## "My Sea" by Evgeny Pugin Evgeny Pugin is rightly considered one of the leading Latvian photographers, who has been capturing the sea, as well as the shores and old boats (which can still be found in some places) for several decades. The final result, created over all these years, the master (by the way, he is also a veteran of Latvian journalism, having worked for the newspaper "Soviet Youth" and the Press Agency "Novosti") presented in the fireplace hall on the first floor of the Jurmala Museum (in Majori, on Tirgonu Street). However, the exhibition has already closed, but this is not a cause for concern – in mid-July, this exhibition, in an even larger format, will open in the well-constructed spacious library built a few years ago in Jurmala's Jaundubulti – you are welcome!  _In the photo: Evgeny Pugin._ In the nineties, Evgeny stopped exclusively focusing on photojournalism and switched to marine landscapes. His youthful passions, when he engaged in scuba diving and sailing, came back to him, as he filmed the underwater world with a movie camera. In 2004, he became the initiator of a large-scale marine-themed exhibition "Marina," which was opened right at the Jurmala Museum and became international. Evgeny Pugin's marine landscapes are characterized by tranquility and aesthetic balance, with the changing seasons and atmosphere adding emotional depth to the photographs. In some shots, one can see the attributes of the lives of fishermen that have disappeared from our coastal landscapes in recent years. Having lived many years in Jurmala and constantly observing the sea, the photographer discovered its diversity. Thus, the exhibition "My Sea" was born – a tribute to the element, teachers, and friends. Moreover, notably, many of his beautifully framed photographs even up close resemble paintings! This is because Mr. Pugin has known outstanding artists for over forty years, such as Stanislav Kreitz and the classic of marine painting, Professor Eduards Kalniņš from the Academy of Arts. He considers them his teachers. "By that time, I was already living in Jurmala's Kauguri," the photographer told the newspaper "Today WEEK." "Every morning I would get on my bicycle and ride along the shore of the Gulf of Riga, looking for picturesque places for photography. And the question arose: what is the sea like? Sometimes it is gentle, sometimes gloomy, sometimes harsh. Sometimes it has wind and waves, sometimes it is different. And the goal appeared to depict the landscape. Moreover, I began to study special literature. I looked at the history of marine landscapes among the Dutch. Finally, the great Aivazovsky! Based on this knowledge, I also set myself the goal of showing the sea. I was lucky that there were still old wooden boats left on the coast. There were very few left because fishermen were switching to modern metal boats. And the old boats were taken in, placed near homes, or given to marine museums." ## "World of Colors" This, one might say, monumental exhibition is presented on three floors of the educational building of the main building of the Baltic International Academy on Valerijas Seiles Street (formerly Lomonosova). Numerous artists and their admirers, students, teachers, and guests of the BMA participate in it. In total, about one hundred and fifty diverse paintings by seventy artists from Latvia, China, the USA, Ukraine, and Estonia. The organizer was the curator of the BIArt gallery, artist Valentin Danilenko. "The new exhibition convincingly justifies its name in every respect," reports a representative of the BMA (and by the way, also a veteran of Latvian journalism!) Petr Ivanovich Antropov. "It truly presents all the colors of the world, which exude joy and optimism. The exhibition harmoniously combines works by young talents and people of silver age. As rightly noted by the rector of the BMA, Associate Professor Vladislav Volkov, while opening the exhibition, art constantly coexists with science within the walls of our academy. And science and art are the most important ways of understanding the world. The exhibition will undoubtedly expand students' understanding of the surrounding world." In organizing this exhibition, the curator Valentin Danilenko received help from the art studios of the master of ebru art Irina Trumpel, watercolorist Valery Makovoy, artist and teacher Alexander Pakhomov, Maria Abduyeva, and Elena Lvova. They contributed works from their best students to the exhibition, which is why there are many interesting debutants. Maria Abduyeva proudly presented her paintings and the works of her young daughters – Aisha and Ariana – for the judgment of art lovers. Recognized masters of the brush also delighted with their novelties – Valery Makovoy, Alena Savyuk, Valentin Danilenko, Irina Trumpel, Lyudmila Perets, Maria Matveeva, the Chinese Mary Zhang living in Latvia, and others.  _In the photo: Artists led by the curator of the exhibition Valentin Danilenko._ ## "A Man with the Surname Universe" Until August 23, a personal exhibition by Riga poetess, artist, and project curator Elena Glazova titled "A Man with the Surname Universe" is open in the Small Hall of the so-called Riga Space of Contemporary Art (Old Riga, under the Town Hall Square, entrance from Kungu Street, 3). The young art activist is already known in various genres. She is a graduate of several higher educational institutions. She graduated from the Latvian Academy of Culture (Bachelor's, History and Theory of Audiovisual Culture), the University of Latvia (Master's, Social Sciences), and the Latvian Academy of Arts (Master's, Visual Communication). She studied in the doctoral program at the Latvian Academy of Arts and in the master's program of the philosophy department of the University of Latvia. She also trained in the art of photography with Andrei Grant. She writes in Russian, Latvian, and English. Her poetry has been translated into Latvian, English, Estonian, Lithuanian, Swedish, Finnish, Hungarian, and Polish. Finally, she is simply beautiful! This exhibition will certainly attract the attention of those who are interested in innovative moments in art. Elena's focus is on the interdisciplinary space of contemporary culture: in her works, she combines images, poetic texts, experimental sound, and installations, with her own voice, altered through digital processing, serving as the main instrument of sound art. The curator of the exhibition is Igor Gubenko, PhD, a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the University of Latvia.