Eigentlich ist Agate Apkalne, geboren 1977 in Riga, für ihre höchst dekorativen, symbolhaft-figurativen Bilder in Lettland bekannt wie auch bei west-europäischen Sammlern geschätzt. Nun zeigt die Galerie TVD ART in einer Soloschau erstmals auch die jüngst entstandenen Gemälde der Künstlerin, die sich hier einer genaueren Beobachtung von Natur und Umwelt widmet, um in einer nuancierten Palette aus Schwarz- und Grautönen zu einer fast metaphysischen Malerei zu kommen. Sie lädt den Betrachter zur Meditation ein, gibt ihm aber auch Rätsel auf. Gemalt wurden diese Bilder oft in präziser Planung und über einen längeren Zeitraum hinweg. 

In “Gallery of Universe” richtete Apkalne den Blick auf einen wolkenlosen Nachthimmel, dessen Sterne, minutiös wie Punkte nach einem bestimmten Rhythmus angeordnet, die menschliche Seele veranschaulichen, die mit den anderen in ständigem Austausch steht. Keiner kann ohne den anderen existieren. Zum “Tree of Soul” wurde die Betrachtung einer alten Eiche, auf der die Einritzungen von Menschen wie auch Wind und Wetter ihre Spuren hinterlassen haben. Die filigrane Rinde gleicht der Haut eines alten Menschen, gegerbt von Lebenserlebnissen. “The System’s Framework” von 2020 entstand unmittelbar nach Beginn der Corona-Pandemie. Ein Korb diente Apkalne hier als Vorbild, dessen starres Geflecht für alte Denkstrukturen steht, die wir mental überwinden sollten. Wie ein herab gefallener Meteorit wirkt das Gemälde “The Comet”, das Apkalne in frühen Morgenstunden schuf. Eine Metapher für das, auf das wir stets vorbereitet sein müssen, auch wenn wir uns gerade im Tiefschlaf befinden. 

Die Künstlerin selbst sieht sich als eine Art von Ortungsgerät, dessen Bewusstsein das Level bestimmter Reichweiten erreicht hat und technisch in der Lage ist, die empfangene Information auf der Leinwand zu materialisieren. Aus diesem Grund signiert die Malerin ihre Gemälde nicht.

Die Beseeltheit von allen Dingen, der Natur und das Miteinander aller schwingen in diesen großformatigen Bildern mit. Ein kosmischer Pantheismus feinster Art, auf der Leinwand meisterhaft festgehalten, Fotografien täuschen ähnlich.   
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The talents of Lettische Malerin painter Agate Apkalne’s have been appreciated in Latvia as well as admired by many in Western Europe. Agate has developed increasingly symbolic narratives and semantically polyvalent images over time.Regardless of the popularity earned with an earlier series of refined, masterful figural paintings, the artist has dared to change the subject, discovering deeper symbols in a nuanced observation of nature. This series of paintings demonstrates the majestic power of nature and the Universe in a laconic style, using a monochrome range of tones as well as wittily presented global ideas embodied in symbolic everyday objects.

Paintings are derived from the reality of nature down to the smallest details. Meticulously depicted mountains, the starry sky or the pattern of an old oak tree branches relaxes the viewer in a meditative manner, allowing one to delve deep into their Soul or yield to the artist’s call to further explore her ideas about the Soul’s and humankind’s place in the world. In this exhibition, the artist deals with the idea of the Soul as a manifestation of the cosmic energy and an indispensable part of nature locked in a perpetual interaction. The emphasis is on everyone connected with everyone else, nobody existing without the other, and thus the future reality emerging out of such interaction.In one of the main works in this series, titled Tree of Soul, the artist represents her Soul as a symbolic tree and paints the signs of mutual interactions in a meticulous, transcript-like way. The work was created in the elaborate drybrush technique, painting daily over the course of two years regardless of how tumultuous or calm the day’s emotions and events may have been. The tree, resembling the Soul or the human life, is akin to an incessant totality of interactions, with each person encountered leaving their mark or each storm changing the foliage and branch pattern. Similar to a tree growing in its own precise developmental rhythm, weathering the seasons and the elements, the human Soul also has its developmental path, with the people encountered leaving precise imprints right in the places necessary for advancement of the Soul. The enlarged tree bark texture looks like a close-up of an elderly person’s skin. Like a map of the Soul of someone who has experienced countless events, leaving their marks on that person’s Soul and face.Each star of the painting Gallery of the Universe has been placed on the canvas with the idea of representing one Soul interacting with another. There are so many of them that one may first see just a chaotic totality of stars, but each star nevertheless has its exact place in this precise Universe. The distance and form of the second star has been precisely calculated. Therefore, the artist accentuates the idea of human life not being a matter of chance.

Especially significant is the story of how the painting titled The Comet was created. This work was begun very quickly without previous planning, very early in a day when someone living faded away like a comet forever, remaining permanently on the canvas. This painting demonstrates that we are only prepared for everything if the signs are noticed. The artist identifies herself as a locator whose consciousness has reached the level of certain frequencies, also technically able to materialise the received information on the canvas. For this reason the artist does not sign her paintings.

An uncommon subject for the painter is seen in the painting System’s Framework, symbolically and cleverly depicting the collapse of the old system, as if precisely predicting the consequences of the global pandemic. The work was created shortly before the pandemic began and the rational long-term plans broke down. This is a beginning for the necessary change in one’s mental framework to enable them to think outside the “system’s framework”.

Each painting and object of the series has its own particular meaning and a fascinating story of origin, making this series a visual diary of the artist’s Soul. The exhibition for Agate is a way of paying homage to her roots, as the artist has devoted much time to this project, and time is the most precious gift we have.Agate is an electrical charge, like a meteorite full of cosmic energy willing to touch down and transmit the received information. This exhibition is one form of a touch-down.

This exhibition is very personal. Apparently laconic, reserved, precise and witty; at a closer look – symbolic, mythical and deeply intuitive. Like the artist herself. 

Zane Reķe, Riga