Another artwork – Ilzes Kalvāne’s painting “Little Love” – was awarded with the incentive bonus of 200 euros in the art competition organized by the Aina Mucenice Virotherapy Foundation. At the meeting, when incentive bonus was received, the author shared with us her thoughts on art and its significance.
Artist Ilze Kalvāne: Art can change the world!
Ilze Kalvāne is a painter and illustration designer whose rich imagination serves as an inspiration providing her plots for her artworks. Kalvāne has studied illustration design at New York School of Visual Arts, and she has participated at several contemporary art exhibitions in Latvia, USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia and Belarus, as well as illustrated adult and children books in Latvia. Kalvāne has succeeded at art competitions all over the world. Her artwork “Little Love” was awarded at the artwork competition organised by Aina Muceniece Virotherapy Foundation dedicated to support oncology patients.
Inspired from life in Latvia
I was born in Daugavpils and studied journalism and communication sciences at the University of Latvia, later I emigrated to the USA where I lived for more than nine years. Today, Latvia is my home, however, experience obtained abroad allows me to view developments and people in Latvia from an extraordinary point of view.
Although, I travel a lot, Latvia is my home. Experience in the USA has greatly contributed to the development of my art. There I acquired illustration design and skills of children book illustration at New York School of Visual Arts, however, as an artist I have grown the most after returning to Latvia. In Latvia, I started participating at art exhibitions and illustrated books, as life in Latvia inspired me to use my art for different purposes, not only to allow my audience to travel through the bright images and colours of my imagination, but also to draw attention to different significant processes and developments in the world.
Art can change the world
During my trips to different countries, I have noted that artists participating at exhibitions of visual art use their talent not only to generate profit, but also for charity and to solve different social matters. Artists join hands to provide help to those who need it the most to support and promote good ideas, to turn against the evil, to support their younger colleagues and to make the world a better place. Art is not just profit, it is a higher spiritual value, as art is the world and life as such. Everything that the world owns is art, from the spring sprouts up to the scientific achievements. Art helps to fight problems and make the world better. In Latvia, artists have different opportunities to participate at exhibitions, however, mostly those are of commercial nature. Latvia needs more such art projects that would make our country better and stronger, that would unite our society, solve urgent issues, pose questions, and provide answers. Only such art projects can help us to popularise Latvia in the world, as the world is interested in the good work of Latvia. I am delighted that some art projects invite artists to join hands and make other peoples’ lives brighter, therefore, I invite artists to participate at the art competition organised by Aina Muceniece Virotherapy Foundation where it is still possible to apply.
Art is an eternal source of inspiration and a powerful weapon that can solve serious issues, heal and change the world. If my art can make the world a better place or help somebody, I will certainly use this opportunity. I hope, more different art projects will be organised in Latvia the aim of which will be not only to achieve commercial goals, but also to stimulate spiritual growth of the society and to help to solve urgent issues in different spheres.
Latvia lacks smiling
For me, art is the sense of life and calling where I look for a deeper value. Art is a communication with myself, the world, other inhabitants of the world and different developments. I do not paint landscapes or portraits. My artworks are created based on plots and images in the extraordinary world of my imagination, thereby allowing others to view it. Why to create artworks? Just to display them at prestigious exhibitions and see my name in mass media? It is not enough! The goal of my art is to create positive emotions, because Latvia lacks smiling. If my naïve painting can make at lease somebody smile, the mission of my art has been justified.
Art can impact politics
My art is good-natured and full of naïve, however, generally speaking, art can serve different purposes. Sometimes, artists can impact influential politicians and their decisions. For example, in the USA, an art project is organised whose goal is to draw attention to the last year’s presidential election, results, consequences, and possible solutions. Artists submitted very strong artworks for this project, mainly caricatures. I take part at this exhibition with an artwork of esoteric nature that depicts a bitten apple with seeds falling out from it. A negative artwork can also be a strong political weapon and significant part of information war.
Recently, I took part at an international exhibition in Russia, within the framework of St. Petersburg International Art Week, with my painting “Little Love”. It was deliberately, I want to bring peace to the world with my naïve art. My artwork ranked third at the avant-garde art competition, in the category “Naïve Art”.
Keep my inner child
Nowadays, we face a lot of negativism, in news, society and elsewhere. Therefore, I invite you not to lose your inner child we all have. This child will give you strength to view the world in a positive light. Just how children can do it. One of the things I would like to emphasise – art can heal. There are two dominating forces in the world – art and love! And my artworks unite both these things. Goodness and generosity are strong and I invite other artists to turn more to genuine charity and use their talent for higher purposes, give more to Latvia and that will make Latvia smile. My art is my contribution to Latvia. Several years ago, when I returned to Latvia, I was looking for answers to questions: “What can I do in Latvia? What Latvia could give me?” I knocked on many doors, but they all closed. Only one door opened for me – the one I drew myself, looking for an answer to a totally different question: “What could I give to Latvia?”