LATVIA,RIGA – on April 17 and 19 at At 19.00 the performance “Declaration of Independence” with Daniela Vētra, Artūras Virtmani and Kašera in the main roles will be shown in the Riga art space.
The show is a manifesto of artistic and reproductive freedom that advocates a woman’s right to decide about her own body. The continuation of life is depicted in the play as a dehumanizing, industrial production-like process, which in its essence is violence against women. The main character’s body, trapped in childbirth, is like a machine whose sole function is to reproduce people, but as the show progresses, it becomes an arena of struggle for liberation with an unpredictable outcome.
Bringing to life the feminist slogan “the personal is political”, Daniela Vētra makes her personal experience resonate with the anger and pain of countless women, inspiring them to a transformation in which the role of the victim is replaced by an affirmation of autonomy.
“Declaration of Independence” is Daniela Vetra’s debut as a theater director, based on a play by British playwright Adam Donen. Alongside the artist herself, Artūrs Virtmanis, Kashers and the duo SKARTA (Sanita and Sanija Rozes) play the main roles in the show. The composer of the show is Toms Auniņš, the vocal parts are performed by Viktorija Pakalniece and Mārtiņš Zvīgulis.
Being a sharp social commentary in the form of a scream of anger, the show simultaneously offers a deep reflection on the relationship of bodily autonomy with sexual and emotional abuse, as well as provides an immersive experience of a total work of art, in which the performance brings to life the synergy created by the moving image, sculpture, sound art and vocals.
The show contains scenes of nudity and violence, it is not suitable for children, young people under the age of 16 and people whose feelings can be hurt by transgressive art.
Tickets for the show can be purchased at the “Biļešu paradīze” ticket office and www.bilesuparadize.lv, as well as at the ticket office of the “Rīgas uškas telpa” exhibition hall, Kungu iela 3, Riga.
The performance is the culmination of the multimedia exhibition “Declaration of Independence”, which can be seen from April 1 to May 21 in the Riga Art Space. In the course of the performance, the exhibition space turns into a stage and an audience hall at the same time, but the objects on display acquire new layers of meaning thanks to Adam Donen’s play and Daniela Vētra’s direction.
The show and exhibition “Declaration of Independence” is accompanied by a public program curated by Igor Gubenko, which will include discussions by experts and opinion leaders on transgressive art and women’s bodily autonomy, a lecture by art scholar and curator Lina Birzakas-Priekules on socially active art, as well as anger and aggression Daniela Vētra’s master class is dedicated to productive manifestation.
The performance and exhibition “Declaration of Independence” is organized by the exhibition hall “Rīgas art room” of the Association of Cultural Institutions of Riga municipality. It is supported by the Riga City Council, the State Cultural Capital Fund, LG and Kino cult.
Daniela Vētra (1991) is a multimedia artist whose practice focuses on the performative interaction of the body with the environment and the audience, creating immersive and transformative collective experiences. The artist works in the medium of installation, live art and experimental theater, creating her works as emotionally saturated autobiographical stories with sharp socio-political messages condemning inequality. Storm performances and performances are total works of art (Gesamtkunstwerken), in which the body’s expressive actions enliven a synesthetic space created by light, sound, objects, video and text. The artist studied classical ballet for seven years, graduated from the Riga Design and Art High School’s clothing design program and received a bachelor’s degree in contemporary circus art from L’Escola de Circ Rogelio Rivel in Barcelona. Daniela Vētra’s works have been created and exhibited in Latvia, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Georgia and Estonia.
