Forgetful and Drowsy: The Affective Atmospheres
in Contemporary Latvian Photography
Forgetful and Drowsy: The Affective Atmospheres
in Contemporary Latvian Photography
Author(s): Jana Kukaine, Jānis TaurensSubject(s): Photography, Sociology of Art
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Affective Atmosphere; Postsocialism; Latvian Contemporary Photography; Forgetting; Sleeping;
Summary/Abstract: In the article, we advance the notion of an affective atmosphere for analyzing the works ofart by two contemporary Latvian photographers—Aija Bley (b. 1967) and Arnis Balčus(b. 1978). The spatial relations of bodies and environments and the photographed sub-jects’ facial expressions and postures negotiate a sense of postsocialist affectivity that wedescribe as forgetful and drowsy. In the selected images, the affective atmospheres enactthe ambiguities of the Soviet legacies, along with the challenges of neoliberal rationalityaffecting today’s Latvian society.
Journal: Estetyka i Krytyka
- Issue Year: 68/2023
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 57-74
- Page Count: 18
- Language: English