Dear colleagues and friends of the MuseumLV art gallery at the Grata JJ Cultural Centre!

We are delighted to announce the winner of the Audience Choice Award. The audience vote was won by Daniils Vjatkins with the work “Iconostasis”. A total of 172 gallery visitors voted for this work.

We would like to remind you that the other two GRATA BALVA 2026 awards were presented at the exhibition opening.

The GRATA BALVA 2026 was awarded to artist Baiba Zalcmane for the work “Forgiveness” (2025, fringe, acrylic, wool, effect yarn, fabric, 192 × 290 cm).

Meanwhile, the Curator’s Award, along with the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the MuseumLV gallery, was awarded to artist Ieva Kalēja for the work “Water Tower. Autumn on Ganību Dambis” (2026, oil on canvas, 65 × 45 cm).

This year, 86 artists took part in the competition, while the exhibition featured 113 works of art and installations. During the exhibition, the works of the participating artists were viewed by thousands of residents of Latvia and visitors to our country.

As part of the project, various public and closed events, guided tours, and meetings with artists were held. The exhibition curator, Doctor of Art (Dr. art.) Deniss Hanovs, led special tours for representatives of diplomatic missions and members of the Riga City Council, introducing guests to the exhibition concept and the works of the artists represented in it. The project was also covered by Latvian media and leading information portals.

A special part of the exhibition was the interactive QUIZ “Find the Different!”, which invited visitors to become art researchers. Participants had to identify fragments of paintings and sculptures, restore missing information in the descriptions, and find the corresponding works in the exhibition. In this way, the viewer became not only an observer, but also an active participant in the artistic process.

The MuseumLV gallery and Grata JJ Cultural Centre team sincerely thanks all the artists for participating in the project, for their courageous creative expressions, diverse interpretations of the theme, and professional work.

For us, GRATA BALVA 2026 “Multilayered Identity: Encountering the Other in Urban Space” was a significant, fulfilling, and inspiring event — a space for encounters, dialogue, and new discoveries. We thank the artists, curators, partners, visitors, and everyone who accompanied us on this journey.

See you next year — with new artists, new works, new stories, and new encounters with art!