Essays

Laine Kristberga

Henrihs Vorkals: A window on the world

Not only does Henrihs Vorkals play with your consciousness and sense of perception, writes art historian Laine Kristberga. He also makes you think about the formal values of art and the illusory nature of a painting. [ more ]

Mark Allen Svede

Can Latvia have its own Andy Warhol?

Curator Mark Allen Svede finds that Henrihs Vorkals' recurring fascination with Andy Warhol is manifested not least in his violation of the aesthetics of a Warhol original. The layering of imagery and multiplicity of iconographic registers that ensues is at once enchanting and troubling. [ more ]

About the artist

Henrihs Vorkals was born 1946 in Berzgale Village, Rezekne District, Latvia. He works in several different materials and artistic fields, including watercolour, drawing, poster, textile art, painting, graphic and interior design.

Education

1967-1972 Textile Department, Latvian Academy of Art
1960-1965 Riga Secondary School of Applied Arts
Since 1975 Member of the Artists' Union of Latvia
Since 1965 Participates in exhibitions

Awards

2003 Prize of the Year awarded by the Artists' Union of Latvia in the category "Solo exhibition at a gallery in Latvia", Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1992 Diploma for the best achievements in watercolour at the World-Wide Exhibition of Latvian Artists' Works, Sydney, Australia
1978 Prize of the Artists' Union of Latvia for the best gobelin "Brotze's Motifs" at Textile Art Exhibition at St. Peter's Church, Riga, Latvia

Selected solo exhibitions

2005 It's Andy Warhol, Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
2004 Dedication, Ivonna Veiherte Gallery, Riga, Latvia
2003 Born in America, Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia**
2001 Pop Art is Dead (together with Juris Putrams and Vilnis Putrams), Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1999 You can't always get what you want, Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1995 Paintings, Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1995 Artists' Union of Latvia Gallery (together with Atis Prieditis), Riga, Latvia **
1994 Madona Museum of Local Studies and Art, Latvia
1993 Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1992 Gallery Kolonna, Riga, Latvia
1980 Republican House of Knowledge, Riga, Latvia**
1978 Bauska Museum of Local Studies and Art, Bauska, Latvia
1976 Republican House of Knowledge, Riga, Latvia**
Artists' House, Kaunas, Lithuania
1974 Salon Maksla, Riga, Latvia

Selected group exhibitions

2006 Riga Gallery project The Power of the Body at the 10th International Art Fair Art Moscow
2006 Central Artists' House, Moscow, Russia*
2006 The Power of the Body, Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
2006 Art on Paper, Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
2005 Paintings exhibition of Polish artists in Latvia, Gallery Polish House, Krakow, Poland*
2002 International Poster Biennial, Poster Museum in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland*
2000 International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Kaliningrad, Russia*
1999 Watercolour 1957-1997, Art Museum Arsenals, Riga, Latvia
1998 Latvian Art in Catalonia, Gallery La Casa Elizade, Barcelona, Spain
1997 Andris Breze, Juris Putrams, Ojars Petersons, Henrihs Vorkals, Art Museum Arsenals, Riga, Latvia
1997 Informal Art Exhibition - 12 (together with Aija Zarina, Ojars Petersons, Martins Ratniks, Renars Krumins, Inga Briede, Dace Liela, Liga Purmale, Miervaldis Polis, Peteris Kalnins, Juris Putrams, Andris Breze), Artists' Union of Latvia Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1996 17th Latvian Watercolour Exhibition, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia
1996 Autumn 96, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia
1996 Watercolours, Riga Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1996 The Baltic States. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, UNESCO Exhibition Hall, Paris, France*
1996 Art. Music. Furniture, Artists' Union of Latvia Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1995 16th Latvian Watercolour Exhibition, Artists' Union of Latvia Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1994 15th Latvian Watercolour Exhibition, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia
1994 Latvian Art Exhibition, Ålborg Artists' Union Exhibition Hall, Ålborg, Denmark
1992 All-Latvian Art Exhibition, Sydney, Australia
1992 13th Republican Watercolour Exhibition, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia
1992 Riga Gallery (together with Rita Bogustova and Romualds Geikins), Riga, Latvia
1991 Exhibition of Latvian and German Art, Zilte, Germany
1990 Autumn 90 - graphic arts, Artists' House, Riga, Latvia
1989 Baltic Way, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia*
1987 Andris Breze, Juris Putrams, Ojars Petersons, Henrihs Vorkals, Museum of Foreign Art, Riga, Latvia*
1984 Art of the Soviet Latvia, Central Artists' House, Moscow, USSR *
1983 7th All-Soviet Union Watercolour Exhibition, Moscow, USSR
1983 Autumn 83, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia
1983 Art of the Soviet Latvia, Artists' Union Central Exhibition Hall, Leningrad, USSR*
1981 Exhibition of the Soviet Latvian watercolours in Gorky, USSR
1981 6th All-Soviet Union Watercolour Exhibition, Moscow, USSR
1978 Textile Art Exhibition, St. Peter's Church, Riga, Latvia
1978 Exhibition of the Soviet Latvian watercolours, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
1978 Exhibition of the Soviet Latvian painting and watercolours, Ruse, Bulgaria
1977 Baltic Watercolour Triennial, State Museum of Art, Riga, Latvia
1975 4th All-Soviet Union Watercolour Exhibition, Minsk, Belarus
1972 Space. Colour. Form, Riga Stock Exchange, Riga, Latvia
1972 9th Republican Exhibition of Young Artists' Works, Foreign Art Museum; Republican Science and Technology Information and Propaganda Institute Exhibition Hall, Riga, Latvia*
1971 Republican House of Knowledge (together with Janis Borgs, Laimonis Senbergs, Arvids Priedite, Atis Ievins), Riga, Latvia

Graphic design

Newspapers Labrit, Literatura un Maksla Latvija, Opera, Literaturas Avize
Posters for Art Days in Latvia (1995, 1996, 1997)
Logo "Latvia in EU"
The coin "Lats" dedicated to the 50th anniversary of UN issued by the Bank of Latvia (1995)
Coins for the Sydney Olympic Games "Sydney 2000" (1999), FIFA World Cup (2004), Torino Winter Olympic Games "Torino 2006" (2005), 1 Lat (2006)

Interior design

Painted interiors in Cesis District Ridzene Experimental Station Office (1979)
Painted interiors in "Lido Recreation Centre" in Riga, Krasta Street 76, Kengaraga Street 3

Other professional activities

Chief designer of the Metallurgy Pavilion at the All-Soviet Union Exhibition of Economic Achievements (1982-1990)
Artistic editor of the journal Arhitektura. Celtnieciba. Dizains (1978-1979), newspapers Neatkariga Rita Avize (1998-1999), Jauna Avize and Literatura.Maksla.Mes.
Published articles on Latvian art during the 1990s in Literatura.Maksla.Mes., Literatura un Maksla Latvija and Neatkariga Rita Avize

Curator of exhibitions

1997 Informal Art Exhibition - 12, Artists' Union of Latvia Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1996 17th Latvian Watercolour Exhibition, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia
1995 16th Latvian Watercolour Exhibition, Artists' Union of Latvia Gallery, Riga, Latvia
1994 15th Latvian Watercolour Exhibition, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia
1989 Baltic Way, Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga, Latvia*

Works in public collections

Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga, Latvia
Artists' Union of Latvia Museum, Riga, Latvia
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Riga, Latvia
Cesis History and Art Museum, Cesis, Latvia
Madona Museum of Local Studies and Art, Madona, Latvia
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia
Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey, USA

* Catalogue
** Booklet

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Published 2013-01-28

Original in English
Contributed by Studija
© Henrihs Vorkals / Studija
© Eurozine