Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art to use empty exhibition space for an arthouse film

An art biennale in Riga will use its commissioned work and exhibition space to shoot an arthouse film.

The second edition of the Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (Riboca), called And Suddenly It All Blossoms, was originally set to open in May 2020 in the Latvian capital. When the exhibition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the curatorial team decided to take an unconventional leap and use the artwork to shoot an experimental film set in the exhibition space.

Filmmakers will work to weave the art pieces into a feature film in the Tarkovskian setting of Andrejsala, the former industrial port of Riga where the selected artwork was set to be on display for five months.

Riboca also announced the launch of a public programme of online talks and panels about the film and the need for versatility in the art world.

“And suddenly it all blossoms will be transformed into a movie set, which will be open to the public for three weeks if conditions allow,” Riboca’s curator, Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, said. “The film itself will present a dialogue between finished, unfinished, and absent works. Somewhere between a ruin and a construction site, at the threshold of unknown tomorrows and open possibilities, And Suddenly It All Blossoms acknowledges our situation and the limits of our control.”