Announcing artist list and theme

Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA), a major new biennial in Riga, Latvia, is pleased to announce the artists who will participate in the first edition. Entitled Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More, the chief curator of RIBOCA1 Katerina Gregos, who has been instrumental in setting up the biennial alongside founder and commissioner Agniya Mirgorodskaya. 

A total of 99 artists including 10 collectives will be participating in the biennial. Almost one-third of the participating artists are from the Baltic states. During the biennial 114 works—including 49 new commissions—will be shown in nine different venues across Riga. There will also be 10 outdoor installations and site-specific interventions in various locations around the city. Many of the participating artists will present more than one work, appearing in several of the venues, thus providing an opportunity for visitors to gain a more in-depth insight into their practice.

Participating artists

ASI* (The Agency of Singular Investigations), Russia (founded 2014) / Alexis Blake, USA/Netherlands (b. 1981) / Alexis Destoop, Belgium/Australia (b. 1971) / Adrián Villar Rojas, Argentina (b. 1980) / Andrejs Strokins*, Latvia (b. 1984) / Andris Eglītis*, Latvia (b. 1981) / Annaïk-Lou Pitteloud, Switzerland/Belgium (b. 1980) / Anne Duk Hee Jordan, Korea/Germany (b. 1978) / Ariane Loze*, Belgium (b. 1988) / Aslan Gaisumov, Chechnya, Russia (b. 1991) / Augustas Serapinas*, Lithuania (b. 1990) / Clemens von Wedemeyer*, Germany (b. 1974) / Danilo Correale, Italy/USA (b. 1982) / Diana Lelonek, Poland (b. 1988) / Diāna Tamane*, Latvia/Belgium (b. 1986) / Emilija Škarnulytė, Lithuania/Germany (b. 1987) / Erik Kessels*, Netherlands (b. 1966) / Ēriks Apaļais, Latvia (b. 1981) / Eve Kiiler, Estonia, (b. 1960) / Femke Herregraven*, Netherlands (b. 1982) / Fernando Sánchez Castillo, Spain (b. 1970) / Han Hoogerbrugge, Netherlands (b. 1963) / Hannah Anbert*, Denmark (b. 1984) / Hans Rosenström*, Finland (b. 1978) / Henrike Naumann*, Germany (b. 1984) / IC-98, Finland (founded 1998) / Ieva Balode, Latvia (b. 1987) / Ieva Epnere*, Latvia (b. 1977) / Indrė Šerpytytė*, Lithuania/UK (b. 1983) / Ivar Veermäe, Estonia/Germany (b. 1982) / Jacob Kirkegaard, Denmark (b. 1975) / James Beckett, Zimbabwe/Netherlands (b. 1977) / Jani Ruscica, Finland (b. 1978) / Johanna Gustafsson-Fürst, Sweden (b. 1973) / Johannes Heldén, Sweden (b. 1978) & Håkan Jonson, Sweden (b. 1978) / Jonas Mekas, Lithuania/USA (b. 1922) / Julian Charrière, Switzerland/Germany (b. 1987) / Julian Rosefeldt, Germany (b. 1965) / Julijonas Urbonas, Lithuania (b. 1981) / Karel Koplimets*, Estonia (b. 1986) / Katarzyna Przezwańska, Poland (b. 1984) / Katrīna Neiburga*, Latvia (b. 1978) / Kerstin Hamilton*, Sweden (b. 1978) / Kristaps Epners*, Latvia (b. 1976) / Kustaa Saksi, Netherlands (b. 1975) / Liina Siib*, Estonia (b. 1963) / Lynn Hershman-Leeson, USA (b. 1941) / Maarten Vanden Eynde*, Belgium (b. 1977) / Marco Montiel-Soto, Venezuela/Germany (b. 1976) / Marge Monko*, Estonia (b. 1976) / Marina Pinsky*, Russia/Belgium (b. 1986) / Marisa Benjamim, Portugal/Germany (b. 1981) / Mark Dion*, USA (b. 1961) / Maryam Jafri, Pakistan/USA (b. 1972) / Melanie Bonajo, Netherlands, (b. 1978) / Michael Landy*, UK (b. 1963) / Michael Sailstorfer*, Germany (b. 1979) / Minna Rainio & Mark Roberts, Finland/UK (b. 1974, b. 1970) / Nabil Boutros, Egypt/France (1954) / Nedko Solakov*, Bulgaria (b. 1957) / Nicolas Kozakis, Greece/Belgium (b. 1967) & Raoul Vaneigem, Belgium (b. 1934) / Nikos Navridis*, Greece (b. 1958) / Oswaldo Maciá*, Colombia/UK (b. 1960) / Orbita, Latvia (founded 1999) / Paulis Liepa*, Latvia (b. 1978) / Petra Bauer, Sweden (b. 1970) & Rebecka Katz-Thor*, Sweden (b. 1982) / Robert Kuśmirowski*, Poland (b. 1973) / Sandra Kosorotova*, Estonia (b. 1984) / Sasha Huber, Switzerland/Finland (b. 1975) & Petri Saarikko*, Finland (b. 1973) / Saskia Holmkvist*, Sweden (b. 1971) / Sissel Tolaas*, Norway/Germany (b. 1963) / Sputnik photos*, Poland/Slovakia/Belarus (founded 2006 in Poland) / Stelios Faitakis*, Greece (b. 1976) / Stine-Marie Jacobsen*, Denmark (b. 1977) / Sven Johne, Germany (b. 1976) / Taus Makhacheva*, Dagestan, Russia (b. 1983) / Teemu Korpela*, Finland (b. 1980) / Tilman Wendland*, Germany (b. 1969) / Tobias Zielony*, Germany (b. 1973) / Trevor Paglen, USA (b. 1974) / Valio Tchenkov*, Bulgaria/Germany (b. 1966) / Vladimir Svetlov, Latvia (b. 1973) / Viron Erol Vert*, Turkey/Germany (b. 1975) / Jevgeni Zolotko*, Estonia (b. 1983) / Žilvinas Landzbergas*, Lithuania (b. 1979)

*An asterisk denotes a new commission

The title of the first edition of RIBOCA, Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More, is borrowed from the book of the same name written by Alexei Yurchak, an anthropologist at UC Berkeley. The book references the paradox of sudden but expected social and political change as it occurred in the Soviet Union. Taking the title of Yurchak’s book as a metaphor for the present moment of accelerated transitions, the exhibition will reflect on the process of change and how this is registered, anticipated, experienced, grasped, assimilated and dealt with at a time of rapid transformations. 

The full list of artists will be announced by April 6, artists participating in the public programme and making performances will be announced at later date.

RIBOCA1: June 2–October 28, 2018
Press and professional preview: Thursday, May 31–Saturday, June 2, 2018 

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