the dream of the sea
Artist Vika Eksta has spent March 2023 and March 2024 at the Pair artist residency in Pavilosta, small coastal town on Baltics sea that becomes a tourist haven in summer. Eksta chose the off-season Pāvilosta, its people, urban environment, and the conditions dictated by its nature – as the subject for her artistic exploration. She has created photographic series and video work that were exhibited in Pair gallery in July 2024. Exhibition was curated by Helmuts Caune who also wrote this accompanying essay. Video works feature music from the album "Songs of the sea" by organist Una Cintina and a song composed and performed by Pāvilosta native Haralds Lukševics. The sea as an element, natural phenomenon, unavoidable presence, symbol and enchantment is a significant motif in the exhibition forming a connection between visual and auditory forms: static frames interact with dynamic sound compositions, inspired by the sea.
The fascination with the sea has historically and in modern times been politically, economically, and romantically determined, and such fascination continues to manifest in Pāvilosta. The city, first mentioned in historical records dating back to 1253, may not hold an economic significance as a coastal trading hub today. However, the romanticized or idealized aspect of the sea finds profound expression in Pāvilosta. During the summer season, it becomes the ultimate destination for many inland Latvian residents, each year transforming the place beyond recognition for a few months.
But Pāvilosta exists year-round, and Eksta's camera has captured it precisely during the "off-season" – a time when hotels and guesthouses are empty, cafes are mostly closed, and locals, with or without dogs, stroll along the beach instead of surfers and vacationers. In Eksta's exhaustive collection of photographs, three core motifs stand out. First, the sea, the waves, and the coastline in all its harshness and relentlessness, the dunes and pine trees of the Kurzeme coast. Second, the urban environment of Pāvilosta – the beach, the port, and the symmetrical streets where historical and modern, the familiar and the foreign meet in architecture. And third, portraits of people, close-ups of faces, and lasting impressions: locals and visitors who have agreed to step before Eksta's camera lens, representing a dimension of coastal life that is more real than a dream.