Evita Vasiljeva

Evita Vasiļjeva – A Short history of unresolved spaces caused by attempting a greater speed, 2024

• Witloofplein (Dobbelenbergstraat – Verdunstraat), Brussels

The installation, titled A Short history of unresolved spaces caused by attempting a greater speed, comprises three large sculptures and several small block-like modules, playfully arranged around Witloofplein and engaging in a dialogue with the nearby industrial site and the train network that triumphs over the horizon with its grandiose pillars. Modernism promised more light, air, and space, with architecture grounded in new and innovative construction technologies such as reinforced concrete, steel, and glass. By employing faster construction methods and modular systems, structures ascended towards the sky, aiming to provide more affordable housing and improved speed and connectivity.

As buildings rose taller incorporating larger green areas around modular concrete architecture connected by highways for efficient movement, architects and urbanists overlooked that they have created pigeon holes in their system. High-speed bridge constructions created desolate spaces underneath, while highways transformed into noisy thoroughfares, prompting people to relocate away from them, which resulted in empty spaces between the lines of progress that is not clear what exactly to do with it. This space became an organic industrial zone of disorganisation (*In Buda, it represents an industrial zone. In France, it’s often viewed as dysfunctional social housing. In Latvia, they are unappealing sleeping districts, serving as reminders of the history of socialism).

The Witloofplein, perhaps more fittingly described as a noble roundabout than a conventional square, hosts one of the few bus stops that welcomes visitors to the Haren prison. Although the bus stop has no waiting shelter or seating element, the sculptures offer a place for contemplation, rest, and reflection. Furthermore, they serve as a physical interface between the freedom of movement and the seclusion of imprisonment, evoking this contrast through the use of coloured light and greenery within the square.

About

Evita Vasiljeva (b. Riga, 1985) mainly works with sculpture, installation, and sound. Having grown up in Latvia in the period of post-Soviet transition, the artist often draws on visual and sonic imagery of generic architecture and rough suburban landscapes. She creates sculptures and interactive installations by appropriating materials, usually used for construction, such as concrete, armature, metal profiles, lanterns, and various electrical appliances, and by combining them with household objects: beds and blankets, fridges, microwaves and soap, but also movement sensors which were commonly used in Latvia in the 90s to secure houses.By manipulating and repurposing a large variety of materials, Evita Vasiljeva invents her own aesthetic, as well as provokes relational dynamics between spaces, architecture, memory, and spectators’ bodies. While her works tackle the issues of anxiety and control, through ways of coexistence within the present moment, they always remain open for multiple interpretations.In 2022 Evita Vasiljeva was nominated for the 8th Purvītis Prize for outstanding achievement in visual art of Latvia and exhibited at the Latvian National Museum of Art in a duo exhibition with artist Kaspars Groševs. Recently, the artist has participated at the Lyon Biennial (2022, curated by Till Fellrath and Sam Bardaouil); Una Boccata d’Arte 2023, Italy (Fondazione Elpis, curated by Bruno Barsanti); Intermezzo, Moen, Denmark (Kunsthal 44Moen, curated by Rene Block); Baltic Triennial 14: The Endless Frontier, Contemporary Art Centre Vilnius (2021), (curated by Valentinas Klimašauskas and João Laia); Blue Lagoon House, Cēsis Contemporary Art Centre, duo exhibition with Kaspars Groševs, (2022, curated by Daiga Rudzāte and Žanete Skarule); Publiek Park, in collaboration with SMAK, Ghent (2021); the Salon de Normandy by the Community, Paris (2020, curated by the Community); Muzeum Sztuki, Lodz (2020, curated by Inga Lāce); Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga (2019); Tallinn City Gallery, Tallinn (2018, curated by Kim?); Foundation Ricard, Paris (2018, curated by Barbara Sirieix, Maija Rudovska and Joachim Hamou); P/////AKT, Amsterdam (2017). Her works are included in the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art and private collections.