🎄 Holiday programme from December 1st!
One of the oldest and most fascinating traditions for ringing in the New Year is molybdomancy, an ancient ritual where molten tin is poured into water to reveal shapes and symbols that offer a glimpse of what’s to come. It’s a whimsical practice, where mystery and chance shape our hopes for the year ahead. Before the fun begins, there are a few simple preparations—getting the right tools, setting the mood—and then we let our imaginations roam as we see what the future holds.
This year, Zuzeum invites you to take a moment to slow down, reflect, and prepare for the New Year in your own special way. Inspired by this age-old tradition of wonder and surprise, we’ve crafted a festive plan to help you leave behind the rush and enjoy the season’s simple pleasures. Whether it’s gathering with loved ones to enjoy a classic holiday film, expressing yourself in one of our creative workshops, or sipping a warm drink in our cozy café, we’re here to help you make the most of the holidays.
Come rediscover the magic of the season, embrace the joy of unexpected surprises, and step into the New Year with a sense of peace, creativity, and anticipation.
MOVIE EVENINGS
Following last year’s tradition of Comfort Movies, Team Zuzeum and Kino Kults have once again curated a selection of their favorite films to create the perfect escape for chilly winter evenings.
The movie nights will begin on Thursday, December 12, featuring the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005.).
🎟️ Entrance ticket price is 8 EUR. Tickets can be purchased beforehand on zuzeum.com or at the door.
❄️ December 12 – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005, directed by Tim Burton.
Movie language – English, subtitles in Latvian.
❄️ December 19 – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), directed by Frank Capra.
Movie language – English, subtitles in Latvian and Russian.
🧡 More information and full programme here.
Workshops for teens and adults
The workshops for adults are a warm and friendly escape where you can set aside the hustle of daily life and dive into the simple joy of making something with your hands.
❄️ December 7, 1 pm–3 pm, Postcard to Yourself with Līga Cepurīte
❄️ December 14, 1 pm–3 pm, Gesture of Material with Studio SIJA (Kristiāna Erta and Artūrs Tols)
Led by talented professionals, these sessions are all about exploring, playing with colours, textures, and materials, and discovering creative possibilities. We will take everyday materials and reimagine them in fresh and surprising ways, turning familiar things into something extraordinary.
With art therapist Līga Cepurīte, you will craft beautiful collages using textured papers, colorful images, and other materials to create something uniquely yours. With Studio SIJA architects Kristiāna Erta and Artūrs Tols, you will experiment with plaster to shape stunning three-dimensional objects, starting from your own sketches.
These workshops are more than just creating—they’re about unwinding, finding inspiration, and taking home a feeling of accomplishment and joy that stays with you.
Come join us, try something new, and share this special creative experience!
🎟️ Admission fee – 25 EUR. Limited number of participants – 15. Tickets here.
🗣️ The workshop will be held in Latvian and English
🧡 More information here.
KIDS WORKSHOPS
In anticipation of the most magical holiday of the year, we have prepared several creative activities for the Art Centre’s youngest visitors.
❄️ 1 December, Sunday, 11:15-12:15, lesson for children from 3 to 11 years old – CHRISTMAS CARDS
❄️ 8 December, Sunday, 11:15-12:15, lesson for children from 3 to 11 years old – CHRISTMAS PUPPETS
❄️ 15 December, Sunday, 11:15-12:15, lesson for children from 3 to 11 years old – PLAY DOUGH
❄️ 22 December, Sunday, 11:15-12:15, lesson for children from 3 to 11 years old – MASK
⏳ Each workshop duration is 1 hour.
🎟️ Admission fee – 16 EUR. Tickets must be purchased online at Zuzeum.com.
🧡 More information here.
SHOP
During Zuzeum opening hour
This holiday season, the Zuzeum bookshop will offer a thoughtful selection of books on art, culture, architecture, and rare editions, alongside children’s books, affordable art prints, posters, Christmas cards, home decor, cookbooks, and apparel. Among the highlights are works by artists Sergey Dyomin, Roberts Rūrāns, Aleksandrs Breže, Elizabete Džeina, Kristīna Minalto, photographer Ansis Starks and ceramist Pavla Tokare, object designers from Home Ground, fashion designer Žanete Skarule whose creations add a unique and inspiring touch to our collection. With prices ranging from just a few euros up to around 100 euros, visitors are invited to slow down and savour books, artwork, and the beauty of art in printed form.
CAFE
During Zuzeum opening hours
Our café has prepared a cozy seasonal winter menu featuring a variety of delightful beverages such as ginger and berry teas, hot cocktails, bourbon cocoa for adults, and the tastiest cocoa for our younger visitors. These drinks are paired with a thoughtful selection of treats, including sugar-free cottage cheese bars, exquisite desserts crafted by M’archers exclusively for Zuzeum, vegan sweets, and the beloved pastries from Kalve coffee roastery.
LIVING ROOM
During Zuzeum opening hours
On the first floor, we’ve refreshed the Zuzāns Collection display to bring a festive holiday spirit, featuring works by artists such as Shuang Li, Skuja Braden, Valetto Aleksandr, Vija Maldupe, Envija and others. It’s the perfect setting to meet friends for a gift exchange, reflect on the past year, and set intentions in a creative atmosphere.
HOLIDAY WINDOW DISPLAY AT GREENHOUSE
Can be viewed from the street, every day
Inspired by this year’s Zuzeum holiday theme — molybdomancy — a festive installation has been created in the Greenhouse. The installation features a unified color palette of silver and orange. The display in the showcase was designed by Zuzeum team designer Roberts Jansons. Through this interplay, the display embodies hope and inspires contemplation, much like New Year’s wishes encouraging fresh perspectives and endless possibilities.
Roberts Jansons about Greenhouse Window Display: “With the exhibited works, I aim to highlight the contrast between materials and textures. The dominant warm orange tone in the space subtly accentuates the cool, industrial nature of the works from the Zuzāns collection.
Selected pieces provoke thoughts about places and the people within them. The cold months in Latvia are characterized by shades of gray — their beauty lies in neutrality, subtlety, and not always being easy to notice. This prompted reflections on what lies behind the neutral masks of each Latvian. It’s no wonder people joke that we are a nation of anonymous poets!”
Roberts is also the creator of the animated holiday tree, which has appeared in holiday communication both on social media and at Zuzeum — a tree seemingly cast from tin.
Jānis Avotiņš (1981, Latvia)
Jānis Avotiņš works in painting, graphic arts and sculpture, creating staffage-like images as forms of generalised ideas. These images are borrowed from forgotten photographs or Soviet-era visual materials. In the eyes of the artist, the actual location and the creation of a narrative are irrelevant, the images are devoid of detail and located in a hazy interdimensionality, outside of a specific time and space.
Uģis Albiņš (1988, Latvia)
Uģis Albiņš works as a 3D artist and designer. He is inspired by domestic and industrial aesthetics, focusing on issues of design and form. For his conceptual solutions, the artist explores techniques used in the engineering and design industry, giving aesthetic value to objects of an industrial nature.
Artis Nīmanis (1978, Latvia)
Among Latvian glass artists, Artis Nīmanis stands out for experimenting with the latest technologies in glass blowing. His exquisitely pure works are created using a technologically complex method – a layer of stainless steel or titanium is embedded into the surface of the glass, giving it a mirror effect.
Līva Rutmane-Kalniņa (1984, Latvia)
Graphic artist Līva Rutmane-Kalniņa creates large-scale drawings, as well as plastic objects, and also works in the field of graphic design. She works in the experimental artists’ association “Klīga” with Klāvs Upacieris and Inga Ģibietis. Together with Didzis Kalniņš, she has created the bohemian cultural space, bookstore-café “Bolderāja” on Avotu Street, Riga.
Pay attention to the opening hours of Zuzeum!
Zuzeum will take a short holiday break and be closed from December 23, 2024, to January 5, 2025. We look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year! 🎄