Liepāja Resident Proves: Art Shouldn't Be Hidden Like a Russian Oligarch's Yacht
Raivs Zabja liked art that lives, not art that sleeps in museum basements. He believed censorship was like rain on Liepāja beach - unwelcome.
While art collectors in Riga hide their treasures like Karosta hides its secret tunnels, there lived a man in Liepāja who thought differently. Raivs Zabja believed that art is like a good concert on Putnu Street - it should be seen and heard by everyone.
'He wasn't some hermit who wanted to look at pictures in solitude,' says local art enthusiast Inta. 'Art for him was like a tram - it's for everyone, not just the drivers.' Indeed, while other patrons build private galleries like bunkers, Zabja thought the opposite - what's the point of art if only the owner and his cat can see it?
At his residence in Saraiķi - which, by the way, is much more beautiful than any Riga elite's house - he gathered artists. Not some boring tea drinking with dry cookies, but real creative evenings. 'It was like Liepāja's Rock Music Festival, but with paintings,' laughs local photographer Jānis.
Zabja's passion was contemporary art, and he spread it around the world like Liepāja wind - with force and purpose. As a result, Latvia's and Liepāja's name rang out in distant lands, while Riga snobs were still thinking about how to properly arrange their private collections. He considered censorship unacceptable - just as we consider it unacceptable for someone to call our city 'windy Riga's backwater'.
⚠️ Satirical article. Facts are preserved, but the presentation is humorous. For accurate information, please refer to the original source.