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PUBLIC PROGRAMME 2025
10 – 13 July
The Riga Contemporary public programme provides a platform for critical dialogue, bringing together artists, curators, art market experts, and leading voices of the international art scene. Through a series of talks and presentations, participants will explore the key trends and urgent questions shaping contemporary art today. All sessions are free to attend for Riga Contemporary visitors and invited guests.
Public Programme is supported by SORAINEN
11 July
13:00-13:40
THE ROLE OF GALLERIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY: BRIDGING LOCAL AND GLOBAL
Moderator
Jeffrey Rosen
Co-director of Misako & Rosen gallery, Tokyo
Speakers
Indriķis Ģelzis
Artist, Riga
Olga Temnikova
Founder of Temnikova & Kasela gallery, Tallin
Markus von Platen
Artist and Co-director of Simian, Copenhagen
Toke Flyvholm
Artist and Co-director of Simian, Copenhagen
13:50-14:20
INSTITUTIONAL POWER AND THE ARTIST'S VOICE
Moderator
Valentinas Klimašauskas
Director of CAC, Vilnius
Speakers
Maija Kurševa
Artist, Riga
Itha O'Neill
Head of Curatorial, Amos Rex, Finland
Michal Novotný
Director of the Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art at National Gallery Prague
14:30-15:00
STRATEGIES FOR EMERGING COLLECTORS
Moderator
Juste Jonutytė
Curator, Art Advisor, Vilnius
Speakers
Daiva Lialytė
CEO of Integrity PR, Vilnius
Riivo Anton
Founding Partner, Specialist VC, Tallinn
Jānis Zuzāns
Founder of Zuzeum, Art Collector, Riga
15:10-15:40
THE ART MARKET IN 2025
Presentations
Matilde Tarriello
Senior Account Manager at Artsy, London
Susanna Mancini
Associate Director, Art Advisor at Artscapy, London
Vanessa Vainio
Independent Curator and Art Advisor, London / Helsinki
15:50-16:20
ART IN PUBLIC SPACE – STORIES, IMPACT, COMMUNITIES
Moderator
Ieva Zībārte
Architect and Writer, Riga
Speakers
John Riepenhoff
Director at Green Gallery, Milwaukee
Eric Booker
Associate Curator at Storm King Art Center, NY
Kari Conte
Curator and Writer, NYC
Anna Līva Traumane
Co-director at onlyonly studio, Riga
Harijs Vucens
Co-director at onlyonly studio, Riga
16:30-17:00
CULTURE AS CAPITAL – CAN ART DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH?
Moderator
Zane Čulkstēna
Founder of Kim?, Riga Contemporary, ERDA, Riga
Speakers
Liina Vahtras
Managing Director of e-Residency, Tallin
Fredis Bikovs
Director of Investment and Tourism agency of Riga
Miglė Caporkė
Head of the ArtTech Hub, Vilnius
12 July
13:00-13:30
THE POWER OF CORPORATE ART COLLECTIONS
Moderator
Santa Rubīna
Attorney-at-law at Sorainen, Riga
Speakers
Alexander Lukas Bieri
Curator, The Roche Historical Collection and Archive, Basel
Pierre Guilletde Monthoux
Scientific director of the SSE Art Initiative, Stockholm
Mindaugas Vanagas
Founder of Vanagas group (Citus, Demus Asset Management, Oxygen), Vilnius
Lisa Berensten
Art Collection Coordinator, Vienna Insurance Group, Vienna
13:40-14:10
HOW MUSEUMS COLLECT AND WHY IT MATTERS
Moderator
Astrīda Rogule
Art Historian, Curator of the Contemporary Art Collection at the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga
Speakers
Anna Mustonen
Chief Curator at Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki
Lolita Jablonskiene
Art Historian, Curator, Director of the Lithuanian National Gallery of Art, Vilnius
14:20-14:50
NEW MODELS OF ART PATRONAGE
Moderator
Zane Čulkstēna
Founder of Kim?, Riga Contemporary, ERDA, Riga
Speakers
Vita Liberte
Founder of VV Foundation
Darius Žakaitis
Founder of TechZity an Rupert, Vilnius
Kristaps Urpens
Head of Baltic Private Banking, Citadele, Riga
Martin Kruus
Co-founder of Sunly, Tallinn
15:00-15:30
ART-TECH STARTUPS: TURNING CREATIVE IDEAS INTO BUSINESS
Presentations
Evelīna Gorbačova
Head of Digital Development at FOLLOW.ART, Riga
Tālis Reks
CEO of EO of DreaMR Lab, Lab Manager of the MIT.nano Immersion Lab, Greater Boston
Ernests Kļaviņš
Artist, Riga
15:40-16:10
ART + SCIENCE + AI
Moderator
Jurģis Peters
New Media Artist and Reasercher, Helsinki
Speakers
Jekaterina Novitskova
Artist, Amsterdam
Raitis Šmits
Artist, Founder and Artistic Director of RIXC, Riga
Līga Spunde
Artist, Riga