Baltic Portraits
2016, photographic prints, text
Interpretation and translation by Kristīne Gundarina
Baltic Portraits is a trilingual project situated at the intersection of the genres of portraiture and landscape that broadly explores the internal dimension of the natural environment in human identity. The project consists of a series of fifty portraits of residents of Liepaja, Latvia standing at the edge of the Baltic Sea displayed with a quote about the role the sea plays in their lives, and eight long-exposure photographs of the sea taken just after sunset. Latvia is one of the three Baltic countries, with a complex history of occupation by Nazi Germany and Russia for a majority of the 20th century. The Baltic Sea forms Latvia's border on its western side while Russia borders its eastern side. With tensions with Russia recently re-emerging, the Baltic Sea is a visible reminder of the vulnerability of this small country.