Ieva Epnere

Ieva Epnere is an internationally renowned multimedia artist working mainly with photography and video. Her work often addresses questions relating to human memory and nostalgic views of the past, adding a certain metaphorical radiance to her documentary and sometimes anthropological approach.

The photo series “Riga Circus“ is one of Epnere’s early works. The artist has conjured up a story about a disappearing world where tradition and the handing down of skills were highly regarded. Epnere is fascinated by the alienated, parallel world of the Riga Circus, hidden in plain sight in the city centre. In her interpretation, the portraits of circus performers lack the strangeness and magic found in photographs by Robert Doisneau or Sarah Moon, for example. Rather, they are exhausted by the daily routine and a sense of abandonment, which prophetically tied in with the ultimate fate of Riga Circus. The legendary circus was closed in 2016, and Epnere’s photographic series gained a dramatic finale. In 2021, this photo series inspired a new video work by Epnere in the exhibition “The Circus under the Dome“, in which the artist collaborated with actress Guna Zariņa and poet Kirils Ēcis to reflect on creative freedom and existential issues. 

10 black and white photographs from the series “Riga Circus“. 2004–2008.