Spaceship Earth

10.10.–28.12.2025.

The exhibition Spaceship Earth begins with a meeting between two kindred artifacts.

  1. The documentary film Journey to Earth, directed by Uldis Brauns, premiered in late 1977. Its poster was created by artist Ilmārs Blumbergs. Using newsreel footage from seventy-two countries, Brauns invites viewers to see our planet as a spaceship – one that everyone is responsible for improving and protecting.
  2. That same year, the space probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched from Earth. Today, these are the first and only human-made objects to have left the Solar System. In the endless darkness of interstellar space, they carry with them two identical golden records – eclectic playlists of the sounds of our planet, time capsules from the latter half of the 20th century, with an expected lifespan of at least one billion years.

Continuing this interplay, Spaceship Earth will feature over fifty graphic works from the Zuzāns Collection, inviting you to reflect on ways of being in the world – a world that is adapted, transformed, violated and lived. The exhibition includes works by Māris Ārgalis, Ilmārs Blumbergs, Lilija Dinere, Dzidra Ezergaile, Inārs Helmūts, Zenta Logina, Genādijs Suhanovs, Semjons Šegelmans, Nele Zirnīte, etc.

ABOUT THE CURATORS:

Gustavs Grasis carries out his creative practice in the fields of architecture, photography, and design, engaging as a researcher and storyteller. He pays particular attention to developing case studies where, alongside personal narratives, new histories emerge and the interplay between design and the environment is revealed. Gustavs gives public talks and contributes to informal education, collaborating with academic institutions and non-governmental organizations across the Baltic States, and produces written work and photography for regional publications.

Valters Kalsers is a graphic designer and co-founder of Support System studio, he’s working on visual identities, editorial projects, and graphic experiments. He approaches design by investigating existing symbolic notation systems, adapting and reworking them to explore new meanings. Alongside his independent practice, he is a guest lecturer at the Art Academy of Latvia. His recent work investigates connections between Latvian wildlife, post-soviet culture, and collective memory.

Images:

Genādijs Suhanovs. Škila I (Unknown device). 1979.

Ārgalis Māris (artist), Tipogrāfija “Cīņa” (publisher). Poster. Toys for Adults, Ārgalis, 1978, Cēsis. 1979.

Blumbergs Ilmārs, Riga Exemplary Typography (publisher). Affiche. Riga Film Studio’s full-length documentary ‘Journey to Earth’. 1978.

Nele Zirnīte. Tree of Dreams. 1987.