“What grows from the things you’ve lost?” is a conceptual work reflecting on the fragmented kinship of Jays and Latvians, shaping its natural landscape and identity.

The whisper of a Jay bird echoes through a barren Latvian landscape.

In a space many would overlook, artist Kenny Ros noticed the silent strength and resilience of Latvian monumental oaks – trees that have kept growing through centuries of storms and wars. As strength and resilience fades away from the artist’s body – suffering from a progressive muscle disease – he has found solace in identifying himself with the most decaying and senescent oaks along his path.

In the short film the artist juxtaposes the lonesome giants with the fragile, small and quick jay birds – the natural spreaders of acorns, serving as an analogy to Latvians themselves – carrying out the work of the birds by planting 100 oak trees across the country’s border during the centennial festivities.

Through extensive research using archive materials, interviewing locals and exploring Latvia on many field trips, Kenny commemorates the national heritage oaks. Combining photography, installations and audiovisual works, the exhibition preserves the memory of the sacred trees and carries over the sublime feeling of interacting with the monumental oaks. Transcending the limits of space and time we get to experience the cycles of creation and decay that take many human lifetimes to witness in nature.

Using curtains and veils the exhibition hints at the mysteries of Latvian folklore held by the ancient oaks and invites us to see these natural monuments in a different light. By removing the trees from their natural habitat and contrasting them with earth-toned monochrome, the focus shifts towards the abstract and creates a space for intuitive reflection.

Text written by Anna Dvinska, freelance writer and collaborator from Latvia.