Freedoms, 2025

Oil paint, charcoal on linen

The work “Freedoms” is a part of the artists graduate work “In a concrete bowl”. The artwork “Freedoms” is dedicated to society’s tendency toward mutual isolation and individualism, as a contradiction within human nature. The author seeks to understand and simplify it, much like in a society where people withdraw into themselves, attempting to find balance in a fast-paced, information-overloaded environment. The work reflects the search for the fragile boundary between peace and the chaos of everyday life. The title “Freedoms” is inspired by Brīvības street in Riga, which, in the rush of daily life, we rarely pay much attention to. Yet, when stopping for a moment, one can sense the flow of people, who, like flocks of pigeons in the sky, weave through the streets, creating noise and bustle. Soon, the towering concrete buildings and the ceaselessly roaring street begin to weigh on the chest. In this work, the author captures that feeling and likens our everyday experience to the meandering flocks of pigeons in the sky, seemingly enveloping the city like a buzzing swarm of mosquitoes. In this work, the author explores not only the bird as an individual but as a flock — its instinct, its belonging to the environment and space, its movement as this indeterminate swarm winds through trees, clusters of buildings, and human crowds, existing as if in an eternal and long-accepted exile, a forgotten background noise in the daily rush of people’s lives. Loneliness can be found in many environments, but the kind that arises while living in a city, surrounded by people, is unique. One might think this state is the opposite of urban life, where the mass presence of others dominates. Yet physical closeness is not enough to dispel the feeling of inner isolation. Loneliness can be a risk factor for various psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, chronic stress, insomnia, or late-stage dementia. “Freedoms” is a work that resonates strongly with today’s reality — both visually and conceptually. It employs a contemporary visual language to address universal and pressing themes: loneliness, the impact of the city, identity, and social structures. It is at once an intimate and social commentary, which makes it especially significant in the current art landscape. The work is not only a visual observation but also a critical commentary on contemporary humanity. It is a reflection on social structures, our mechanisms of adaptation, and the tensions between the collective and the individual. This makes the work significant not only as part of an artistic body but also as documentation of an era. The large-scale is not merely a choice of size — it is a necessity. It allows for the embodiment of the city’s vastness, its heavy presence, and emotional weight. A painting that exceeds the viewer’s height becomes not a window but a wall — an environment to enter, to get lost in, or to resist. This transforms the work into not just something to be seen but an experience to be felt.