Juris Petraškevičs

Juris Petraškevičs studied graphic art and began his career in graphics, but his creativity knows no bounds. Anything becomes possible when thoughts persist, associations refuse to rest, characters converge, and the search for meaning becomes unavoidable. He is no longer just a graphic artist but also a painter, sculptor, poetic visionary, and more.

In the velvety-black mezzotints of the 1970s–1980s (the fine technique Juris Petraškevičs reintroduced to Latvian graphic art), he delves into the secrets of stones steeped in tales and histories of nations, uncovering the human essence hidden behind the masks of birds, fish, and other creatures. In the 1990s, paths to realisations – or even fleeting insights – grew increasingly intricate, like labyrinths that mislead with each new question and twist with every attempt at an answer. There is no single answer, no absolute clarity. Nor is there a single method for applying the paint. Layers build upon one another, as one shade transforms into another, gradually losing its vibrancy and essence. Red intertwines with grey, morphing into a subdued pink that deepens with black, fractures with a sombre sea-blue, and undergoes constant transformation – ever shifting, always evolving. Existence and decay in an eternal dance of concurrency?

"For me, change is essential; I embrace the new and thrive on creativity in my expressions. Being creative means living life on my own terms, finding joy in what I do, and embracing the freedom that comes with the ability to create something of my own." He adds: "I take pride in the outcome, yet it's the experience of creating that I truly relish." It is impossible not to mention the musicality that runs through the Petraškevičs family – all three children are professional musicians, and the son, Jānis Petraškevičs, is among the most renowned Latvian composers of our time. Juris Petraškevičs himself feels a deep affinity for jazz, with its free improvisations, and for contemporary music, with all its complexity, its breaking of conventions, its sometimes provocative otherness. Father and son, each working in his own art form and with his own means of expression, often find that their sensibilities toward life and art, their ways of thinking, and even their choice of striking solutions (increasingly so!) resonate, harmonise, intertwine in unexpected ways, and enrich one another. Between them – and, it seems, also between their works – deep, captivating, heartfelt dialogues arise. In the visual realm for one, in the world of sound for the other, these processes continue to unfold. "When I work, I don't know where it will lead," the artist says. In an interview with Latvian Radio 3 Klasika (Classical Music) about his latest solo exhibition Nenoteiktie žesti (Indefinite Gestures; XO Gallery, Riga, 2024), he admits that he sees certain parallels with his son's musical scores, where "not only notes appear, but also strange graphic signs, rhythms, annotations, corrections in various colours [..]; visuality and sound merge [..], yet everything can be played. [..] I even imagine – perhaps some of my works, too, could be performed as music!"

Juris Petraškevičs was born on 25 May 1953 in Riga.

He graduated from Riga Secondary School of Applied Arts in 1972 and from the Graphic Art Department of the Art Academy of Latvia in 1978. He earned an MA in 2003. Juris Petraškevičs is a professor at the Art Academy of Latvia, where he serves as the Head of the Visual Art Department. He works extensively in the field of book art. He is a co-founder of the publishing house Neputns, serving as both publisher and artist from 1998 to 2013; and he worked as chief artist for the magazine Rīgas Laiks from 2014 to 2024.

He has been participating in exhibitions since 1972. Juris Petraškevičs has represented Latvian art at Tallinn Print Triennial and Vilnius Book Graphics Triennial, the Biennale of small form graphics in Banská Bystrica, Riga Miniature Graphics Triennial, and many other large international art exhibitions, recently in Japan (2021), Italy (2023), Germany (2024), and South Korea (2024). He has organised more than 30 solo exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, including in Belgium (1990), France (together with Ilmārs Blumbergs, 1991), Norway (1991, 1993, 2002), Estonia (2003). He participated in the Berlin Children's Literature Festival Berlin Book Islands in 2017. Juris Petraškevičs served as the artist for the animated films Miega vilcieniņš (Train of sleep, 1996) and Neparastie rīdzinieki (The unusual Rigans, 2001).

He has been a member of the Latvian Artists' Union since 1979. He has held prominent positions in the Latvian Artists' Union, serving as Chairman of the Graphics Section, First Secretary of the Management Board (1987–1992), and President (1992–1994).

Juris Petraškevičs was awarded Grand Prix (1983) and a diploma (1986) at Tallinn Print Triennial, a prize of the Ministry of Culture of Latvia (1983) and Grand Prix (1990) at Riga Miniature Graphics Triennial, the main prize at Vilnius Book Graphics Triennial (1987) and a prize from the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania (1990). He received the Award of the Year from the Latvian Artists' Union (2003), the Golden Apple Tree Award in book art (2001, 2004, 2009), Jānis Baltvilks Award (2006), an honorary diploma, and an entry in the IBBY (The International Board on Books for Young People) book (2008), etc. Latvijas Banka's coin series Pamati (Zeme, Debess, Liktenis) (Roots (Earth, heaven, destiny)) was named the Most Artistic Coins of 2004 at the international coin contest organised by the publishing house Krause Publications and its magazine World Coin News.

His works are included in the collections of the Latvian National Museum of Art, the Latvian Artists' Union Museum, the National Library of Latvia, the Zimmerli Art Museum (US), etc.

The biography was prepared by Rūta Muižniece,
Master of Arts