Mara Lace, the director of the Latvian National Museum of Art, has been leading the museum for 25 years, has worked there for a total of 52 years, and next Monday will be her last day in the position of director.
The program "900 Seconds" (TV3) reflected on her work and also discussed a particularly relevant topic now — the connection between culture and politics.
She confirms that art, culture, and sports are drawn into confrontations and politics. Mara Lace is a member of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture, and the meeting addressed Latvia's participation in the Venice Biennale, which is also attended by the aggressor state, Russia.
According to the director of the art museum, Minister of Culture Agnese Lace managed to quickly achieve a unified condemnation from European countries.
"Yes, many said — but what next?" acknowledges Mara Lace. She notes that the formulation from the Latvian side did not foresee withdrawal from the Venice Biennale, as no other country, including neighboring ones, took such a step.
"If we had implemented this, we would have been the only small country not participating. And then the question arises — how do we exit and how do we return? By what criteria and principles would we remain when we would say: 'Hey, we need to come back,'" says Mara Lace.
"The influence of Russia's 'soft power' is enormous. It is enormous in Europe and around the world and, of course, has always been present in Latvia. Therefore, this needs to be considered. Yes, now there will be a question — how will the Latvian pavilion once again emphasize this attention. But I would like to say that our participation is marked by an internal spirit of resistance."
Leave a comment