POLITICAL DOCUMENTS IN CONTEMPORARY ART OF LATVIA

Abstract

Socially and politically significant themes rarely become the content of the works of art in Latvian contemporary art. It can most likely be explained by the past Soviet traumatic experience when the art had to compulsorily serve state political life and ideology. In Latvia a large part of artists represent the rightist art for the art’s sake opinion which is concerned about the form of the work of art, not the issues of its content. Rightist art also stresses the freedom of artists in their relationship with society so that the artists could think within the framework of the Latvian concept of one’s own place and green piece of land. One of the main issues of debates on the relationship of politics and art is the question of social life aesthetisation in a work of art which promotes observation, not a vigorous action, thus suffering and people’s lives are turned into a commodity. However, is it not possible for aesthetics to serve as a trigger for an action to change the existing situation and improve the common well-being of society? This action could, for instance, reduce social loneliness, change social behaviour, and create alternative forms of economic and political life. It could be a work of art which does not pity, as pity humiliates, but a work of art which identifies oneself with suffering because identification helps, and in a way represents a contemporary leftist view of the world which is different from the classically rightist or leftist viewpoints which state that there is no place for politics in art and vice versa. The article examines the works of Latvian modern artists (Jānis Balodis, Ivars Drulle, Dāvis Sīmanis and Arnis Balčus) of four different fields. The chosen works are of a socially active character; they also use political documents of different forms in order to encourage the involvement of the viewer in discussions which are important for society.