Zuzeum, a new space for art in Riga and home of the Zuzāns Collection
Zuzeum, a new space for art in Riga and the home of the Zuzāns Collection, opens its doors to the public on 10 September 2020. Its inaugural programme includes the exhibition We Aim to Live, which showcases the latest acquisitions of contemporary painting, sculpture, and ceramics from the Zuzāns Collection.
Founded in 2017 by Dina and Jānis Zuzāns, prominent collectors of Latvian, Russian, and international art, Zuzeum is a new addition to the arts infrastructure of the Baltic Sea region, providing a unique space for debate and cultural exchange, and public access to the growing Zuzāns Collection.
Zuzeum is housed in a former cork factory designed and built in 1910 by architect and engineer Edmund von Trompowsky. Located in between the historical centre of Riga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the upcoming Rail Baltica railway integrating Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Warsaw into the European rail network, the yellow brick building aims to continue the story of Riga's metropolitan past.
With 1,100 square metres of dedicated exhibition space spread over two galleries, a sculpture garden, workshop area, cafe, roof terrace, and art shop, as well as programmes of guided tours, talks, meditation, films, and DJ nights, Zuzeum invites everyone to feel at home with art.
Names behind the Zuzeum concept:
Dina and Jānis Zuzāns, founders
Agnese Kleina, director and concept designer
Ieva Zībārte, curator of the inaugural exhibition and art on display
Evelīna Ozola, designer of the inaugural exhibition
Mikhail Ovcharenko, international art adviser
Annvil, architects and interior designers
Overpriced, makers of Zuzeum branding and Zuzeum digital
Madara Krieviņa, graphic designer and maker of the Zuzeum logo
Artists on display in public areas:
Antony Gormley (1950), UK
Artūrs Analts, 1991, LV
Barnaby Furnas (1973), US
Gregor Hildebrandt (1974), DE
Ieva Iltnere (1957), LV
Indriķis Ģelzis (1988), LV
Līga Purmale (1948), LV
Mark Sun-Roz, 1994, LV
Miķelis Mūrnieks, 1995, LV
Sergey Dyomin, 1974, LV
Thomas Hausego (1972), UK, US
Photo: Norbert Tukaj
Zuzāns Collection, the largest private collection of Latvian art in the world
With more than 20,000 artworks representing painting, graphic art, sculpture, decorative arts, and design, the Zuzāns Collection is the largest private collection of Latvian art in the world. With late-19th-century and early-20th-century art, classical modernist art, and Soviet-era art, the collection represents both established artists and movements in the history of Latvian art and lesser-known, nonconformist personalities, whose work may be underrepresented in public art institutions.
A growing collection of Russian nonconformist art and contemporary international painting and sculpture marks a new direction in the development of the collection. The idea behind this expansion is to place Latvian art within a wider context and to engage in active dialogue with the international art community.
Dina and Jānis Zuzāns, the founders of the Zuzāns Collection and Zuzeum, have been supporting art for two decades, providing funds for the representation of Latvian art abroad, national participation at the Venice Biennale, art and music festivals, and art publishing. As an art expert, Jānis Zuzāns is a prominent part of the Latvian art scene. He’s also a member of Tate’s Russia and Eastern Europe Acquisitions Committee.
Photo: Norbert Tukaj
We Aim to Live. Contemporary Art from the Zuzāns Collection
September 10–November 8
#zuzeum #zuzanscollection #weaimtolive
We, the makers of the Zuzeum Art Centre and its inaugural exhibition We Aim to Live, invite you to feel safe in our new home and believe in the future. We encourage you to look at the works of contemporary painting, sculpture, and ceramics from the Zuzāns Collection and find an action strategy for the evening to come, for tomorrow, for next year.
Start a conversation with a friend about identity, body, and feelings, crossing borders, fake news, technology, aliens, death, but also nature, love, the universe, and hope. Use art for contemplation and meditation, and immerse yourself in soundscape.
Curated by Ieva Zībārte.
All exhibited works of art are from the Zuzāns Collection.
Ajarb Bernard Ategwa (1988), CM
Alice Kask (1976), EE
Anda Lāce (1982), LV
Andris Eglītis (1981), LV
Arthur Analts (1991), LV, UK
Blair Thurman (1961), US
Bronwyn Katz (1993), ZA
Cindy Sherman (1954), US
Claire Tabouret (1981), FR, US
Dace Lielā (1957), LV
Daiga Krūze (1980), LV
Daniel Lergon (1978), DE
Daniel Richter (1962), DE
Derek Fordjour (1974), US
Donna Huanca (1980), US, DE
Ebecho Muslimova (1984), RU, US
Ella Kruglyanskaya (1978), LV, US
Elmgreen & Dragset (Michael Elmgreen (1961) and Ingar Dragset (1969)), DK, NO, DE
Frančeska Kirke (1953), LV
Friedrich Kunath (1974), DE, US
Ginters Krumholcs (1980), LV
Hernan Bas (1978), US
Indriķis Ģelzis (1988), LV
Inga Meldere (1979), LV, FI
Jeff Koons (1955), US
Kaido Ole (1963), EE
Katherine Bernhardt (1975), US
Kris Lemsalu (1985), EE, AT
Manuel Solano (1987), MX, DE
Marina Abramović (1946), RS, US
Melike Kara (1985), DE
Miķelis Fišers (1970), LV
Nikolay Koshelev (1987), RU, US
OMMA (Olga Maximova (1985)), RU, FR
Rashid Johnson (1977), US
Ryan Mosley (1980), UK
Sanya Kantarovsky (1982), RU, US
Sergey Dyomin (1974), LV
Siji Krishnan (1983), IN
Simphiwe Ndzube (1990), ZA, US
Skuja Braden (Ingūna Skuja (1965), Melissa D. Braden (1968)), US, LV
Sudarshan Shetty (1971), IN
Vaughn Spann (1992), US
