The tribute to Džemma Skulme

The sketch and concept of the wall art "The tribute to Džemma Skulme" have been created by Latvian artist Kristiāns Brekte, meanwhile, the real-life wall art on the building was painted by two well-known street artists - Kiwie and Miķelis Mūrnieks.

The mural has been inspired by artworks by Džemma Skulme (1925 - 2019), especially from the series "The Return" and "The Model" where she depicted girl characters as if a child drew them. And to the mural a pink neon quote from Džemma: " Mēs visi esam sliekas, kurām jāirdina zeme." [Eng. - We are all earthworms who must till the earth.]. It can be interpreted as a reminder to the young people to make the soil - the country and society - fertile with their effort and work.

The tribute was funded by "Mākslai vajag telpu" [Eng. - Art needs place] which have already funded similar projects where two artists meet - one as inspiration from the last century and the second - as a current artist to create a bridge between two generations of artists to tell the story about great Latvian artists to the current generation.

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A few days after the mural was finished it became controversial - it was created on the wall of a Riga 40. Secondary School and raised questions from the elementary school parents about whether the mural is appropriate for children. A petition was created to remove the mural before the beginning of the school year. But, all of the decision-making and children-protecting instances did not see a need to remove a mural as it does not contain pornographic or harmful content for children and does not disturb the surrounding architectural ensemble. 

On 1 September night, the artwork was vandalized to show disrespect to the art and the artists who made them. While openly criticized and seen as grotesque, pornographic, and inappropriate by some parts of society it has become one of the most recognized murals in Riga.