Kaspars Teodors Brambergs was born in Latvia in 1974. A graduate from the Fine Arts Department of the Art Academy of Latvia, he has emerged – following a tumultuous career – as a determined creative force. His language borders on the monochromatic, black and white having long been the only colours he explores. When advised to seek more chromatic diversity, Brambergs investigated texture instead, turning to chemistry to find a mixed media balance that would enrich and convey his approach. This led him to use unusual materials, most of them recycled, such as sea sand, linen, gravel, charcoal, dolomite and marble dust, following an increasingly sustainable and environmentally friendly methodology.
Thematically, Brambergs puts considerable emphasis on dialogue: between the artwork and the viewer, of course, but perhaps more so between the works of art themselves. Indeed, he believes a wordless poetry circulates from one piece to another, each new painting inspired, stemming and ‘radiating’ from the last. This conceptualisation of seriality is described by the artist through the Greek word dynamis (see the eponymous exhibition in the floating NOASS gallery), which he finds best captures the communicative power dynamics at play in his work. More recently, it appears that ‘flowability’, as a concept, has overtaken dynamis in terms of series construction and exhibition conception.
In 2008, after the financial crisis forced many painters to favour smaller scale canvases to facilitate sales and remain commercially viable, Brambergs chose monumentality, staying true to his aesthetic needs. His perceived stubbornness has paid off, making him a staple figure of his scene, as his presence at various international exhibitions showcasing the best of Latvian art proves. Whichever facet of Brambergs’s art one focuses on, it is evident the artist is not one for trends. Indeed, he seldom cares about expectations and feedback. As he says, the artist’s relationship with the public and his critics is not based on satisfaction, but on necessary collaboration.
This collaborative impetus is personified by Brambergs’s art. Each creation or exhibition is an invitation, an extended hand leading to new experiences, bridging personal space and that of the show or exhibition. Art creation and art perception are the bases for a conversation which should ideally elevate humankind and its condition on earth.
Such an ambitious programme has helped Brambergs position himself as a central figure of Latvian contemporary art. A two-time nominee for the prestigious Purvītis Award (in 2010 for his exhibition at the D.Fab Gallery and in 2015 for Dynamis), he has enjoyed numerous solo exhibitions. In 2011, he received the Diena Annual Culture Award. Then, in 2019, he launched the Open Studio project, which sees him organise temporary exhibitions in his own studio, inviting the public in.
