Recent photographs
April 14 - May 14, 2005
Thursday-Friday, 12.00-18.00; Saturday 12.00-16.00
Opening: Wednesday April 13, 18.00-20.30
PRESS - Sunday Times
PRESS - The Art Newspaper
Arnis Balcus is a young Latvian photographer whose off-kilter images of extreme intimacy illuminate, in touching and sometimes whimsical detail, the social and sexual life of pan-European youth.
Casually posed (if posed is not too ambitious a word) portraits, still-lifes, and above all images of sex, are shot as it were 'from the hip'. They explore, analyse and celebrate the "snapshot culture" which, as the critic Hanno Soans has pointed out, is now a part of urban communications.
And yet they transcend not only any element of seediness but also the formal limitations of the snapshot. They are gorgeous essays in form, light and colour that refer back to photographic verities established by the great masters of the twentieth century.
This is not to say that Balcus's work is unproblematic. Is narcissism a problem? Well, at at least it's self-mocking and not the "pathetic sincerity" of Tracy Emin. Voyeurism? Balanced perhaps by fragile truths about the body, sexuality and the innocence we all share.
The title of the show, Naked, refers not just to the nudity of many of the subjects, but to Balcus's innate rawness of vision.
This is the artist's first exhibition in London.
Matthew Bown Gallery
First floor
11 Savile Row
London
W1S 3PG
t. +44 20 7734 4790
f. +44 20 7734 4791
e. mail@matthewbown.com
Biography
Born in 1978 in Riga, Latvia
Studied at University of Westminster, London (Photographic Studies, MA); University of Latvia, Riga (Communication Studies, BSc)
Solo shows
2005 - Naked, Matthew Bown gallery, London
2004 - Exhibition Hall Arsenals of the State Museum of Art, Riga; Fotogalerie Wien, Vienna
2003 - New Association, chezTGN, New York; Psychological Sexuality, Overgaden, Copenhage; Myself, Friends, Lovers and Others, Giedre Bartelt Gallery, Berlin
2002 - Out and Home, Museum of Photography, Siauliai, Lithuania
1998 - Selbstsucht Macht Frei [colour self-portraits], ASuna Gallery, Riga
1996 - Young People Portraits of Liepaja, club Utt, Liepaja, Latvia
Selected group shows
2005 - Das Land und das Ich, Ausstellungshalle 1a, Frankfurt a.M.
2004 - So weiss wie Schnee, so rot wie Blut, Giedre Bartelt Gallery, Berlin; What is important?, K.Valdemara 3, Riga
2003 - MiteinAnders, Schönbrunnerstrasse 223, Vienna; Adaptation, Rotermann Salt Storage Exhibition Hall, Tallinn
2002 - Sex – social exhibitionism, Railway Museum, Riga; Everything Everyday, Artist’s Project Studio, Vilnius
2001 - Too Close/Too Distant, Stock Exchange Grand Hall, Riga
2000 - Moving Images, The Radiant Light Gallery, Portland Maine, USA; Contemporary Latvian Art Photography, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga; Can You Hear Me? [2nd Ars Baltica Triennal of Photographic Art], Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock [touring to Vilnius, Dresden, Bergen, Espoo]
1999 - Self-portrait of Generation, Gallery Russkoje Pole, Moscow; Can You Hear Me? [2nd Ars Baltica Triennal of Photographic Art], Stadtgalerie am Kulturviertel / Sophienhoff, Kiel *
1997 - Fotokunst aus Lettland, Gallery Station3, Vienna; TJN studios exhibition, Kiek In De Kok, Tallinn
1996 - Moment, club Slepenais eksperiments, Riga; Kill your darlings /Moving Art, Edison theatre, Copenhagen
1994 - TJN studios exhibition, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga
Selected bibliography
Arndt, Melanie “Arnis Balcus on Arnis Balcus”, Plotki, Berlin, Nr 4, 2003
Auzina, Ieva “Arnis Balcus”, Orbita, Riga, 2000
Auzina Ieva “Desire to be Adored”, Ptjuch, Moscow, November, 1999
Bankovskis, Pauls “Everyone’s eyes are red again”, Myself, Friends, Lovers and Others artist’s catalogue, Riga/Berlin, 2003
Cerny, Katherina “Arnis Balcus – Myself, Friends, Lovers and Others”, Eikon, Vienna, Nr.43/44, 2003
Dietz, Camilla Haseriis “Negaiditas simpatijas – Arnis Balcus Danija”, Diena, Riga, 18 august, 2003
Hanselle, Ralf “Arnis Balcus”, Zitty, Berlin, 14 may 2003
Huttner, Per “Report from Riga”, Creative Camera, London, October/November, 1999
Kalnina, Ieva “Arnis Balcus”, Can You Hear Me? catalogue, Oktagon Verlag, 1999
Kalnina, Ieva “Created to be Admired”, Desire to be Adored artist’s book, Riga, 1999
Klavina, Anda “Arnis Balcus”, Flash Art, Milan, October, 2004
Klavina, Anda “Arna Balcus personalizstade Berline”, Diena, Riga, 19 may, 2003
Kyan, Dmitry “O druzjah i lubovnikah”, Foto&Video, Moscow, June, 2002
Peschke, Marc “Das Gedachtnis der Bilder”, Photographie, Essen, November, 2004
Sandbye, Mette “I virkeligheden”, Weekendavisen, Copenhagen, 4 august, 2003
Sutton, Veronica “Arnis Balcus”, Black and White Magazine, Novato (USA), August, 2000
Steimane, Inga “Seksualais cilveks tomer ir maigs”, Forums, Riga, 15 august, 2003
Tifentale, Alise “Alone with/without yourself”, Desire to be Adored artist’s book, Riga, 1999
Tifentale, Alise “Arna Balcus fotografiju izstedes Lietuva”, NRA, Riga, 8 april, 2002
Tifentale, Alise “Dzive bez vizazista un friziera”, Studija, Riga, June/July, 2003
Therond, Eve “Exposition privee sur rendez-vous”, PHOTO (French), Paris, December, 2003
Upleja, Sanita “Balcus fotografijas majas Bruklina”, Diena, 13 november, 2003
Vejs, Vilnis “Having said A says B”, Studija, Riga, Februray/March, 2002
Albums and artist's books
2003 - Myself, Friends, Lovers and Others, 72 pp., ISBN 9984-19-413-2, Riga/Berlin
1999 - Desire to be Adored, self-portraits 1993- 1998, 48 pp., ISBN 9984-19-102-8, Riga
Residences
2003 - Gothenburg, Sweden (by NIFCA)
2002 - Vienna, Austria (by KulturKontakt Austria)
2000 - Kunstlerhaus Schloss Wiepersdorf, Germany
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Left-right Untitled - Siauliai, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm, Edition of 3 Cologne, 2000 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 Anda - Riga, 2001 C-print, 30 x 40 cm, Edition of 3 |
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Left-right Jelgava, 2001 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 Karlis and Peteris - Riga, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Self-portrait with Anda - Vienna, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 |
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Left-right Alina fighting - Siauliai, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Self-portrait - Vienna, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Untitled - Bonn, 2003 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 |
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Left-right Untitled - Riga, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Keta and Krists - Riga, 2003 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Anda crying - Riga, 2004 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 |
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Left-right Untitled - Riga, 2004 C-print, 50 x 70 cm. Edition of 6 Copenhagen, 2001 C-print, 50 x 70 cm. Edition of 6 |
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Left-right Anda in bed - Florence, 2002 C-print, 50 x 70 cm. Edition of 6 Untitled - Riga, 2001 C-print, 70 x 50 cm. Edition of 6 |
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Left-right Self-portrait - Riga, 2002 C-print, 50 x 70 cm. Edition of 6 Untitled # 1, 2003 DVD. Edition of 6 |
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Left-right Untitled - Gothenburg, 2003 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 Self-portrait - Germany, 2000 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Sara - Gothenburg, 2003 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 |
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Left-right Pers and Karlis - Riga, 2004 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 Hamburg, 2000 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Anda on the road - Riga, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 |
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Left-right Anda on the road - Riga, 2002 C-print, 30 x 40 cm. Edition of 3 Alice with cigarette - Riga, 2004 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 Guys kissing - Riga, 2002 C-print, 40 x 30 cm. Edition of 3 |
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Left-right Untitled - Riga, 2002 C-print, 70 x 50 cm. Edition of 6 |
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Left-right Self-portrait with Anda - Riga, 2002 C-print, 70 x 50 cm. Edition of 6 |
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