In the open competition organised by the Ministry of Culture for the concept and realisation of the Latvian exhibition at the upcoming 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, the jury selected the proposal by artist and designer Bruno Birmanis and the design duo Mareunrol’s as the most suitable among five entries. Their project, titled Untamed Assembly: Backstage of Utopia, will focus on the history of avant-garde fashion in Latvia.
The 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The curator is Koyo Kouoh, executive director and chief curator of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town.
The Latvian Pavilion will be produced by the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, with curators Inga Lāce and Adomas Narkevičius and project manager Austra Bērziņa. The exhibition will explore the history of avant-garde fashion in Latvia. The project description explains: «The Untamed Fashion Assemblies were a series of experimental art and avant-garde fashion events held in Riga in the 1990s. The Latvian Pavilion in Venice will be a new interpretation and celebration of this multifaceted phenomenon. Operating at the intersection of fashion, performance, and contemporary art, the Untamed Fashion Assembly blurred disciplinary boundaries and influenced not only designers but also practitioners of visual and performance art. At the core of the Latvian Pavilion will be the spirit of the Untamed Fashion Assembly—its international relevance and contemporary significance within the discourse of contemporary art. The project brings together archival materials documenting the Untamed Fashion Assembly and the practice of its founder, Latvian artist and designer Bruno Birmanis (b. 1962), many of which have not previously been accessible to the wider public. Meanwhile, the spatial intervention-scenography by Latvian artists and designers «Mareunrol’s» will transpose the project from the 1990s into the present day.»
Jury’s evaluation
«The project is grounded in a process of research and redefinition with an emphasis on the locality that needs to be translated into an international voice. By working with archives and recalling the visual culture of the 1990s—a time when experimentation played a crucial role and pushed beyond the boundaries of wearable fashion, introducing new avant-garde tendencies into our art scene—a new reality is formed. The artwork itself is conceived as a process situated in a different historical period, which is now re-examined by a contemporary artist within the context of the proposed theme, maintaining an independent spirit and offering a contemporary interpretation,» commented jury chair Māra Lāce, director of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
Jury member Maria Arusoo, director of the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art, described the winning proposal as «an exciting and thought-provoking project that offers a unique insight into the fashion archives of 1990s Latvia. The proposal particularly stands out by highlighting specific local characteristics that are both easily graspable and relevant on an international level.»«It is a well-written and structured pavilion proposal that not only reflects the originality of today’s Latvian art scene but also provides insight into a lesser-known artistic heritage associated with interdisciplinary practices and international relations. The proposal is further strengthened by its visual coherence, in which installation is combined with archival presentations and performative elements within a comprehensive artistic and architectural solution. It gives full confidence in the applicants’ ability to carry out all necessary tasks on time and to a high standard,» emphasised jury member Sebastian Cichocki, curator at the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw.
About the Authors of Untamed Assembly: Backstage of Utopia
Bruno Birmanis is a designer whose work spans alternative fashion, wearable art, and environmental and interior design. He is the founder and organiser of the experimental festival Untamed Fashion Assembly (1990–1999) and has served as director of both Vilnius Fashion Week and Moscow Fashion Week. Birmanis has also participated in performances in London, Paris, Rome, and Moscow, as well as in notable exhibitions and events, such as We Don’t Do That at the MO Museum in Vilnius (2024); 13 Women I (Still) Haven’t Married at the Latvian National Museum of Art; Ballet. Beyond at the Putti gallery and at Riga Central Station. In 1988, he co-created the first alternative fashion performance in the former USSR—Postbanalism Ball. Currently, Birmanis is preparing an exhibition of the Untamed Fashion Assembly archive at Cell Project Space in London, with a first introductory event, a discussion, already held in March this year.
Mareunrol’s, founded in Riga in 2012 by Mārīte Mastiņa-Pēterkopa and Rolands Pēterkops, work at the intersection of fashion, scenography, and performance. Their practice extends from fashion to opera, theatre, and art installations. Mareunrol’s were winners of the 24th Festival of Fashion and Photography in Hyères (2009) and have participated in Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the Prague Quadrennial and the Arnhem Fashion Biennale, as well as exhibiting in Japan, France, Spain and elsewhere. They are featured in the book Pattern: 100 Designers, 10 Curators (Phaidon, 2013), and they were the first Latvian brand to be included in the official Paris Fashion Week programme. Their designs are part of the Latvian National Museum of Art collection, and Vogue Italy recognised them as one of the 200 most promising designers in the world. Their work interweaves wearability and surrealism, exploring space, the human form, and unconventional beauty. Mareunrol’s transform fashion into storytelling by integrating design, sound, and scenography to challenge perception. Last year, they held a solo exhibition at the Riga Art Space (read the conversation about the exhibition here) and participated in the Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (2021).
Viedokļi