Latvia’s 10 Contemporary Artists You Should Know — theculturetrip.com

Arguably the best-known representative of Latvian contemporary art, Miervaldis Polis’ rise to fame began in 1974, when he staged an exhibition of hyperrealist paintings in Riga, much to the disdain of the Soviet authorities. His work has remained uncompromising throughout the years, despite his nickname as the national court painter (stemming from his portraits of Latvia’s leaders); in painting, he has re-interpreted the great masters with his signature satirical touch; in performance, he has provoked and fascinated the public, most notably with his never-forgotten ‘Bronze Man’ (1987), a piece of public theatre where Polis walked around Riga, painted bronze, attracting a great deal of attention in a country that was, back then, under Soviet occupation. Ironically, the performance represented man’s longing for glory, and glorification.

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