Andris Vītoliņš

Graduated from Riga Secondary School of Crafts, and studied at the Teaching Department, the Design Department and the Visual Communication Department of the Latvian Academy of Art. In 2002 he obtained a Master’s Degree in Art. Since 2007 he is a lecturer at the Latvian Academy of Art. He has taken up doctoral studies. Vītoliņš is a painter who works in the field of advertising and design. He is also curator of art exhibitions and organises art projects. He has taken part in more than 40 group exhibitions in Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Italy and Latvia (“Goldwork” at the Arsenāls Exhibition Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art; “Candy Bomber” New figures in Latvian painting, at Arsenāls, etc.). He has held 10 solo exhibitions. In 2003 he was nominated for the Indulis Zariņš Award for young artists and received a scholarship. He was nominated for the Annual Award presented by the newspaper Diena in 2005.
An unusual and interesting work is “An Album for Tiny Tots”, compiled by A. Vītoliņš (Albums sīčiem. R.: liels un mazs, 2006), an album of Latvian contemporary art for small children, in the format of a cardboard picture book. In this book twelve Latvian artists look at art in a language that children can understand.

Along with the other contributors to the book “Tales of Children’s Lives” (Pasakas par bērnu dzīvi. Compiled by I. Zandere; artists: A. Vītoliņš, I. Maurīte, G. Gabrāns, O. Zitmanis, K. Neiburga. R.: liels un mazs, 2005), he received a special award for bringing parents and children closer together in the Zelta ābele 2005 book art competition held by the Latvian Association of Publishers. It was also chosen as the most beautiful book by readers in a vote in the internet portal Delfi, held in parallel with the competition. This unique book, dedicated to the birthday of H. C. Andersen, brings together 72 fairy-tales written by children and selected by writers in a competition held by the Danish Cultural Institute in Latvia. The five chapters of the book have been illustrated by five Latvian artists, creating a new kind of art product that is interesting not only for children, but also for adults as an original document of the time. The book was also nominated for the 2006 Jānis Baltvilks Prize.

For adults, children’s books have been replaced by the tabloid press. The format is similar: it’s all jolly and colourful. (Andris Vītoliņš)