Opening: April 4, 18:00<\/p>\n
Curated by Kaspars Gro\u0161evs<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kim? Contemporary Art Centre presents J\u0101nis Dzirnieks\u2019 second solo exhibition at the institution, following the artist\u2019s two-month residency at ISCP, New York in the autumn of 2024, as the recipient of the Kim? Residency Award. In New York, small corner stores \u2014 bodegas \u2014 can be found on almost every block. One such store, called Healthy Friends<\/em>, offers sandwiches and fast food that are far from anything actually healthy. Yet the names of these establishments often include words like healthy<\/em>, natural<\/em>, organic<\/em>, and other slogans praising naturalness \u2014 phrases that serve no purpose beyond drawing attention to a product range oversaturated with chemicals. The works in the exhibition include scanned scribbles and watercolor drawings, later digitally enhanced, printed, and then physically modified. These drawings depict various creatures in stages of decay and decomposition, merged with illustrations of refrigeration system optimizations. In a way, the process of decay can be seen as a form of optimization \u2014 much like the creation of these works could be viewed as a kind of self-reprocessing. Optimization, as such, is inevitable in both living and non-living organisms, as well as in economics, politics, sociology, and beyond. The prevailing high level of distrust in bodegas \u2014 from overpriced trivialities to the tastiest snacks \u2014 serves as a fitting metaphor for Dzirnieks’ reflections on themes of technological efficiency and environmental degradation, which are explored within the exhibition through elements of spatial installation and other objects created specifically for the show.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n J\u0101nis Dzirnieks\u2019 (1992) work cuts through the facade of technological efficiency, revealing the unsettling and often sinister forms that emerge from our relentless drive for optimization. By repurposing industrial remnants into thought-provoking installations, Dzirnieks prompts viewers to confront the ecological and societal costs of progress. Solo exhibitions include: Tiled River<\/em>\u00a0at Gallery 427, Riga;\u00a0Flat Tire<\/em>\u00a0at Robert Fruinstraat 56, Rotterdam;\u00a0Gaidot n\u0101kamo min\u016bti<\/em>\u00a0at Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga; and\u00a0Sharp Horizon<\/em>\u00a0at Nemo, Eckernf\u00f6rde. Duo exhibitions include:\u00a0Snowlake Blockbuster<\/em>\u00a0(with Alise Anna Dzirniece) at Extra City, Antwerp. Group exhibitions:\u00a0Soap Opera<\/em>\u00a0at City Surfer Office, Prague;\u00a0Agents of Perception<\/em>\u00a0at Kai Art Center, Tallinn;\u00a0Midnight Sunburn<\/em>\u00a0at Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam; and others.\u00a0He is the recipient of the 2024 Kim? Contemporary Art Centre Residency Award and undertook a residency at ISCP, New York.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" J\u0101nis Dzirnieks solo show Healthy Friends Opening: April 4, 18:00 Curated by Kaspars Gro\u0161evs Kim? Contemporary Art Centre presents J\u0101nis Dzirnieks\u2019 second solo exhibition at the institution, following the artist\u2019s two-month residency at ISCP, New York in the autumn of 2024, as the recipient of the Kim? Residency Award. In New York, small corner […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kim-exhibitions"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n