Sandis Kondrats (Latvia) and Eva Suzuko McGrew (USA)
"Believe it or not, a prayer for Latvia!"
One for all and all for one. Only together, young and old, men, women and children, Latvian speakers and Russian speakers, we can really build and develop Latvia. Riga is a masterpiece which was built on sand hills over hundreds of years by many hands. It is time to join together and realise our dreams.
Sandis Kondrāts has a master’s degree, specializing in sculpture, from the Art Academy of Latvia. Since 2004 Sandis has regularly participated in international sand and ice sculpture festivals throughout the world. He is also the president of the Baltic Sand Sculpture Association.
Eva Suzuko McGrew has studied the Performing Arts at the University of Southern California, but since 2003 is occupied with sand sculpture. In 2008 Eva won the “Grand Prix” at “Virginia Beach”, the most important sand sculpture contest in the USA.
Uldis Zarins (Latvia)
Emperor is naked
Hans Christian Andersen once wrote a tale “The Emperor's New Clothes”. It tells about an Emperor, who believed in his subjects’ flattery and lies and thus was unable to admit that his new clothes were just imagination. He was naked in reality.
This sculpture was carved at the Magic Sand Riga park between the Latvian parliamentary dissolution referendum and election of the new parliament. Latvian people have finally said loudly – the emperor is naked! It is time to find proper clothes for the emperor.
Lacplesis, Winnie the Pooh, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, Cheburashka – perhaps you know any of them?
Uldis Zarins has graduated from Latvian Art Academy in sculpting speciality and has studied at the sculptor’s Glebs Pantelejevs master class. He actively takes part in the European and world’s largest sand and ice sculpture festivals. Uldis is also a vice president of the Baltic Sand Sculpting Association. Uldis’s Zarins and Sandis’s Kondrats team was the winner in the People's Choice category at Sand Sculpting Championship in Virginia Beach, North America.
Agnese Rudzite (Latvia)
„Best friends"
Believe it or not, but it sometimes happens that enemies become the best of friends. And thus, both become winners. This allegory is about friendship being better than enmity.
Agnese Rudzīte graduated the Liepāja Pedagogy Institute, specialising in art education and in 2007 received a master’s degree in sculpture, from the Art Academy of Latvia. This year, she won in the international ice sculpture festival “Ice Fantasy “, in Habarovsk, Russia.
Wilfred Stijger (Netherlands)
„Crop of Canova”
The Romans raped the Sabine virgins to increese the population of Rome!
In my sculpture is a fragment of that moment. Inspired by the original sculptures made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Antonio Canova of “The rape of the Sabine women”. I focus on the capture itself to show that this was a big dramatic moment in history. Believe it or not!
Wilfred Stijger has worked as a painter and sculptor since 1986, but since 1989 has worked with sand sculpture. He is one of the most widely recognised participants in “Magic Sand “ as he has repeatedly won prizes in prestigious word-class sand sculpture championships in Sondervig, Denmark and Harrison, Canada.
Edith Van De Wetering (Netherlands)
„Getting inspiration”
To create a masterpiece inspiration is needed. It is not clear whence this inspiration comes. Sometimes it is here and sometimes not. Perhaps inspiration is being whispered in your ear all the time, but you can only hear it if you listen very carefully.
Last year the artist, Edith Van De Wetering, working with Wilfred Stijger, won first prize in the teamwork section of the North American sand sculpture championships, in Virginia. She is a regular participant in both sand and ice sculpture festivals and championships, including those in Latvia.
Ieva Saulite (Latvia)
“Window”
Believe it or not – this is only sand. But sand can be a window to another world, astonishing and full of wonder.
Ieva Saulīte graduated the Art Academy of Latvia with a master’s degree in sculpture and has continued her studies at the Canterbury Creative Arts University, in Great Britain. For several years now, Ieva actively exhibits and participates in art manifestations in Latvia, and both directs and coordinates various cultural projects.
Karlis Ile (Latvia)
„Flamenco”
Sand and sculpture tend to be static. But it is possible to transcend the limitations of the media and to endow sand with movement and passion – a flamenco dance. Believe it or not – it will happen!
Kārlis Īle is a graduate of the sculpture department of the Art Academy of Latvia and his work has been exhibited in Pedvāle, can be seen in many Latvian towns and art collections. Since 1996, Kārlis has also turned to ice and sand sculpture. He has won fist place in the world ice sculpture championship in Harbin, China and in the international ice sculpture festival in Habarovsk, Russia.
Liga Zarina (Latvia)
“ Being “
The creation and development of any live being is always a miracle. A multitude of complicated forms and structures, not always visible to the eye, emerge as though from nothing.
Līga Zariņa is a graduate of the sculpture department of Art Academy of Latvia. Since 2008 Līga has also participated in international sand sculpture festivals. In the Jūrmala sand sculpture festival “Magic Sand“, Līga and Uldis Zariņš created a seven meter high sand sculpture – “Megamurķelis“, setting a new record for the highest sand sculpture in the Baltic States.
Natalia Chistyakova (Russia)
”Wonder world of Maurits Escher”
When I think of what is real and unreal in art, I imagine pieces of Maurits Escher with his optical illusions. He creates his own world of unreality from real things, seen every day. I have constructed his black and white graphics in relief, to give an illusion of a real picture.
Natalia Chistacov is a graduate of the Sankt-Petersburg Arts and Design Academy. Since 2000 she has been a member of the Artists Association of Russia. She creates sculptures both in stone and wood and in ice and sand, participating actively in festivals in the whole world. In 2010 she was placed second in the Nordic countries sand sculpture championship “Art meets Sand, in Helsinki. She has also won several Russian ice and sand competitions.
Vladimir Kurayev ( Russia )
“Journey of the Soul”
Heavenly powers weave a spider’s web of time and fate. This web is like a cosmic map. The radial lines are the beginnings of life, the circular – the existential element. The centre of the web could be the sun, spreading its rays, or it could, just as easily symbolise death.
One of Russia’s best sand and ice sculptors, Vladimir Kurayev will join the “ Magic Sand Riga “ festival. He is a member of the Moscow Artists Association and has created sand sculptures since1996. Vladimir has been the winner of various medals, including the gold, at the USA snow sculpture festival, in Breckenridge.
Zigmunds Vilnis (Latvia)
„The familiar dance”
In ancient times slaves were not free people. Every day, without pay or complaint, they carried stones, to build the ruler’s castle. The stones were heavy and the road long, thus the slaves progress was very slow, like a snail’s. But then a new and very clever ruler came to power and he freed the slaves. He told them that the new castle must be completed and thus, those who wished, could choose to continue to work and that he would pay them a copeck for each stone they brought. And so all the previous slaves continued to carry stones very conscientiously, knowing that more stones meant more copecks. The generations changed but the free people continued to be slaves, this time not to a ruler but to the copeck. Believe it or not – the copeck can teach even a snail to dance !
Zigmunds Vilnis is a graduate of the Art Academy of Latvia, where he received a Humanities master’s degree in Art. He is considered to be one of the initiators of the sand sculpture movement in Latvia as, since 1996, he organises the “ Zelta smilts grauds “ (golden sand grain) in Pāvilosta, where sand sculptures are created by art school students.
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