The Riga Photography Biennial – NEXT 2019 contemporary art event will take place in Riga and Berlin from 4 April until 28 June, inviting audiences to exhibitions, a portfolio review, lectures and a symposium about activism in the latest art from the Baltics. The biennial’s off-year programme NEXT has been developed with a focus on emerging artists who are at the beginning of their creative careers and provides an opportunity to present their work in a wider context.

The RPB – NEXT 2019 launch events will take place in Riga on 4–6 April. The exhibition (UN)NATURAL BODIES by Polish Young Artists will open on 4 April at the Latvian Museum of Photography. This exhibition examines the notion of ‘unnatural bodies’ through a mixture of mediums and visual language elements. The participating artists are interested in bodies that do not fit neatly into the monolithic culture of our society, bodies that are different and seemingly incomprehensible. The artists invite us to relate to these bodies exposed in their sensuality, intimacy and vulnerability. All of the works have been created by students and graduates of the Photography Department of the University of Arts in Poznań (Poland). On 5 April, as part of this exhibition, critic and curator Adam Mazur (Poland) will deliver a lecture titled ‘Our Bodies in Photography’ at the Latvian Museum of Photography.

This year, for the first time in its history, the Riga Photography Biennial (RPB) has organised a portfolio review inviting emerging and professional photographers to meet with industry representatives from the Baltic, Nordic and other European countries and to gain feedback and guidance for further developing their practice. The portfolio review will take place on 5 April at the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia and the ISSP Gallery in Berga Bazārs (Bergs Bazaar), as will the main event of the festival – the exhibition of the finalists for the ‘Seeking the Latest in Photography!’ award. The results of the competition were announced in November 2018 by an international jury, but RPB – NEXT 2019 will be the first opportunity for the general public to view these works.

Read more: http://www.rpbiennial.com/14.html