From May 3 to June 30, 2026, the exhibition hall of the Pedvāle International Artist Residency presents the painting exhibition “Playing with Light” by Marta Jurjāne.
The exhibition features paintings created by artist Marta Jurjāne over the past several years. Most of the works are landscapes and fragments of landscapes inspired by real places, yet to a large extent they are also landscapes of the artist’s imagination. In her works, Marta Jurjāne uses clear, luminous colours and laconic compositions, eliminating the unnecessary and leaving only the essential elements that embody the very essence of the painting’s idea. In this way, she seeks to communicate her vision more clearly to the viewer and invite them into the world as perceived by the artist, while at the same time leaving space for the viewer’s own imagination and creativity.
In her paintings, Marta Jurjāne attempts to look at everyday things from a different perspective, creating within them a new world. For example, the artist has been inspired by the forest clear-cuts so common in the Latvian landscape — by the rhythms of lines and colours formed by fallen trees, roots, and branches. They have also fascinated her through their symbolism: something must die so that something new may be born.
“Through painting, I make my life happier, and I wish to share this experience with the viewer as well — to share joy, gratitude, and hope. Every painting is an attempt to see the invisible and grasp the intangible behind each moment that stretches into eternity, in gratitude for the given moment that we are allowed to experience.”
Marta Jurjāne was born in 1979 in Riga, Latvia, where she continues to paint and create graphic works and illustrations. In art, she is primarily interested in light and in affirming life through the joy of colour. She began her art studies at the Riga School of Art (now Māra Muižniece Riga Art School). In 2003, she received a Bachelor’s degree in Theology with a specialization in Art from the Latvian Christian Academy under graphic artist Nele Zirnīte. In 2011, she obtained a Master’s degree in Fine Arts with a specialization in Painting from the Art Academy of Latvia, studying in the workshops of Professor Kaspars Zariņš and Professor Aleksejs Naumovs.
She has organized and participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both locally and internationally, as well as in various international plein-air events and art projects. She has illustrated poetry books and designed publications for various editions. From 2004 to 2019, she taught academic painting to women in prison and organized several exhibitions of their works. Currently, she teaches painting to adults and children.