RAW conversations - Art Gallery Ecosystem in the Baltics

On Thursday, May 29, from 16:00 to 17:00 at the Art Academy of Latvia, Riga Art Week will host “RAW Conversations” – “Taming the Unicorn: Art Gallery Ecosystem in the Baltics” – a panel discussion on contemporary art galleries in the Baltic region.

Under the moderation of Auguste Petre, participants will discuss the role and positioning of contemporary art support structures and reflect on the significance of Baltic art initiatives in today’s cultural landscape. Admission is free.

Panel participants:

• Lilian Hiob-Küttis, curator and gallerist (Hoib Gallery, Estonia; formerly Temnikova & Kasela)
• Justė Jonutytė, art advisor, educator, and writer (Lithuania)
• Elīna Drāke, gallerist, Chair of the Latvian Gallery Association (Latvia)
• Šelda Puķīte, curator of exhibitions and international project manager at Kogo Gallery (Estonia / Latvia)

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Taming the Unicorn*: Art Gallery Ecosystem in the Baltics 

In the 1990s, the Baltic states turned their gaze westward, adopting not only social but also economic and cultural practices. This shift contributed to the emergence of the contemporary art industry, fostering a continuous dialogue among artists, gallerists, curators, and collectors. Over the past three decades since the conscious introduction of contemporary art concepts in the region, the ecosystem of art spaces, participants, terminologies, and reflections has evolved significantly. 

The daily realities of contemporary art in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have developed distinctly, influenced by varying degrees of public and private support, art market dynamics, and the nature of collaborations embraced by artists and institutions. 

The discussion "Taming the Unicorn: Art Gallery Ecosystem in the Baltics" will delve into issues concerning the support and positioning necessary for contemporary art within today's Baltic art scene. It will also invite contemplation and highlight the importance of collaborative art projects among the Baltic states in the current context. 

*The unicorn in myth is depicted as a hunting beast with one horn, thus drawing parallels with vulnerability (the virgin) and sometimes with suffering and hope.

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Auguste Petre is an independent curator and co-founder of Galerija ASNI. She holds a Master's degree in Art History and Curatorial Studies from the Art Academy of Latvia and is currently pursuing her PhD. Since 2021 A. Petre has been a lecturer at the Art Academy of Latvia. Petre's main interests are new materiality and post-socialist identity in Baltic art. She has curated more than 20 contemporary art exhibitions with international artists. Recent highlights include Helēna Heinrihsone's "Wanderers", Katrīna Neiburga's "Sologamy" and MAREUNROL'S solo exhibition "Fieldwork: Invisible exercises". All of these projects were nominated for the Purvītis Prize 2025. Since 2017, Auguste Petre has been working as an art journalist, regularly contributing to publications for Latvian and international media. In 2023, Petre created a contemporary art collection for SEB Global Services.

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Lilian Hiob-Küttis (b 1991) is an independent curator and art agent, founder of Hoib Gallery and the former manager of Temnikova & Kasela Gallery.She has an MA in Art History and Visual Culture from the Estonian Academy of Arts. She is a guest lecturer in curatorial studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts and teaches at the university’s Open Academy.Hiob-Küttis’ curatorial work has included collaborations with large companies such as Sunly and Synlab. Her recent exhibitions include Exobiota at Kogo Gallery, Tartu; Shifting Sand at Asni Gallery, Riga; Breaking up of Ice on a River at Margot Samel Gallery, New York; the group exhibition Femisphere from Kaupo Karelson’s private collection; The Shape of Things to Come at Noewe Foundation, Vilnius; and Present yet-to-be at Hobusepea Gallery, Tallinn.Hiob-Küttis’ upcoming projects include exhibitions at Punctum Gallery and the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design.

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Justė Jonutytė is a Curator and Art Advisor with over 15 years of international experience across leading Art Institutions and within the fields of Art Investment and Education. With a Master's degree in Art History from the University of St Andrews (UK), she has built a dynamic and multifaceted career at the intersection of curatorial practice, market consultancy, and cultural leadership. Throughout her career, she has worked at Tate Modern in London and the Jonas Mekas Studio and Archive in New York. From 2013 to 2019, she served as the Director of RUPERT in Vilnius—one of the Baltics’ most prominent contemporary art and residency centres, where she developed an influential residency and public program supporting emerging artists and thinkers. In 2023, she founded The Art Club, Lithuania—a curated community for art enthusiasts and collectors, dedicated to deeper engagement with contemporary art through educational formats, events, and guided collecting. For over a decade, Justė has advised private clients and collections on strategic art acquisitions and investment.

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Elīna Drāke - Curator, Co-founder Galerija ASNI and Gallery Association of Latvia. Elīna Drāke is curator and gallerist from Riga, Latvia. In 2023 together with co-founder and curator Auguste Petre she founded gallery ASNI. Additionally, Elīna serves as the Chair of the Board of the Gallery Association of Latvia. With a decade of experience in museum and gallery management, as well as exhibition production, Elina has effectively organised various art-related educational events, such as lectures, discussions, publications, and other initiatives focused on contemporary art, theory, and pertinent social issues. Elīna Drāke has served as the Executive Director of the Kim? Contemporary Art Centre (2019-2023). Throughout her career, Elina has organised over 30 exhibitions, demonstrating her prowess in executing ambitious international projects. Elina's professional journey has involved collaborating with a diverse array of emerging and established artists and curators from across the globe. Elina has represented Latvian artists at various prominent art fairs in Europe and the USA, and has organised enriching art trips and provided invaluable guidance to art collectors.

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Šelda Puķīte (b. 1986) is a Latvian curator, writer and researcher based in Estonia. Her formal education includes a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree from the Department of Art History and Theory at the Art Academy of Latvia. She has worked on several international exhibitions, curated stands for several art fairs including Liste Art Fair Basel, viennacontemporary and Art Brussels, published art albums, created catalogues for contemporary art festivals Survival Kit and Riga Photography Biennial, as well as written several essays for Baltic culture publications. Her most recent curated exhibitions include Eike Eplik's solo exhibition “In Times When Everything Else Seems More Important”(2025) at Kogo Gallery, Tartu, “Silver Girls. Retouched History of Baltic Photography” (2025) together with Agnė Narušytė and Indrek Grigor at National Gallery of Art, Vilnius, and “White Dwarfs and All Those Beautiful Nebulas” (2024) at Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga. Since 2020, she works at Kogo Gallery as an international project manager and exhibition programme curator.

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