Premio Combat Prize

SUN & MOON
The artist Artis Nīmanis refers to himself as “a glazier”, because glass — a material offering amazing possibilities and versatile metamorphoses — forms the basis of his creative quests. It is a material, which properties have enticed craftsmen since the olden days: it gives rise to unique wares and ornaments, traditional, utilitarian items, but in architecture, it offers not only new dimensions and light, but it can also create innovative design objects and impressive art installations.
The range of artistic expressions of Artis Nīmanis is vast. Artis Nīmanis creates glass design objects and ornaments, but his work focuses on more monumental projects too — functional and decorative glass design elements for the interior design and architectural objects, exclusive stained-glass windows, lighting fixtures, and skylight solutions.
Since 2004, he has been the leading designer of glassware of the brand “an&angel”. The aestheticism of glassware of “an&angel” created by Artis Nīmanis is based on laconic forms and non-conventional glass processing techniques that allow to cover it with steel, creating a mirror-effect surface. These properties were positively recognized in 2013, when the “Deco” collection wares received the prestigious “Red Dot Award”, but in 2014, also the design award of Germany. “an&angel” ware collection “Deco”, as well as “Black&White”, “Northern Lights” and “In Between” collections draw the interest from around the world — Europe, Russia, the USA, South American countries, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan.
The author’s works are included in the Design Art collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, but in 2016 the artist organized an extensive solo exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga “FRAGILE”, which earned wide audience acclaim. It is worth noting that positive approval was also earned at the annual Latvian Television and Latvian Radio Award in the exhibition nomination.
Besides the practical designer work, Artis Nīmanis continues to focus on his creative experiments because work with the glass always provides a chance for an adventure and the joy of pioneering. Only with experience you can choose the most suitable glass processing technique and predict the desirable result. To make glass malleable in order to suit your ideas and create the envisaged shape, it is essential to fully discover properties and the main essence of the material — a play of light and reflection.
The exhibition “Sun and Moon” is the materialization of experiments and most recent ideas of the artist: thanks to the original author’s technique, the glass surface is given a mirror effect, which, as it breaks the light beam, creates illusory optical effect. The exhibition objects have two laconic shapes — a circle and an ellipsis, which in a way symbolise the sun and the moon, where each of them in their shape and colour is unique. The gleam of reflective surfaces changes the reflections of objects, people and the premises, this way “absorbing” the surroundings. This exhibition offers the visitor an opportunity to enjoy a meditative experience and to discover the unusual transformations of this seemingly familiar material. In this exhibition, Artis Nīmanis portrays a ritual, where he shows the loop of time linking the past with the future: drawing inspiration from age-old legends and myths about the magical properties of mirrors, he makes us perceive them not as a trite mundane item, but as an archetypical and universal sign of human existence. A mirror has been historically considered as a symbol of the Sun and the Moon, the soul, and wisdom, the truth and light. In Latvian mythology, the Sun and the Moon are also attributed an essential role: the sun rises every morning, replaced by the moon at night, this way demonstrating the continuity of life. Just as the Sun and the Moon in the infinite Universe, so too mirrors in the past and today mess with our minds with their metaphysical mystery, which opens up the door to unlimited imagination.

Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION
MFA, 2006 Latvian Academy of Art, Department of Glass Design
BFA, 2003 Latvian Academy of Art, Department of Glass Design
Diploma, 1999 Riga College of Applied Art, Glass Design
WORK EXPERIENCE
2004 – present
Founder and Creative Director, Angel Glass Design Ltd. - Riga, Latvia
2008 – 2014
Instructor, Glassware Design Department, promoted to Department Director of Riga Design and Art School (RDMV) in 2009 – Riga, Latvia
2003 – 2004
Production Director, Advertising agency DDB – Riga, Latvia
2002 – 2004
Artist/Window Designer promoted to Project Director in 2003, Design agency Pieci ezeri – Riga, Latvia
2001 – 2002
Artist/Window Designer, Advertising agency Sanders – Riga, Latvia
1999 – 2000
Lighting Designer, Design agency Rigas Design Studio – Riga, Latvia
1998 – 1999
Graphic Artist, Prezenta International – Riga, Latvia
1997 – 1998
Visual Advertising Designer and Project Director, Forti – Riga, Latvia
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (last 5 years)
2018 November / 2018 Personal exhibition ”Sun and moon” Finland Glass Museum, Riihimaki, Finland
December
2018 May / August Personal exhibition “Sun and moon”, Bornholm Art Museum, Gudhjem, Bornholm, Denmark
2017 December / 2018 January
Personal exhibition “Sun and moon”, at the Exhibition Hall of Cesis History and Art museum – Cesis, Latvia
2017 November
Group exhibition, at the Jurmala House of Artists – Jurmala, Latvia
2017 August
Personal exhibition, at the Contemporary Art Gallery – Livani, Latvia
2016 October
Group exhibition “2D Glass Biennale” – Vilnius, Lithuania
2016 April /June
Personal exhibition “FRAGILE”, at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design – Riga, Latvia
2016 February / March
Personal exhibition “Artis Nimanis. The Glass”, at the gallery Ethra – Mexico City, Mexico
2015 December / 2016 February
International exhibition “Smog”, at the Museum of Glass in Shanghai – Shanghai, China
2015 February / May
Personal exhibition “ART IS ART - a Latvian Voice in Glass”, at the Museum Franz Mayer - Mexico City, Mexico
2014 April / May
Personal exhibition “ART IS ART - a Latvian Voice in Glass”, at the Embassy of Republic of Latvia - Washington D.C., USA
2014 April
Group show “Rotācija” („Rotation”) - Sigulda, Latvia
2013 March/June
International exhibition “Katowice” at the museum of Silesia - Poland
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EXHIBITIONS (last 5 years)
2018 January - Maison&Objet – Paris, France
2017 September - Maison&Objet – Paris, France
2017 January - Maison&Objet – Paris, France
2016 September - Glass Jazz – Panevezys, Lithuania
2016 September - Maison&Objet – Paris, France
2016 March - Maison&Objet – Singapore, Republic of Singapore
2015 March - Maison&Objet – Singapore, Republic of Singapore
2014 October - Dowtown Design 2014 – Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2014 September - Maison&Objet – Paris, France
2014 August - Glass Jazz – Panevezys, Lithuania
2013 September - Maison&Objet – Paris, France
2013 January - Maison&Objet – Paris, France
AWARDS (last 5 years)
2017 - A Kilogram of Culture Award 2016 (Latvia), The Visual Arts Category, personal exhibition “FRAGILE”
2017 - Creative work stipend (Latvia), State Cultural Capital Foundation
2016 - Creative work stipend (Latvia), State Cultural Capital Foundation
2014 - German Design Award 2015, Excellent Product Design category
2013 - Red Dot Award, Product Design 2013, an&angel DECO mouth-blown bowl collection
COLLECTIONS
Various private collections in Latvia, Russia, Great Britain, Germany, USA, Italy, Slovakia, Mexico.
OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
Glass bowls from an&angel collections BLACK&WHITE and NORTHERN LIGHTS have been included in the collection of Latvian National Museum of Art - the largest depository of professional art in Latvia.