The first presentation of the “My Latvia” exhibition took place in Riga a year ago, and last June the exhibition was held in Saint Petersburg on Moyka Street.
The exhibition of Janis Krumins will take place in Moscow concurrently with a guest tour of the National Theatre of Latvia at the Gogol Centre. Recognised Russian and Latvian people of art and representatives of cultural circles of Moscow are invited to the opening ceremony. The Ambassador of Latvia in Russia, Her Excellency Astra Kurme, is also expected to attend the ceremony.
Janis Krumins is not only a professional photographer, well-known due to his original photos, but also a unique personality in every sense of the word. Being a personal friend of many politicians and business leaders, he is an influential figure among the artistic, governmental and business elite of Latvia.
“Janis Krumins is an outstanding person. Apart from photography, which he is so keen on, he is also a recognised public figure and philosopher. He has been a minister several times and one of the originators of the two political parties that have ruled the country over recent decades. His view of Latvia is very precise and, at the same time, individual,” said the former Consul General and now representative of Riga City Council in the regions of Russia Iveta Sers at the opening of this exhibition in Saint Petersburg.
Janis Krumins has never been without a camera his entire life. He has participated in over 40 exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, and was a photo correspondent of TASS. His portfolio contains dozens of publications in the Latvian and foreign press. Janis Krumins has taken photos of Leonid Brezhnev and Boris Yeltsin; he is the author of official photo portraits of senior government officials of the Republic of Latvia and, at the same time, the author of sensational photos of political leaders ‘in a private environment’.
The photo project “My Latvia” presents the best works of Janis Krumins, dedicated to his favourite cities – Riga and Jurmala, starting from the 70s of last century up to nowadays. The capital of Latvia, Riga, and the popular resort Jurmala, which thousands of Russian and European tourists have rediscovered for themselves in recent years, are often presented in a new, non-standard focus in the photos by Janis Krumins. And, the narrow streets of the medieval city, cobble-stone pavements and red tile roofs, sandy beaches stretching ahead for kilometres, pine forests and gorgeous sea sunsets create a special harmonious world, full of romanticism and free from the hustle and bustle.
According to the author, the exhibition is “a complete cardiogram of Latvia and my feelings about it”. He thinks that the aim of photo art is to make the world smarter and kinder and states that he is mostly interested in people and nature in his art. “But this is not nature in its general understanding – i.e. just beautiful photos. This is nature with a so-called philosophical subtext, as I am a qualified philosopher,” notes Janis Krumins.
Similarly to the previous two exhibitions of Janis Krumins, the Moscow exhibition is arranged with the support of Rietumu Bank. Alexander Gafin, Member of the Supervisory Council of the bank, notes, “We would like to express our gratitude to the Gogol Centre which opened its doors both for the theatre and for the photo art of Latvia. Thus simultaneously, a fully-fledged week of Latvian culture will take place under its roof. And this is very important in the current moment to symbolise the fact that continuity of contact between our countries exists. As the bank’s representative, I can state most responsibly that even at the most complicated of times, business and culture have always found ways for dialogue with representatives of other countries and people, simultaneously helping diplomats and politicians to pave the way.”
Natalya Bessonova is a well-known and recognised Latvian artist. Her style and manner are far from what is usually called “feminine painting”, rather on the contrary – reason and restraint, preciseness and even severity are present here. The artist combines sharpness in the drawing and dynamics of line with bright saturated colour, while achieving amazing harmony and expressiveness.
