During the spring of 2021, from March to May, two artist residences took place at the Rucka Artist Residency, with 13 artists from 10 different countries. Their focus was the history and daily life of Cesis, matters of ecology and natural resources, as well as the Rucka manor house and park as self-sufficient units. The works created by artists are on display in the open-air exhibition Hidden Treasures, which will be available throughout the summer.
“The pandemic has completely changed the rules in art and culture – museums, exhibition halls, galleries and culture spaces are closed and large gatherings of people are prohibited. Thus the only epidemiologically safe way of enjoying art is individually or in small groups and outdoors. At the same time, issues of human interaction with nature play an increasingly important role in public discourse. Art must be able to reflect on these topics and be available in the new circumstances” admits Liga Lindenbauma, the curator of the open-air exhibition Hidden Treasures.
In response to these challenges, artists in residence at the Rucka Artist Residency worked on creating artworks for the open-air exhibition Hidden Treasures. The exhibition is an attempt to draw public attention to human interaction with nature with contemporary art in a historic park, while continuing the development of Rucka Park as a local cultural site. “The artworks exhibited in the park reveal little known or forgotten facts and hidden values. Searching for them is a real adventure, as they are scattered across the entire area of Rucka Park. On the other hand, the park itself, which is located in the city of Cesis, is still little known and a treasure worth discovering on its own”, says the exhibition curator Liga Lindenbauma.
The open-air exhibition Hidden Treasures is created in accordance with the basic principles of the arrangement of art exhibitions. Visitors of the exhibition are introduced with the concept with the help of informative banners at the three main entrances of Rucka Park. To make it easier to find artworks, a map with the locations of all works of art is available in the center of the park. In addition to works, plaques with authors names, titles of their work and descriptions are available next to each of the artwork. All this allows the viewer to experience an open-air exposition as a full-fledged art event.
The Open-air exhibition Hidden Treasures is created by artists Albert Allgaier (AT), Tjorven Bruyneel (BE), Vika Eksta (LV), Laura Fiorio (IT/DE), Indra Gleizde (LV/NL), Gruppe Uno Wien (AT), Rabota (BE/RUS), Ieva Saulīte (LV), Alels Slota (PL/USA/DE), Sabine Sne (LV), Charlotte Thömmes (DE). The exhibition curator: Liga Lindenbauma. Organized by Rucka Art Foundation with financial support from the Municipality of Cesis.
