04.02. - 03.04.2016.
Porcelain is a material that can endure a lot, during its existence it has experienced different games. However, it must be treated with care – with respect because porcelain can be very capricious and requires high precision of work. Every ceramist knows it. Once you have made friends with this special material it becomes a very loyal friend.
The first exhibition to be opened this year in Riga Porcelain Museum is the solo exhibition by Dace Blūma (1959) “Games with Letters on Porcelain” – the graphical compositions designed by the artist on porcelain dishes by using letter fonts and their elements. The pieces represent love for porcelain and creative interest in letters. The artist has started in-depth studying of the Typography (graphic design of letters) and has also taught it in Valmiera Art School. “At the moment I can definitely say that I am starting to understand what I do not know about letters. I am eager to test, apply and tell others both in the literal and figurative sense about what I have found out,” Dace Blūma says. In the exhibition the spectator will see colourful graphic designs compositions – “the letters that are brought into the room by porcelain,” the artist explains.
“It seems that it is best to play with letters in the computer, however, most often it results in the arrangement or rearrangement of letters created by somebody else. A real joy of playing is best provided by a white sheet of paper that is supplemented by a shape. My favourite sheet, however, is the white surface of porcelain supplemented by the shape. And I hope that the exhibits will also make it easier for you to see letters wider than just a source of information,” says Dace Blūma in her invitation to enjoy the charm of letters.
Dace Blūma represents the Latvian ceramics of the second half of the 20th century. Since 1980s she has been working both with porcelain and other materials to design shapes and decorations. Her interest in the Typographyoriginated during her studies at the State Art Institute of the Estonian SSR and has now resulted in graphical decorations of porcelain objects. Blūma has worked as an artist in the first district of former Riga Porcelain Factory (in Maskavas Street, Riga) (1983–1994), where she designed several shapes of dishes and decorations for manufacturing. The pieces created by her during the time at Riga Porcelain Factory fit into the diverse and sometimes contradictory porcelain stylistics of 1980-1990s – the pieces offered for manufacturing were in the post-modern language of the shape as well as the ones representing the laconic minimalism in designing shapes. The exhibits will also include some pieces created by the artist that are in the collection of Riga Porcelain Museum. For many years Dace Blūma has worked as a teacher of art and now she is using on the skills she gained at Riga Porcelain Factory in designing decorations of porcelain in the position of the creative director of SIA Dekolserviss and continues her creative activity.
In 2016 Riga Porcelain Museum’s exhibitions will focus on the individual artists that created the designs of Riga Porcelain Factory. These exhibitions will reveal the signature style of these artists along with their personalities and creative activity. Further more in 2016 there will be exhibitions by Beatrise Kārkliņa, Ilga Dreiblate and Aija Mūrniece.