The exhibition “The Coast of Dreamers”
The exhibition “The Coast of Dreamers” invites visitors to encounter a landscape that is more than just a physical place—it is a space of imagination, memory, longing, and belonging.The paintings reveal symbolic and surreal worlds, visions where the past merges with possible futures. Here, the earth is no longer solid or stable—it flows and changes, the horizon recedes, forests glow in impossible colors, and cliffs behave like water. Landscapes transform into dreams that feel real, yet exist beyond the constraints of time and place.
Throughout art history, landscapes have reflected the values and beliefs of society. In Roman frescoes, they symbolized wealth and power; in 17th-century Dutch painting, the everyday life; in Romantic art, the sublime force of nature. In Chinese traditions, landscape painting expressed inner harmony and permanence rather than an exact replication of nature. These layers of cultural and artistic heritage are present in “The Coast of Dreamers”, where contemporary artists continue a dialogue with the past, present, and future—physically distant from nature, yet intimately connected to it through emotion and perception.
Today, landscapes speak of crisis—of our increasingly estranged relationship with the natural world, tinged with nostalgia and unease. Nature is often experienced as a screen image, a simulated reality, rather than as a tangible presence. The works in this exhibition reflect that estrangement, making nature appear unfamiliar and alien, yet imbuing it with poetic power. Alongside this sense of distance, there is also longing—a desire to reconnect, to find joy in nature’s presence. For much of human history, the land was a foundation of life, not merely a backdrop. In today’s era of mobility and migration, belonging is less tied to a single place and more to natural forms, culture, and stories that weave together the personal and collective. In this way, landscapes become symbolic and emotional spaces in which to explore identity, history, and dreams.
People are almost absent from these works, yet their absence intensifies the question: what is our connection to this world? “The Coast of Dreamers” presents landscapes that feel both distant and intimately close—our dreams and our yearning for belonging. As the Roman poet Petronius wrote: “He who steps onto distant sands becomes a greater person.” Here too, by seeking new forms of landscape, artists explore paths forward—where and how to move next.
The exhibition features works by prominent Latvian artists, including Ilze Smildziņa, Pēteris Līdaka, Ieva Liepiņa, Kristīne Guršpone, Kristīne Kvitka, Sabīne Līva, Marta Jurjāne, Kurmis, Katrīna Vīnerts, Sarmīte Caune, Igors Bernāts, Barbara Ābeltiņa, Dace Zēģele, Neonilla Medvedeva, Maija Muižniece, and Alise Mediņa.
