IES invites to international art exhibition "NOT out of sight, NOT out of mind" dedicated to the waste problems

Exhibition “NOT out of sight, NOT out of mind” invites to look at waste differently.

On the 1^st of June the Institute for Environmental Solutions (IES) and WasteArt project partners will launch the international art exhibition “NOT out of sight, NOT out of mind” which will take place in the IES's Science and art centre “Brewery” in Cēsis, Latvia. The exhibition will stress the consequences of overconsumption and invite visitors to look at the waste differently – as a material, resource and opportunities for the future.

The exhibition is set out to raise awareness of the fact that trash does not disappear from the planet, it accumulates at a disturbing rate, and the only way for us to regain control is to become conscious of the fact that waste is part of our culture. Following this cause 17 internationally recognized artists from 9 countries were invited to develop artworks using materials from the landfill “Daibe”, local communities and surroundings. The subsequent exhibition is as multi faced as the authorship and the problem tackled ranging from dystopian visions, over public disobedience to metaphysical contemplations but also to documentary depictions and practical solution searching.

The Participating artists are: Varvara & Mar (EE), Jacob Kirkegaard (DK), Marta Moorats (EE), Kiwa (EE), Ansis Starks (LV), André Avelãs (NL/PT), “The Laboratory of Microclimates” Annechien Meier & Gert-Jan Gerlach (NL), Johanna Lohrengel (DE) & Gatis Kreicbergs (LV), Ieva Krūmiņa (LV), Geraldine Juárez (SE/MX),  Justin Tyler Tate (CA), Willem Boel (BE), Timo Toots (EE), Elena Redaelli (NO/IT).

Find the artist portraits and their messages to the "NOT out of sight, NOT out of mind" exhibition here. 

According to the WasteArt project manager and representative of the Institute for Environmental Solutions Guna Dātava: “While average amount of waste from households in Europe is decreasing, Eurostat data shows that in Latvia and Estonia the amount of generated waste is increasing. The most important question in this situation is when a particular material becomes a waste? The key is in the mind of a consumer. When we throw a material in a trash we don’t feel responsible for it any more and tend to forget about it. This “black hole” way of thinking is something that needs to be changed,” concludes Dātava.

Science and art centre “Brewery” is only the starting point of the travelling exhibition “NOT out of sight, NOT out of mind”. During a two-year period, the exhibition will travel through 6 art, culture and environmental education centres in Latvia and Estonia. The exhibition is part of the cross-border project WasteArt that includes 8 partners from Latvia and Estonia with a common goal to raise awareness towards the vast amount of waste produced, as well as possibilities to reduce, re-use and recycle the wasted materials.

The exhibition in Science and art centre “Brewery” will be the on display till  July 28^th. Next stop of the exhibition is Tartu Nature House.

Together with the exhibition opening in the “Brewery” Art space “MALA” will open their doors to welcome guests in their new location for a fresh start.

Opening hours of the exhibition “NOT out of sight, NOT out of mind” are from Thursday to Sunday from 12 PM to 7PM. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge.

Find out more about the exhibition in WasteArt project’s  Facebook page.

More info about the project here.

The exhibition is a part of the project WasteArt No. Est-Lat 65, which is funded by ERDF Interreg V-A Estonia-Latvia Cross-Border Programme, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia and project partners.

Materials for the exhibition were provided by the Landfill “Daibe”, Swedbank Estonia, local communities and surroundings of Latvia and Estonia.

The project is implemented by the Institute for Environmental Solutions in cooperation with MoKS Artist Residency, Rucka Artist Residency, Võru municipality, Vidzeme Planning Region, SIA ZAAO, Põlva municipality and Tipu Nature School.

The information above reflects the views of the author. The managing authority of the Interreg V-A Estonia – Latvia programme is not liable for how this information may be used.