From June 11 till July 10, 2022, all graduate works of the Art Academy of Latvia’s (AAL) 2021-2022 academic year will be displayed in both AAL buildings, in Kronvalda bulvaris 4 and Kalpaka bulvaris 13.

The graduate work exhibition “Let It Sprout!” will display the results of more than 180 new and upcoming artists’ creativity. In the context of art in Latvia, this will be a unique opportunity to see artwork from all the different AAL department graduates; it will give the public an insight into the operations, news, and challenges of the Academy and facilitate introducing art enthusiasts and the general public to the works of the new artists.

The exhibition “Let It Sprout!” is displayed in both AAL buildings: the previous Faculty of Biology of the University of Latvia, which is now a wholesome part of the Art Academy, as well as the historical AAL building. United in a way, both buildings are being presented as a unique platform for art events – a space to exhibit artwork, a space for the experiments of new artists, and, of course, education.

The exhibition will be supplemented by several pilot projects – visitors will be welcomed into the premises of AAL’s practical doctoral studies and interdisciplinary art master’s specialization POST, where other works of AAL’s students will be exhibited alongside the graduate works. The graduates of the department of Art History and Theory will also present themselves in a special manner.

During the last few years, due to the circumstances caused by Covid-19 both locally and globally, the process of studying and student activities have been greatly impacted – both in extramural and hybrid environments. Yet the creative, intellectual, and academic spirit has not stopped “sprouting” for a second – it is a process that is essential to every new artist.

The author of the exhibition’s visual identity is the head of the Department of Graphic Design, docent Matīss Zvaigzne, and the authors of the concept “Let It Sprout!” are AAL graphic design students Rimants Šveicars, Kristaps Šulcs, Ričards Znutiņš-Znutāns, Dārta Galiņa, Luīza Jansone, and Ketlīna Priede. The visual identity also incorporates the typeface ‘Genesis Display’ created by graphic design student Alisa Miļuhina.

The exhibition is complemented by the virtual catalogue of graduate works, accessible on the platform virtuaal.lma.lv. Along pictures and videos of the artwork, the catalogue will offer expanded descriptions that will further explain the idea of each artist. Language technology company Tilde will provide the possibility to listen to the descriptions by using “Tilde Voice”, a speech synthesis solution created with the newest artificial intelligence technologies.

The goal of the exhibition is to introduce the visitors to graduate works in different mediums – from painting to audio-visual installations, to begin a dialogue about the current events in art and culture, and to offer the fresh and unrestricted perspective of new artists. The exhibition will allow the artists to directly meet not only art specialists from various fields, but also the general public. Therefore, the young professionals must be creative, open, and brave in order to withstand the reactions of art enthusiasts and the critique that awaits them outside of the Art Academy.

The Graduate exhibition will be open daily from June 11 to July 10, at Kronvalda bulvaris 4 and Kalpaka bulvaris 13, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibition will be closed on June 21–24.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on June 10 at 6 p.m.