MOBILE MUSEUM

WWW.MOBILAISMUZEJS.LV

Opening August 25 at 7.30PM in Riga, Korpusu cehs, Andrejsala, Andrejostas street 4

25.08 - 20.09.2007 during the "White Night 2007" event
Location: Korpusu cehs and project space Canteen, Andrejsala

The basic aim of the museum is to form a collection, preserve it and make it available to the viewer. Any collection is the result of a selection process that has been influenced by the tendencies of the day, the political situation, and the whims of a patron or the subjective choice of an individual. In its way the museum becomes an instrument of power that influences the writing of history through the interpretation of the experience of its time and the knowledge of the artworks in its collection. Can museums be counted among the institutions of power named by Foucault such as hospitals, schools and prisons?

Of course we could also establish an imaginary museum as proposed by André Malraux in his day. We could ironically comment on the museum by establishing a "Department of Eagles" in the spirit of Marcel Broodthaers or do as Marcel Duchamp did and make an easily portable box to keep replicas of his works in.

The "Mobile Museum" exhibition is an invitation to artists in their works to turn their attention to the museum collection in both how they form their contribution commenting on the principles of forming museum collections with reference to existing museum collections as well in a critical evaluation of the role of the museum in the contemporary art space.

In the Latvian context, the theme of the exhibition is particularly relevant at the current time when intensive work is going on with regard to the establishment of a new museum of contemporary art and its collection. The venue of the exhibition in Andrejsala (a former port that has already become an active cultural centre) is exactly where the new museum has been envisaged.

Participating artists: Erki Kasemets (EST), IRWIN group (SL), Christophe Perez (FR), Jennifer Bornstein (US), Knutte Wester (SE), Leonards Laganovskis, Kristaps Gelzis, Miks Mitrevics, Anita Zabilevska, Evelīna Deicmane, Eriks Bozis and Kriss Salmanis (LV).

Programme of the Mobile Museum includes also other projects realised by the artist initiatives in Andrejsala - "Showroom MATILDE", "VIDE" - creative workshop and exhibition of the street art, "MOBILIE ROKDARBI", photo Project "TRIP TICKET" and parade of the freak bikes "APOKALIPSES JATNIEKI"