The Case in the Cafe: "Valdis Āboliņš Portrait" by Maija Tabaka in Restaurant Kitchen

kim? 

Persisting to examine the nerve of contemporaneity in art and this time stopping at the wording "the moment of rapture in a kitch restaurant", KIM? Contemporary Art Centre invites to a reopening of the painting "Valdis Āboliņš Portrait" by Maija Tabaka. The work created in 1979 is a part of Artists’ Union of Latvia collection, which in this case, i.e., an assumption of specific context, will be exhibited in Restaurant Kitchen.


_{Fragment of Maija Tabaka’s painting
"Valdis Āboliņš Portrait". 1979.}

The Case in the Cafe is an event presented by kim? in order to investigate the connection of abstract ideas by penetrating some specific spots (authors, works, events) of art in 20th and 21st century Latvia which in the framework of this investigation process and still being left without the presence of the “big” theories works for a further construction of informative perception.

In the course of reopening evening, art theoretician and researcher of the letters in the painting Antra Priede will help us to search the reasons of the event through commenting upon the activities of art manager Valdis Āboliņš, the legendary dandy and hippy, as well as explaining his intriguing contribution to the past and present of Latvian and Western European art. A commentary of art critic Jānis Borgs is envisaged along with the reading that will feature quotations and exhibition of letters by Valdis Āboliņš addressed to the critic.

Valdis Āboliņš (b. on April 14, 1939, Liepāja, d. on February 14, 1984, West Berlin) was, among other, a dedicated Marxist. In the beginning of 1970s he was convinced of the necessity to promote the Latvian art outside the borders of Soviet Union. Āboliņš asserted his importance by a range of activities, for example, participation in Fluxus movement and working as a director of the famous Aachen Gallery (presenting names like Joseph Beuys, Nam June Paik, Wolf Vostell, Jörg Immendorff, and others); organization of performance by Joseph Beuys in 1964; active participation in Union of Latvian Youth in Europe; the exhibition "20 Artists from the Soviet Latvia" in the International Art Fair IKI in Düsseldorf in 1973; as well as participation in New Society for Fine Arts (NGBK) in 1974 in Berlin, and, finally, the organization of Maija Tabaka’s residency in Berlin in the framework of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The painting trying to capture the most characteristic features of Valdis Āboliņš’ personality was created in 1979 by Maija Tabaka, right after the artist returned from West Berlin. While the artist consented to kim?s proposal of the place and context of exhibiting the painting, she remarked that “in general he loved to frequent cafes”.

The opening event of the painting by Maija Tabaka takes place in Restaurant Kitchen on September 29, 17.30. It will be on exhibit until December 2011.

Acknowledgements: Artists’ Union of Latvia, GroGlass, RBS Skals, Restaurant Kitchen