THE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF THIS REPRESENTATIVE OF LATVIAN AVANT-GARDE WAS HONED AT THE ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT OF THE RIGA TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, WHICH HE GRADUATED IN 1975, AND THE LATVIAN STATE ACADEMY OF ART, WHERE HE CONTINUED HIS DEVELOPMENT AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND A STRONG ARTISTIC PERSONALITY, GRADUATING FROM THE PRINTMAKING DEPARTMENT IN 1981. THE ARTIST HAS BEEN PARTICIPATING IN EXHIBITIONS SINCE 1977. IN HIS WORK HE EMPLOYS VARIOUS MATERIALS AND SETS OF CREATIVE TECHNIQUES TAILORED TO EACH OF HIS WORKS OF ART, THUS BUILDING HIS OWN INDIVIDUAL AND SPECIAL ARTISTIC HANDWRITING. IT IS BASED ON A VIVID AND EMOTIONAL PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD; IN HIS WORKS OF ART AND SPATIAL OBJECTS, INSTALLATIONS AND PERFORMANCES THE ARTIST ACTUALIZES THE CURRENT SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL FIELD AND ITS OBJECTS OF DISCUSSION, CREATING HIS PHILOSOPHICAL PRIMARY IMAGES, EVALUATING AND CRITIQUING THEM WITH REGARD TO ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL CATEGORIES. THE CRITERION OF THEIR RECOGNISABILITY IS NATIONAL IDENTITY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WORLD PERCEPTION CATEGORIES. THE MID-1980S WERE A PARTICULARLY ACTIVE PERIOD IN THE ARTIST’S CREATIVE LIFE; IN 1986 HE CREATED THE FIRST LATVIAN LARGE-SCALE SUPERPRINTS, “ZINNESIS” (MESSENGER) AND “PRETNIS” (OPPOSITE). WITH THIS EXHIBITION, WE MET IN MARCH…, THE ARTIST ATTACHES THE INFINITY SYMBOL TO TIME, DISCUSSIONS – HE TACKLES SUBJECTS OF A GLOBAL SCALE. THE UNFATHOMABLE MYSTICAL COSMIC BACKGROUNDS OF OUR LIVES ARE THE DRIVING FORCES OF THE ARTIST’S CREATIVE THOUGHT. JURIS ARTURS PUTRAMS’ PICTORIAL IMAGE SYSTEM IS ACCURATELY TUNED TO THE SUBJECT MATTER; THE VARIETY OF MATERIALS USED BY THE ARTIST PROVIDES A CONTRASTING CONTRIBUTION TO THE VISUAL ENTIRETY OF THE EXHIBITION. THE GREAT TRUTH IS “GLUED” TO MATTER OR CAN BE FELT AS A SUBSTANCE VIBRATING IN THE AIR. THE ARTIST REDUCES THE CONCEPT OF TIME TO A FOUR LETTER LONG KEY TO THE DOOR BEHIND WHICH WE ALL EXIST – HIDING, ACTING, DISCUSSING THE ABSTRACT, PONDERING BEAUTY, BRUTALITY AND ETHICS… SEEKING OUR IDENTITY.

TEXT: ILZE KUIŠELE, DIRECTOR OF TIFANA ART GALLERY