solo exhibition “field of artificial daisies”, kuldiga art house

The exhibition ”Field of Artificial Daisies” showcases the latest series of the artist's works. Paintings continue to interact more and more with objects and the exhibition space, recalling motifs previously seen in Strēle's paintings, and introducing new ones.

The central image of the exhibition is a daisy flower, which is associated with the childhood game of "loves me, loves me not". The player arrives at the answer to their question by plucking off each petal one by one and, of course, remains as uncertain as before the question was posed. This seemingly pointless game, however, provides the player with a fleeting and hard-to-grasp moment of confidence in the choice made. The daisy, as a game piece, signifies both the uncertainty of the question and the answer, thus becoming a symbol of the event itself.

Uncertainty permeates the most significant events in a person's life. The works in the exhibition reveal a woman's reflections on the arrival of a child in her life and family, using a vast field of daisies as a metaphor. Each flower in the field represents an unanswered question, capable of breaking through house walls, pool tiles, diving boards, and even garden gnomes mostly injured in everyday mishaps. In the exhibition, daisies grow from black bricks, just as a new person emerges from the darkness, both literally and figuratively.

The motif of swimming and bathing, which is evident in the paintings, highlights the significance of water in sustaining human life and points to the fluid nature of uncertainty—contemplating how one can desire something without fully understanding that desire. A garden gnome standing at the edge of a pool's diving board remains in a dilemma—whether to jump or not. Houses, beaches, and canvas surfaces become overgrown with ancient plants and mushrooms, signifying the nostalgic passage of time and the inevitable acceptance of these processes. The stairs continue to lead to unknown heights and directions.

Should one try to climb higher to see what lies behind the thickets, overgrown houses, or clouds, or should one stay grounded with both feet on the earth? Perhaps it is better to put on swim fins and dive deeper, only to see one's reflection in the water once again?

To push off with both feet and simultaneously with each one separately.

Sandra Strēle.

Photos: Sandra Strēle