Rūdolf Štamer's Contemporary Art Exhibition “Voices in my Heads” Opens at TUR_telpa On June 1st, 2023

On June 1st at 18:00, contemporary art space TUR_telpa, in Tallinas ielas Kvartāls, will open their first exhibition in the series “Monumental Encounters.” In “Voices in my Heads,” Rūdolfs Štamers work will engulf the entirety of the space at TUR_telpa and present collaborations between him and several other artists.

Rudolf Štamers is both an artist and organizer of art events. For his latest exhibition, “Voices in my Heads,” he brings together both of these pursuits in an installation that will envelop the entirety of the space at TUR_telpa. Large scale sculptural paintings made of repurposed advertising banners will extend from corner to corner, up and down across the exhibition space and the 5x5x5 meter cube situated in its center. In an organized chaos, sculptural objects, made of wood, metal and found objects, will accentuate the banners where blacks, whites and silvers are overlaid and mixed in fearless explorations of the medium. Štamers intensifies the installation even more by inviting artists Sabine Vernere, Uģis Albiņš and OFF ME ON (Diana Payton) to intervene with work of their own. Vernere will integrate her work in that of Štamers' based on shared themes of human desire and unchanging nature. Albiņš will intervene with CNC cut elements. Payton has created sound which will compliment the visual elements of the installation. As OFF ME ON, she will also take over the installation with a performance during the opening of the exhibition. Finally, Štamers considers the visitor's presence to be an essential element that completes the installation.

The voices in Štamer's heads are a reference to the dual influences he faces in his life. On the one hand, the inspirational impact of his peers, other artists and the materials he encounters. On the other hand, the darker and more sinister influence of his negative thoughts caused by personal artistic crises exacerbated by the depressing global events of the times in which we live. From these elements his expression manifests and it is what motivates the importance of contemporaries contributing to the final installation, the “voices in his heads.”

About the artist:

Riga born artist Rūdolfs Štamers currently lives and works mainly in Paris, France but maintains strong ties to his home city. He is, along with Uldis Trapencieris, one of the founders of TUR_telpa and still a driving force behind its continued success. He is a graduate of the Art Academy of Latvia (LMA) and holds a masters in sculpture from the Royal Academy of Fine arts in Antwerp, Belgium. 

Although in his works he likes to use industrial and raw materials, his themes are often fragile and sensitive. Štamers works with the space between the real and the dream world, using states of mind as instruments. He reflects on the unconscious sensations invoked when encountering lust, fear, amazement etc. His installations, revolving around lust, love and unattainable desires, are often based in fictional scenarios and absurd situations. Emotions and mental states are juxtaposed through the use of  construction materials from home depot stores mixed with composite materials, paint and found object elements.

About the TUR_telpa:

TUR_telpa is an independent art space that values experimentation and process-based art. Since 2020, TUR_telpa has become an important contemporary art space in Riga, organizing contemporary art exhibitions as well as concerts, performances and poetry readings. Three of the exhibitions have been nominated for the Purvītis Prize, most recently “Lapa uz lapas” by Maija Kurševa from April this year. The other nominated exhibitions were "O" by Sabine Verners who is also contributing to this coming show, and Kristine Krause-Slucka's solo exhibition "Forced Movements of the Past." 

The three exhibitions of the summer series “Monumental Encounters” are curated by Dutch artist Edd Schouten in close collaboration with the artists and team at TUR_telpa. The space is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday, from 17:00 to 22:00. The exhibition runs from 1 June till 1 July.

TUR_telpa is a non-profit art initiative supported by the Latvian State Culture Capital Foundation. For the latest news and events, please follow  TUR_telpa's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tur_telpa/) and/or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/turtelpa)