The exhibition entitled ARTIFICIAL PEACE (Contemporary Landscape) showcases artist Kristaps Ģelzis—one of the most unique and brilliant personalities in Latvian contemporary art.

The Artificial Peace (Contemporary Landscape) strides the borderline between monumental painting and conceptualism while belonging to both. The works are in watercolour technique, using luminescent water-based acrylic paints.

The interaction between colour, light, imagination, and emotion forms the underlying concept. The large format watercolour series Contemporary Landscape is the core of the exhibit. Reflecting the most striking daily transitions, these paintings tell the story of a very personal relationship to the world. The huge pulsating fields of colour represent a distillate of the artist's emotions whose further evolution is up to the viewer. The silhouettes of the visitors become part of the artwork: interactive images provoke the interpretation of the narrative. In the context of Artificial Peace light plays a particular role: the fluorescent bulbs, the so-called "blue lights" help the gaze to penetrate the deepest layers of the painting. Light becomes a kind of emotional binding substance between the visitor and the artwork, throwing the formal qualities of the painting in high relief and revealing the endless depth of the painted space.

More Information: e-flux