Colour as Message. Colour Photography Before the Digital and AI Era” group exhibition at @galerijaistaba 🔵Workshop for kids with artist Liga Spunde (ligaspunde) @issp_latvia ⁠📅 RAW | 25.05. - 31.05.2026 Image: Priyageetha Dia, ‘Mesh - Prelude to Spectre System’, 2024, Courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation. Photo by Marco Cappelletti (Apraksts latviešu valodā komentārā) #RigaArtWeek #ArtFestival #ArtWeek #RAW26

RAW presents: Jana Jacuka (@jana.jacuka ) performance “HA” Jana Jacuka (1995) is a Latvian choreographer and performer, based in Amsterdam, Masters degree graduate at DAS Theater. She is curious to create performances almost out of nothing and uses her body, voice and text as the departure points. For the past two years, she has been exploring the voice and the letters H and A. She investigates how the voice can become an extension of the body — like another limb with which to create choreography. Her works have been presented at Frascati (NL), DansBrabant (NL), the AUAwirleben Festival (CH), Kanuti Gildi Saal and SAAL Biennaal (EE), the Homo Novus festival (LV), among others. As a performer and co-thinker she has collaborated with artists such as Marina Abramović, Dries Verhoeven, Arno Schuitemaker and many others. 📍 Art Center NOASS (@noass_riga ) 📅 30 May 2026, 14.00 RSVP via the link in bio ________ RAW piedāvā: Jana Jacuka (@jana.jacuka ) performance “HA” Jana Jacuka (Rīga/ Amsterdama) - ir latviešu horeogrāfe, absolvējusi Amsterdamas “DAS Theatre”. Līdzdarbojusies tādiem māksliniekiem kā Marina Abramović, Dries Verhoeven un Arno Schuitemaker. Performancē “HA” mākslinieces balss kļūst par centrālo materiālu, caur kuru tiek pētīti smiekli kā bēgšanas mehānisms. Viņas darbi ir bijuši izrādīti Frascati (Nīderlande), DansBrabant (Nīderlande), AUAwirleben fest (Šveice), Kanuti Guildi Saal un SAAL Biennaal (Igaunija), Homo Novus festivālā (Latvija) u.c. Jana ir sadarbojusies ar tādiem māksliniekiem kā Marinu Abramoviču, Deimienu Raisu, Drīsu Verhoevenu, Arno Šuitemakeru un daudziem citiem. 📍 Mākslas centrs NOASS 📅 2026. gada 30. maijā plkst. 14:00 Reģistrējies pasākumam - saite bio #RigaArtWeek #ArtFestival #ArtWeek #RAW26