The Swedish Ambassador to Latvia, Ms Karin Hőglund, recently hosted an online broadcast from the photo exhibition “Icons – an Exhibition about the Right to Exist”, which opened in early December in Rietumu Gallery.
The exhibition, organised by the Swedish Embassy in Latvia, presents exhibits from the collection of one of the best photo museums in the world – the Fotografiska Museum in Stockholm. This exposition not only attracts attention for its high artistic level: by means of the art of photography, it raises and reflects an important philosophical and moral issue of our modern society – how to live for those who were born different, not like most of its members.
In her address, the Swedish Ambassador to Latvia, Ms Karin Hőglund, thanked everyone who had helped in organising the exhibition, as well as its main characters – the people captured in the photographs.
“This exhibition is about the right to exist, about the fact that every and each life is real. The exhibition puts a focus on these characters, letting them speak for themselves, being in roles where they are visible and heard and can be more included in our societies – in Latvia, as well as in Sweden,” said Ms Hőglund.
The photographs present scenes from the performances of the Swedish theatre Glada Hudik, where, along with professional actors, people with innate psychophysical features and deviations from the generally accepted norm are involved.
The authors of the works present their characters in various stage images, behind which we see real living people – with their desires, experiences and feelings.
Unfortunately, due to anti-Covid restrictions in force in Latvia, the exhibition cannot be viewed in person. Its online broadcast is available on the internet, which can be viewed here.
