Here’s your chance to take part in Riga Photomonth 2019

Upcoming photographers are being being given the chance to get their portfolios seen by some of the New East’s leading industry professionals at Riga Photomonth.

Applications are now open for this year’s festival, which will take place in the Latvian capital from 13 May until 16 June. 11 formal exhibitions will be taking place alongside artist talks, guided tours, and film screenings.

The portfolio review, which is aimed at emerging and mid-career photographers, will take place on 16 May, with the likes of Berndt Arell from Fotografiska in Stockholm, Malcolm Dickson from Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow, and Olga Osipova from Bird in Flight magazine all taking part. The event is a platform both for those seeking professional feedback on their developed projects and guidance on conceptual approaches to artistic practice.

The festival’s playful theme, “Eating Pineapples on the Moon”, was inspired by a student essay written in 1960s Soviet Russia. In it, a child describes her utopian vision of communism in 1981. Organisers say that they want artists to explore the concept of collective utopias in the modern world, amid a global resurgence of nationalism and disillusionment.

“Utopian future scenarios from the past have not experienced an apocalypse. It cannot be said that we are living in the ruins of the past failures,” organisers say. “Instead, utopian visions of the past have sunk into the ideas of corruption, bureaucracy, kleptocracy, populism, and national romanticism.”

For more information on submitting your application, click here.