Kristapa Ģelža daiļrades tēmu analīze: no sociālpolitiski kritiskā līdz poētiskajam

• Authors: Birzaka-Priekule Līna

Title variants

EN

Thematic Analysis of Kristaps Ģelzis' Art: from Socio-political Critique to Poetic Works

• Languages of publication: LT

Abstracts

EN

The goal of this article is an in-depth analysis of subject matter in Kristaps Ģelzis’s (1962) oeuvre, attempting to specify important trajectories in the artist’s development. Ģelzis is considered a master of Latvian contemporary art whose career dates back to the 1980s. He has participated in both local and international exhibitions. Ģelzis is one of the so-called trespassers’ generation of artists along with Oļegs Tillbergs (1956), Ojārs Pētersons (1956), Sarmīte Māliņa (1960), Andris Breže (1958) and others known for their different artistic means of expression and broadening the concept of art in Latvia. Ģelzis also belongs to the so-called first generation of conceptualists whose manifestations were characterised by expansive and imaginative installations, large-scale serigraphs as well as meticulously refined procedural works. The range of media used by Ģelzis is almost unlimited. He expresses himself in any available material or medium; what matters is that the specific medium resonates with and executes the artist’s sharp-eyed and typically witty insights. Therefore, this article focuses on the growing significance of the content-based dimension of Ģelzis’s work, which is becoming a major point of reference for any analysis of specific stages of his oeuvre, placing thematic analysis centre stage. Assessing Ģelzis’s oeuvre over time, one must conclude that socio-political critique thematically prevails. In the context of Latvian contemporary art, Ģelzis is among the few whose artistic output is also notable for a sharp, candid, ironic and critical reaction to the events of the day in both local and international contexts. Ģelzis utilises individual history and experience (the environment, state, political events and consequences arising from systemic changes) to introduce his observations and to speak candidly and ironically about the nature of socio-political transformations and their impact on society. He possesses a sensitive command of symbolic elements of the local environment, which he masterfully integrates into his works, reflecting on the societal issues of the day. Oftentimes, Ģelzis’s works are characterised by the presence of humour and paradox in which the observation or image of a specific event fit into the broader logic of events.

Keywords

EN

Kristaps Ģelzis; Latvian art; contemporary art; installations; objects; minimalism; art and politics; national identity

• Publisher: Institute of Art History of the Latvian Academy of Art and Art History Research Support Foundation
• Journal: Makslas Vesture un Teorija
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 26
• Pages: 81-93

Contributors

author

Birzaka-Priekule Līna

• Latvian National Museum of Art, Jaņa Rozentāla laukums 1, Riga LV-1010, Latvia