*A dark night, that is not a night at all.
A desert place, that is not a place.
In coal-still silence, darkness breathes.
Invisible snow swirls by.. faint footsteps can barely be heard.
An oily moon, and in the black wind, a radiant being approaches...*
- WITCHES –
A series of large-scale paintings depicting bright personalities: the witches of Riga, inspired by the character of Spīdola from Rainis’s Fire and Night.
These mystical, witch-like beings embody both dazzling beauty and fathomless depths. Despite their collaboration with the forces of darkness, they possess the strength to resist the call of the Dark Knight, to fulfill a predestined fate. Instead, they choose to create their own destiny. These beings draw power and wisdom from the intangible realms and forces that others either fail to comprehend or fear. They understand that without darkness, light cannot exist. In the words of Rainis’s Fire and Night, they chant their mantra:
*I am myself, I come alone,
I go alone, not knowing where –
where I wish –
I shine from my own light,
I am Spīdola, Fire is my father.*
The artist guides the viewer along a path through mysticism, folklore, and forgotten forces, into an untamed darkness—ironically resonant with current events unfolding around the world. A darkness inhabited by forest creatures, known and unknown beings alike, capturing the spirit of time and space through the metaphor of a fairy tale.
A story about darkness, creatures of the night, a hint of paganism, a touch of folklore, yet, above all, about powerful personalities, about women.
