Miks Mitrēvics

Latvia

Winner of the Swedbank Art Award 2008

Miks Mitrēvics (1980) lives and works in Riga. He has graduated from the Latvian Academy of Art, Department of Visual Communication, Master`s degree. Works in the fields of photography, video and multimedia installations.

Miks has participated in more than twenty group exhibitions since 2000, and has had four solo exhibitions. During this year Miks has given a taste on his quality both in local and international art scene, attracting interest of wider art world. The artist has taken part in „Buket” – exhibition of Latvian Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia, in „Time will show”, Flensburg, Germany, in „Is the Medium the Message?”, Riga, Latvia, in „L`art en Europe”, European Contemporary Art, Reims, France, and in „Manifesta 7” – the European Biennial for Contemporary Art, Trentino – South Tirol, Italy.

Miks` works are characterized by using a simple medium, a sensitive visual language and ability to create a powerful atmosphere with minimal means of expression. His works are created, using biographical details and personal, private facts. This allows to produce an intimate atmospere and precise visualisation of the message. Although the works are based on biographical references, they remind us of universal categories. Thus Miks takes notice in the Latvian art scene.

The work for „Swedbank Art Award” exhibition - „Collection of persons” - includes the group of numerous installations. „Although each installation is intended to be a sovereign work to perceive it independently, yet they are all unified by a common concept. Each installation has been created on the basis of a person who has been seen in real life and remains in the mind”, the artist relates. „These persons have been like a creative impulse for their subjective interpretation, which has been materialised in various forms of video, sound and environmental materials”.

The work “Collection of Persons” has been nominated for this year`s newspaper “Diena” Culture award.

Miks has received Artist`s Union of Latvia Awards of the Year for the best multimedial project in 2003 and the newspaper „Diena” Culture award in 2006 for his solo exhibition „Somewhere nearby”.

Helina Hermansone
Latvian jury

Miks Mitrevics

Born 1980 in Latvia
Lives and works in Riga, Latvia
Fields of work: Photography, video, multimedia installations

Education:

1999-2005 MA Visual Communication, Latvian Academy of Art
1998-1999 The Centre for Creative Learning, Dept. of Photo, Riga, Latvia
1992-1999 J. Rozental’s Riga Art School, Latvia

Solo exhibitions:

2007
Collection of Persons, (part of Mobile Museum) Andrejsala, Riga, Latvia

2006  
The Observer, Peterborough Digital Arts gallery, England

2006  
Somewhere nearby, National Art Museum / Creative workshop, Riga, Latvia

2003  
Motel, RIXC Media space, Riga, Latvia

Group exhibitions (selected):

2008  
Is the Medium the Message?, Latvian Contemporary Photography, Andrejsala, Korpusu cehs, Riga, Latvia
Manifesta 7, The European Biennial of Contemporary Art, Trentino – South Tyrol, Italy
L'art en Europe, European Contemporary Art, Domaine Pommery, Reims, France
Buket, National Centre for Contemporary Arts, Moscow, Russia (exh. cat.)
Time Will Show, Museumsberg Flensburg, Flensburg, Germany (exh. cat.)

2007
Moment, fashion, art & music event, Riga, Latvia

2007
Contemporary Art from Latvia, European Central Bank, Frankfurth, Germany
Baltikum part I, Kalmar Art Museum, Sweden

2006  

The Art Disk Magazine, DVD video compilation, US
Forgotten Moments, Project presentation, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Innsbruck, Austria

2005  
Factory of Phantasmagoria, Lodz, Poland
Kristaps luko, The alternative film festival, Riga, Latvia
rainis_2005.lv, The visual interpretation of Rainis's collection of poems
JUKAS, National Art Museum exhibition hall Arsenals, Riga, Latvia (exh. cat.)

2004  
riga line up, Gonemo gallery, Eckernford, Germany
2 show, Contemporary Art Center, Vilnus, Lithuania (exh. cat.)

2003  
Illuminations, Noass gallery, Riga, Latvia
La Riga, Latvian Multimedia Art Exhibition, Milan, Italy

2002  
Autumn, National Art Museum exhibition hall Arsenals, Riga, Latvia
Re-Cycle, Riga, Latvia

2001  
VKN intro, internet project
Find Yourself ! internet project

2000  
ArtGenda 2000, Helsinki, Finland

Awards/Scholarships/Commissions/Grants:

2006 Diena Culture Award, Riga, Latvia

2006 East2East Commission, Peterborough Digital Arts, England

2006 UNESCO-Aschberg Bursary, Residency, Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen, Austria

2004/2005 The Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (Scholarship)
YEAR AWARD 2003, Visual arts (Best multimedia project), Latvia

2003 The Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia (grant)