“To describe one another, we [Latvians] often use the epithet ‘grey Latvian.’ This phrase has a negative connotation, suggesting that Latvians are dull, uninteresting, and lacking in personality. Linguistically reminiscent of binomial nomenclature, it almost implies that we are a distinct species, set apart from everyone else.
The project is a reflection of this phenomenon, inviting people to acknowledge and accept it, losing the negative connotation. With an almost mathematical approach, it analyses the typical colour scheme of the Latvian landscape and suggests that our identity can, in fact, be defined by the colour grey. The project aims to present objective arguments substantiating the idea that the colour grey is, in fact, colourful,” the artist comments.
The exhibition comprises 12 schematic paintings that depict the panorama of Riga through time, placing them somewhere between a landscape and a timescape. Each painting consists of 25 horizontal lines, representing the average colour of hourly photographs taken from a public webcam overlooking Riga. By analysing this dataset, the artist has identified a spectrum of 300 subtones that can be used to define the “Latvian Grey.”
However, the artist argues that “this is not a painting show,” as the main objective of the exhibition is not the paintings themselves but rather to identify a version of “the Latvian grey” and reveal the nuanced hues that contribute to its composition.
In addition to the paintings, three silkscreen prints – solid fills of different variations of “grey” – are exhibited to provide further context. These works represent the hourly average colour of the panorama of Riga during sunshine, sunrise, and a double rainbow. These seemingly ‘colourful’ weather events result in a grey average tone, commenting on the idea that the dullness of grey is perceptual, not factual. Knowing that the grey background actually depicts a double rainbow invites a discussion about the richness of chromatic greys.
Additionally, a colour catalogue of all 300 tones visible in the paintings and a can of “Latvian grey” paint are also exhibited.
Acrylic on canvas, inkjet on oak (x12);
107 x 77 cm
Silkscreen (x3);
54 x 39 cm
Digital print;
4 x 20 cm
Waterbased indoor paint, metal;
15 x 10
9. – 16. January 2025
DUM Project Space, Kolodvorska 6, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Photos: Andrej Peunik
With the support of: DUM – Association of Artists, Municipality of Ljubljana, Poligon Institute, AVA – Academy of Visual Arts
Media Links:
Barvitost sive identitete, Dnevnik, 9.1.2025
“Sivi Latvijec, pač!”: Zakaj se siva barva povezuje z latvijsko identiteto?, MMC RTVSLO, 9.1.2025
Svet kulture: Nova razstava Latvijsko siva, Radio Slovenia – ARS, 9.1.2025
Pod okriljem DUM razstava Agate Lielpetere o Latvijcem pripisani sivi barvi, STA, 9.1.2025
Kulturna panorama (35:38 →), Radio Slovenia – ARS, 9.1.2025, 11.1.2025
Kulturni obzornik – Siva je zanimiva, Radio Študent, 17.1.2025
Available upon inquiry – info@agatelielpetere.com