Inga Meldere at Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga

Inga Meldere as a part of the exhibition Don't Cry! at the Latvian National Museum of Art.

Exhibition dates: 15 July - 15 October, 2023.

Curated by Elita Ansone

The exhibition's title, Don't Cry!, implies a prohibition to express emotions and hence opinion. It recalls the image cultivated during the Soviet occupation of the heroic Soviet woman who overcomes all life's difficulties without complaining and subjects it to irony. The stigma of the strong woman and Soviet women's misguided pride in their ability to live under harsh conditions has hindered a critical perspective towards everyday problems and a spirit of social struggle, and this psychological heritage can still be felt today.