Egils Rozenbergs / Slowly Disappearing Softness

Prominent Latvian textile artist Egils Rozenbergs’ contemporary Gobelins  is a creative depiction of the symbols and signs typical of the age and the significant transformations of technology and materials.

Technique: Polyester, polypropylene, acrylic.

Using traditional weaving techniques and the classical wall hanging format, Rozenbergs’ objects reveal the possibilities for expression characteristic of the electronic age at the beginning of the 21st century. The artist has turned to until now unused materials and motifs evoking thoughts on what an unusual time we lived in – a time ruled by vinyl records, when the tape recorder era advanced from wide to narrow tapes and when Pink Floyd was all the rage. Then everyone was captivated by videos that provided information on world events and the latest films that was otherwise impossible to obtain in Latvia during the time of stagnation. All these technologies that were current once have quickly become obsolete but materials have remained.

That is why, instead of the natural raw materials of wool and linen, Egils Rozenbergs has begun to work with synthetic materials – video and audio tape, polypropylene and fibres from other materials. At the same time his works reveal the specific properties of these raw materials and their ability to reflect light, which helps to heighten the visual expressiveness.

The compositions consist of geometrically abstract drawings. However, it is not abstract, but a real visual image that symbolically depicts a microchip - the heart and the main component of all devices. In addition, its laconic drawing has a compelling graphic design that resembles a sign or ornament. Each era has its own signs and symbols, and the artist tries to find the characteristic of our time, hidden in the "secret life"of microchips. ( Text by Arts scholar Dace Lamberga)