EVIART GALLERY INVITES YOU TO THE EXHIBITION AND MUSICAL EVENING IGO-EVIJA-MEDNIS “TRĪS PERSONĪBAS, TRĪS JŪRAS”
STARTING MAY 29, ALONGSIDE RIGA ART WEEK (RAW), EVIART GALLERY WILL HOST THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY ART SERIES “THREE PERSONALITIES, THREE SEAS”, BRINGING TOGETHER PAINTING, CERAMICS, PHOTOGRAPHY, GRAPHIC ART, AND MUSIC. THE EVENT SERIES OFFERS THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THREE RENOWNED LATVIAN ARTISTS: PAINTER EVIJA (EVIART), MUSICIAN AND MULTIARTIST RODRIGO FOMINS (IGO), AND JĀNIS MEDNIS, PHOTOGRAPHER AND DEVOTED DOCUMENTER OF THE LIVONIAN COAST.
The central symbol of the event “THREE PERSONALITIES, THREE SEAS” is the sea—not only as a physical landscape, but also as a metaphor for the soul and a symbol reflecting the human inner world, the strength of ancestral roots, the rhythms of life, and the nature of change. Each of the three artists — IGO, EVIJA, and MEDNIS — in their own medium, works to preserve, renew, and reinterpret Latvian values. The symbolism of the sea runs through their artworks and creative projects, speaking in a language of art that requires no translation and resonates across all cultures.
Starting from May 29, every Tuesday and Thursday (14:00–19:00), EVIART Gallery will be open to the public, offering an opportunity to freely visit a new cultural art space in Riga. On the evening of June 18, concluding the three-week art cycle, EVIART Gallery will welcome you to a special concert night with IGO and Eriks Upenieks.
Over the course of three weeks, visitors to EVIART Gallery will be able to experience a unique world of sensations, where painting, graphic art, ceramics, photography, and music come together in one space. It will be an opportunity to immerse yourself in an aesthetic and emotional experience, meet the artists, participate in workshops, hear IGO perform live, and feel the presence of Riga’s historical architecture in a contemporary light. "This time at EVIART Gallery will not only be an artistic experience but also an act of preserving values – the awareness that everything meaningful is around us, as long as someone cares for it and brings it to life", says artist Evija.
The EVIART Gallery is permanently enriched by the glass sculpture “Nefertiti” by renowned glass artist Ernests Vītiņš. Though not originally intended as part of the exhibition, it now organically integrates and resonates with it. Ernests Vītiņš says: "The sea is a deeply personal theme for me as well. All my best childhood memories were spent by the sea, and even today, the vastness of the sea—especially its storminess—continues to inspire me profoundly."
IGO – From Music to Earth and Back Again
A legendary Latvian musician whose voice resonates like a message from the soul. In recent years, IGO has also turned to ceramics, decorating porcelain tableware using the decal technique. Each of his musical performances is a blend of song, meditation, and power.
From ruins to a place of inspiration. In 2016, IGO discovered an abandoned lime kiln in the Bauska region. Today, that space is transforming into the IGO “Music and Art Center CEPLIS”—a vibrant venue for concerts, exhibitions, masterclasses, ceramics, intimate gatherings, and guided tours. He restores not only walls, but also a living space where historical heritage meets contemporary culture.
At the heart of IGO’s artistic expression lies:
- A deeply emotional, lyrical, soulful, and often mystical or dreamlike quality.
- He sings of life, the soul, love, nature, dreams, memories, and transformation.
- Notable works include:"Kā senā dziesmā" (Like an Ancient Song), "Bet dzīvē viss ir savādāk" (But Life Is Different), "Pie laika" (In Time), "Vējš sola lapai debesis" (The Wind Promises the Leaf the Sky), and "Brīva diena" (A Free Day).
EVIJA – The Sea as a Woman’s Inner World, EVIJA as a Bearer of Her Era
EVIJA is a Latvian artist specializing in acrylic painting in the style of abstract realism. Her artistic journey began in childhood, within the workshops of her father and grandfather. Her paintings transform water and the sea into a map of the inner world. Lighthouses, piers, boats, and yachts are not merely objects—but emotional symbols of solitude, love, strength, and the path home.
EVIJA’s works are marked by aesthetic finesse and emotional richness, inviting the viewer into a dialogue of visuals and sensation. In 2023, she founded EVIART Gallery in Riga—her own art and cultural space that hosts exhibitions and creative events, continuing to inspire and enrich the Latvian art scene. Once a brutalist, historically heavy site, the gallery has been reborn as a living, human, and poetic place. In her art, the sea is not just a landscape—it is a feminine force. Influenced by the moon, ever-changing and cyclical, it mirrors EVIJA herself: an artist, a mother, a creator, and an observer.
- Her paintings embody waves, presence, tenderness, and strength—all at once.
- Water becomes a map of her emotional states—at times calm, at times stirred, but always deep.
- The sea also symbolizes a mother’s birthing waters, from which both children and art are born.
JĀNIS MEDNIS – A Photographer Who Builds Bridges Across Seas
Jānis MEDNIS is a photographer who has spent over a decade documenting the Livonian Coast of Northern Kurzeme, Latvia—where time and the sea constantly reshape the landscape. His work is visual poetry, merging photography with music and inviting the viewer on a cultural journey. These are not merely documentary images—they are testimonies of an era, holding silence, simplicity, and a deep sense of belonging.
From the fading to the remembered—Jānis MEDNIS captures the Livonian Coast, which is gradually disappearing both in nature and in people’s consciousness. His photographs are visual prayers of history, urging us to see and preserve what still remains. In his exhibitions, he explores the intercultural narratives of the Livonian shore. MEDNIS rescues moments from oblivion—a place in Latvia becoming ever quieter and less visible, yet still bearing the unique strength of our culture and nature.
- He documents a vanishing culture, landscape, and human presence—characteristic not only of the Livonian shore but also of other Baltic Sea coastlines.
- His works form a visual and auditory bridge across seas, revealing kinship between the Livonian people and coastal nations beyond.
- MEDNIS photographs with reverence, attentiveness, and deep listening—and the viewer feels it too: as an invitation to truly see and cherish what is still ours.