The artwork by the world-famous Latvian dancer Vija Vētra. In July 2006, V. Vētra’s exhibition Blooming was opened in the Naïve Art Museum on Andrejsala.

Opening of the Exhibition of Works by Vija Vētra

On 26 July, Mr Dzintars Zilgalvis, head of the association running the Culture and Art project Noass opened the exhibition Blooming by a popular Latvian dancer Vija Vētra in the Latvian Naïve Art Museum (the Customs Building, Andrejsala). The exhibition was organized in cooperation with SIA Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums and Film Studio Deviņi.

The artist Pēteris Sidars had made an unconventional layout of the exhibition vernissage and it was visited by many. Vija Vētra used felt-tip pens and acryl colors to create her images on the reverse side of various items and food packages. Certain paintings were laminated and looked just like colourful serpentine-shaped tape, which was dancing a thrilling rhythmical dance. This way of exhibiting her works even more emphasized the geometric nature of paintings by Vija Vētra, as the layout of package cardboard enables to create symmetrical compositions, that is why regular motives dominate in her works. As Vija Vētra was presenting her speech at the opening, she emphasized that the most essential aspect for her had been to paint various deities, spirits of nature and angels, which/who bless and symbolize the internal blooming.

One may say that small works were like abstract dramas revealing the thinking of the author –searcher. All paintings by Vija Vētra are a distinctive, but subconscious synthesis of traditions and the world’s experience with various “echoes” from totem and natural force worshipping, mythologies of various peoples and the real authentic everyday life. The artist emphasized that in the process of creating those works, she played in a serious way, just the way a child did, with various materials, colours and many other things. She considered that the greatest art is that of play, so she contoured faces in pebble she had found in Greece, or created decorated paper or tree branch “mobiles” – mobile installations that come to life with every breath of air.

Vija Vētra is convinced that these works of hers represent harmony, concord and desire to create valuable artistic works free from various stylistic limitations imposed by a specific school.

In the beginning, painting for V. Vētra was just a charming way to entertain herself, so that she was busy with an activity. She had painted with a Chinese paintbrush in watercolors on rice paper, but later she started to paint with felt-tip pens and acryl colors.

In recent years, this occupation has found its due place in the artist’s daily life, as she is fascinated by the possibility to combine with a line the emotional joy of creating and an intellectual message. Of course, also in order to get closer to her only deity – genuine creation. V. Vētra emphasized that to her, the most essential thing is to depict the relationship between the regular and irregular, tonal and atonal.