On April 16, in Old Riga, inside the Galerija Centrs shopping centre, artist Lauma Muižarāja’s original work Doodad and Haberdashery will be unveiled — a four-storey environmental installation stretching the full length of Rīdzenes Street, created as a tribute to the quiet power of seemingly insignificant objects.
Continuing its programme of public activities along Rīdzenes Street in Old Riga, Galerija Centrs begins a new collaboration with Zuzeum Art Centre to make contemporary art more accessible to a wider audience. As part of this partnership, artist Lauma Muižarāja was invited to create a large-scale original work specifically for the six-storey atrium of Rīdzenes Street. The resulting piece, Doodad and Haberdashery, is composed of two parts — an installation and a prose work. Through it, the artist invites viewers to reflect on the influence that seemingly unremarkable objects have on the calculating, modern-day human.
The installation will be on view free of charge to visitors in Old Riga until 20 June.
Excerpt from the artist’s description:
The fingers search for the zipper, slip into the pocket, and pull out a bunch of keys. The right one is chosen by shape and weight, then inserted into the door without much thought and turned, as if it were an extension of the hand itself. The buttons on a sweater are fastened in the same way — until one pops off, forcing you to notice it has two or four holes, with thread woven through straight or crosswise. And when you pick up a needle to sew it back on, you have to be able to thread it through a narrow eye. Perhaps the thread ties itself into knots, or the needle silently slips away and disappears between the floorboards.
Since 1938, Galerija Centrs has been a shopping destination in Old Riga, maintaining a contemporary character and introducing numerous innovations over the years: the first self-service checkouts, the first escalator, the first H&M store in Latvia, and more. Galerija Centrs continues to bring contemporary experiences to the people of Riga. Its tenants include brands like ARKET, H&M, MANGO, SPORTLAND, and others. In addition to retail, the third floor hosts a contemporary art gallery, the fourth — the culinary and event space BURZMA, and the fifth and sixth floors are home to the new MyFitness gym concept, opened this year.
