Ivars Drulle

Ivars Drulle stands out in the context of Latvian art, as his sculptures reflect on the collective experience of society and recent history, seeking to understand current socio-political problems in society. Avoiding self-serving provocations, the artist poses disturbing, sometimes impolite yet vital questions. The main subject of Drulle’s works is the individual and the consequences of his actions, and the span of human nature from the sacral to the beastly. The artist’s heroes long for love and search for ideals, but they don’t always know where these searches will lead them.  

 The installation “The Folk Song Cabinet” is a folkloric version of modern Latvia, which describes today’s time and people. Behind the doors of the cabinet and the dark curtain lie the archival relics of our contemporary folklore and search for human identity – the prisoner’s songs of the former speaker of parliament, a melancholic cult gathering on a Sunday afternoon and the colourful fantasies of dating site profiles.

The Folk Song Cabinet. 2013.