Jarmarka 2014

Although this event - an exhibition of student works, an art fair, and a charity initiative, ЯRMARKA - has taken place every December since 2003, we only discovered it this year, or rather, only made it to it this year.

When we arrived in the afternoon, the hall of the Latvian Academy of Arts on the second floor was full of visitors. So interest is high. Many were eagerly leafing through and picking up small-format paintings and drawings, which were both framed and simply stacked in piles or arranged in boxes of various sizes. The works displayed on the walls, well lit and easy to survey, seemed to be perceived more as exhibition components as such.

Besides paintings, prints, and drawings (from EUR 38 to EUR 600), it was also possible to purchase various jewellery, which in terms of price was superior (starting from EUR 18 upwards) to the earrings, necklaces, and brooches found at home-producers' markets. Payment for purchases could only be made in cash at the till placed in the centre of the room. But card holders had no cause for worry if they hadn't brought enough cash - a Citadele Bank ATM was available on the ground floor for withdrawing the necessary sum.

Having done a couple of rounds and handled a few works by emerging artists, we left - unfortunately nothing really spoke to us. Alas, no mountains, no penguins, no views of Riga's neighbourhoods, nor any surprising technique. Quite a lot of the commercially popular little cats, horses, and views of Venice. We wondered: perhaps the best and most vibrant works had already found their owners in the very first days of the fair?

This year one can still make it to ЯRMARKA tomorrow, 30 December, until 20:00.