Chance Meeting Leads to Exhibition at Padure Manor

The exhibition "Ember" opened at Padure Manor on Saturday, and its creation began with an unexpected encounter. Czech artist Julia Čočola came to Latvia to help friends buy a manor, as they do not speak English. During a conversation with Jānis Lazdāns, who runs his manor as a gallery, they agreed on an exhibition within three minutes. Afterwards, the artist returned to the Czech Republic and rented a house with a spacious barn, where she fully devoted herself to work. In four months, she created her first sculptures and prepared the exhibition, a process that usually takes at least a year.

Čočola, who initially studied classical painting, now works in abstraction. She explains that classical painting fails to provide creative freedom, as everyone today has a camera in their phone. Therefore, evoking emotions is more important. The exhibition is dedicated to fire, and the artist incorporated the energy of Latvia and the manor, as well as a primal connection to the earth. The central piece is an ensemble of abstract paintings created several years ago, never exhibited before. In her works, she uses symbolic links between the Czech Republic and Latvia – for example, a small sculpture, gold in front and red in back, references the Czech national animal, the lion, and the red lion of the Kurzeme coat of arms.

Friends, not a paid team, helped the artist set up the exhibition. She hopes visitors will not rush to find explanations for each work but simply feel the atmosphere. The exhibition "Ember" will be on display at Padure Manor until August 8, and other events are planned for the summer.