The World in My Daydreams. Roberts Diners in memoriam
Text by INGA ŠTEIMANE, curator of the exhibition
Exhibition "The World in My Daydreams” is dedicated to the sculptor Roberts Diners, an artist independent of academically oriented figuralism. The life of Roberts Diners (1977-2023) ended too early. The artist lived in Jurmala and became known for his sculpture exhibitions on the beach. He has created seven personal exhibitions and participated in many international projects.
The exhibition "World In My Daydreams" discloses the form and content of Roberts Diner's sculpture. The technique of his works is characterized by metal castings (bronze, copper, tin, iron), wood carvings and inlays, as well as creations in wax and ceramics. The artist often chose the miniature format, he directed and photographed his works himself. The ability to scale endlessly and develop details as the story progresses is one of the keys to Robert Diner's form. In the images created by Roberts Diners, man, animal, ancient archetypes and modern associations merge into a single mystery. Named after ancient deities, mythical heroes, cultural-historical types or free imagination, Roberts Diner's sculptures are not just symbolic, abstract representations. Each character tells a story. The "biographies" of the sculptures come alive in the viewer's imagination expanding from a singular image into expansive, existential narratives. Fusing the childish inspiration, folklore motifs, myths, legends and vivid talent of the storyteller, Roberts Dieners creates a deep connection between the human and the divine, between the comic and the epic. Such are the wax "Researchers", "Dream Catchers", "Hum-Animal-Bush" and "Fivehand-Man", bronze human-beasts (humanimals), soldiers, totems and Masters of Snakes, pale ceramic warriors and lyrical heroes in iron reliefs. Roberts Diners gives typical characters a certain credibility and possibility to identify with them. He says: “When creating a piece of art, I draw inspiration from ancient art that reflects mythological thinking. Combining myths with my personal life experience creates a new myth". The curator of the exhibition is Inga Šteimane, head of the Art Station "Dubulti". She also curated Roberts Diner's first personal exhibition in Latvia "The Secret Life of Human-Beasts" in 1998.
The exhibition consists of seven parts. On the first floor, the viewer can see bronze and other metal miniatures and small-sized works that form a monumental wall. Second part - the 2004 installation MIKRO-MAKRO, the center of which is the idea of monumentalizing sculptural miniatures, so close to Roberts Diners, captured in photographs; this part also contains early sculptures. The third part consists of the critical work "Neverending War", in which people appear as unreasonable, manipulable beings. The fourth part on the balcony before the entrance to the 2nd floor is a lyrical scenic retreat - iron reliefs that resonate with the culture of sentimental scenes often made by craftsmen. Half of the second floor is dedicated to Roberts Diners wax sculptures of the years 1997-1998 : bright, colorful and fun. And the exhibition closes with book illustrations created together with the artist Lilija Dinere - "POETIC EDDA" and "LA CHANSON DE ROLAND". The seventh part of the exhibition consists of three video chronicles, where you can meet the sculptor Roberts Diners.
Art scholar and classmate of Roberts Diners, Agnese Sofija Kusmane, emphasizes the social aspects of Roberts images in her essay "Cardinal Openness" dedicated to the exhibition "The World in My Daydreams”. She writes: “ In today's world, where within the system different minority groups fight for recognition of their rights and the victory of the relatively larger group often means the defeat of the smaller one, Roberts dreams of a world where all living beings have the same rights. It has no groups. It contains individual beings with a hunger to understand life beyond its apparent limits. In Robert's world, both man and animal, animal-man, bird-man, Titan and Sisyphus coexist. In it, time passes, reflecting on one's civilized, cultural-historical or wild roots, instincts, the incomprehensible and deadly within oneself; and also how it all intertwines or borders on another equally incomprehensible world of beings. Such subjective, existential and at the same time winds woven into the search for civilization have always existed in the history of art. Also in contemporary art, Ali Cherri's Titans or Precious Okoyomon's Mother Earth objects seek, among other things, answers to personal questions in Earth's evolutionary or cultural history. Robert's objects are distinguished from works of a formally similar current by the outcome that awaits their observers. His quest has a very bright, dreamy, contemplative perspective. The observation does not end in posthuman shivers. What causes such an outcome? One of the reasons is the miniature format Roberts chose. Thumbnails make the viewer focus on what is being viewed. Unlike the impact of large-format works, the physical impact of miniatures is barely noticeable. The order of the pages of my book lying on the table is also protected from the chaos created by the wind or the curious by a small relief that Roberts created especially for this purpose. Birthday present to me. It is a bronze plate a few centimeters long and wide with a relief - a face enclosed in concentric circles. It's a face I've come to know well over the years, and one could argue we've read many books together. Robert's little relief on the table never bored me with selfish questions, but always allowed me to look at it and think my mind through. And this has been possible not only because there is a visual, incorporeal relationship between us, but also because Robert's bronze being seems to have always been in a never-ending process of contemplating itself. In addition, almost all of Robert's miniatures can be viewed from the front. Many creatures can be looked directly into the eyes. The postures of their bodies are revealed. Cardinal openness and vulnerability at the same time. There is nothing to hide anywhere, although much remains to be discovered. Roberts, thank you for your dreams! The world would be much more peaceful if each of us recognized the value of leisurely contemplation. No, it would not eliminate all the disputes in the world, and what would our civilization be without disputes?! However, if each of us were to surrender from time to time to what lies beyond each of our personal visible limits and to what has not yet been clarified, we would not be so easily drawn into the struggles that feed the systems.”
Roberts Diners (1977-2023) received a bachelor degree in art (2002) and a master of arts degree in sculpture (2004) at the Latvian Academy of Arts. From 2005, member of the International Association of Medal Artists FIDEM. Seven personal exhibitions: 1997 - "The Secret Life of Humanimal Beings", Martin Zilberhorn Salon, Bad Honnef, Germany, 1998 - "The Secret Life of Humanimal Beings", LN Gallery, Riga, 1999 - "Present in the Past", Dr . Trauceteles gallery, Bonn, Germany, 2003. - "Man is a bird who does not fly", gallery Māksla XO, Riga, 2005. - "Golden man", Ivonna Veiherte art gallery, Riga, 2006. - "Running man", gallery Māksla XO, Riga, etc. In 2017, an ambitious personal exhibition of Roberts Diners and Lilija Dinere "Gods, Heroes, Reflections and Shadows" was held in the Museum LV gallery in Riga. Participated in many group exhibitions - 2nd All-Latvian art exhibition "Careful. Exploding." In Riga, in the exhibition hall "Latvija" with 120 wax sculptures (1998), in the exhibition of young artists of the Baltic States in the gallery "East meets West" in Cologne, Germany (1999), in the exhibition "Six rooms" in the Pedvāle Open Air Art Museum (2000), in the exhibition "Riga - Minsk" in the Republic Art Gallery in Minsk, Belarus (2001), Latvian medal art triennials in Riga (2003, 2006, 2009), in the exhibition "Dolo - myth" in the Museum of Foreign Art in Riga (2004); in the conceptual exhibitions "Wonderful journey" of artists working in the VEF building in Riga (2009), "Hybrid flights" (Artist as a photographer from mid-19th century till 2010), in Riga (2011). In 2012, he is one of the founders of the ERELDE Association and from then on, every year he organizes and participates in the sculpture project "Mākslas liedags" on the beach of Jūrmala. Roberts Diners together with Lilija Dinere illustrated books: 2010 - Old French epic "Song of Roland" (Published by ALIS), nomination in the book art competition "Zelta ābele 2010"; 2015 - "Edda Poetics" - a collection of mythological and poetic texts from Old Icelanders ( Published by Jānis Rozes); 2019 – Sumerian epic "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (Published by Jumava).
Art Station "Dubulti" is the only professional exhibition hall in Europe located in a functioning railway station. It has been operating since 2015 and gives a new image to the modernist building of the 1970s. Art station "Dubulti" creates personal exhibitions of the best Latvian artists and international projects, emphasizing the dialogue between the artwork and the viewer. The exhibition program takes place with the support of Jūrmala City Council and the State Culture Capital Foundation. Art critic Inga Šteimane is the founder and manager of the Art Station “Dubulti”.
THE WORLD IN MY DAYDREAMS. ROBERTS DINERS IN MEMORIAM events and working time:
- opening on March 15 at 5 p.m., exhibition is on view until May 12 daily from 9 a.m. till 5.30 p.m.
- tours at the exhibition together with curator Inga Šteimane and artist Lilija Dinere on March 16 at 2 p.m., on March 17 at 2 p.m., on April 14 at 2 p.m. and on May 12 at 2 p.m.
The exhibition is supported by Jūrmala City Council and the State Culture Capital Foundation.