Riga is preparing to host the second annual RAW (Riga Art Week) from May 29th to June 4th, 2026, a seven-day festival aiming to solidify the city’s position as a significant contemporary art destination in the Baltic and Northern European regions. Organized by the Latvian Gallery Association with the support of the Riga City Council, RAW 2026 will feature over 50 events with the participation of approximately 80 local and international artists, spread across more than 25 venues throughout the city. The festival seeks to boost cultural tourism, facilitate professional mobility and foster collaboration between Latvian and international art institutions.
This year’s RAW builds on the success of its inaugural event, expanding both its program and international reach. According to RAW co-founder and curator Elīna Drāke, the first year demonstrated Riga’s capacity to host a significant international contemporary art event. “We are expanding the program and the circle of international participants, continuing to strengthen Riga’s position on the European cultural calendar,” Drāke stated. The festival’s ambition is to become a long-term platform attracting new artists, curators, and cultural professionals to Riga annually.
The 2026 program centers around themes of uncertainty, tension, and paradox, reflecting a contemporary reality often characterized by unpredictable political, social, and technological shifts. Curators Drāke and Tīna Pētersone have invited artists to explore humor, irony, and the absurd as tools for navigating these complex times. This thematic focus aims to provide a lens through which to examine a world where the boundaries between the serious and the comical are increasingly blurred.
A Diverse Program Across the City
RAW 2026 will activate cultural infrastructure across various Riga districts, including Vintage Riga (Vecrīga), the city center, Skanste, Teika, Grīziņkalns, and Pārdaugava. This geographically diverse approach ensures accessibility and engagement for a wider audience. The festival’s events encompass a broad range of artistic disciplines, from performance art and visual installations to workshops and public art projects.
Among the featured artists is Cem A., a Berlin-based artist known for his function on the popular art criticism platform and Instagram account @freeze_magazine. A will present “Double Bind,” a performative discussion that combines performance art, anthropological research, and data visualization. The event will analyze the language of the participants in real-time, creating a visual representation of their thought processes.
British performance artist Rosie Gibbens will present “To Dust: A Memorial for Robot Vacuum Cleaners,” a work that playfully reflects on the relationship between humans and everyday technology. Swiss artist Tobias Gutmann will bring his internationally recognized public art project, “Face-O-Mat,” to Riga. Since 2013, Gutmann has created over 5,500 portraits in more than 38 cities worldwide, including Paris’s Centre Pompidou and Art Central Hong Kong.
Workshops, Installations, and International Collaboration
The festival also includes interactive elements like a workshop led by Lithuanian fashion designer and researcher Justina Semčenkaitė, titled “Wearable Manifesto.” Participants will create personal protest objects or symbolic garments inspired by feminist philosophy, sustainable design principles, and the history of social activism. Dutch artist Shana de Villiers will showcase a personal exhibition, “Pull(ing) Back the Scale,” at the TUR space, transforming her practice of creating hybrid figures into a large-scale installation inspired by Latvian and South African snake mythology.
Latvian choreographer Jana Jacuka, a graduate of Amsterdam’s DAS Theatre and collaborator with artists like Marina Abramović, will present a performance, HA, where the artist’s voice serves as the central material, exploring laughter as a coping mechanism. The festival will also host “Gallery Late x Riga Last Thursdays,” extending the opening hours of Riga’s galleries and art spaces with exhibitions, performances, and public events. Adding a musical dimension, System Olympia (UK), also known as Francesca Macri, will perform, blending dreamy synthesizers, raw rhythms, and captivating melodies.
RAW 2026 is partnering with several other cultural events, including the contemporary art center Kim?’s festival ĒDEN, the performance art festival Starptelpa, the Riga Photography Biennial, and the VV Foundation’s international art professionals guest program. These collaborations aim to create a synergistic cultural experience for both visitors and professionals.
Attracting International Attention
The VV Foundation’s Guest Program will bring a delegation of international media representatives and art professionals to Riga during RAW week. This group includes museum curators, institutional leaders, and residency program directors from countries including Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Among the confirmed guests are Catherine Nichols, curator at Hamburger Bahnhof and curator of the 2026 Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art; Giovanni Carmine, director of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen; and Aaron Cezar, founder and director of Delfina Foundation.
Drāke emphasized the importance of this international engagement, stating, “The RAW format allows international professionals to get acquainted with the broad Riga contemporary art scene in just one week, and this concentrated experience forms the basis for new international collaborations.”
The festival’s organizers anticipate that RAW 2026 will not only showcase the vibrancy of Riga’s art scene but also contribute to the city’s growing reputation as a cultural hub. The next key date for the festival is the release of the full event schedule in April 2026, providing detailed information on all performances, exhibitions, and workshops.
For more information about RAW 2026 and to stay updated on the program, visit the official website at rigaartweek.lv. We encourage readers to share their thoughts and experiences with the festival on social media using the hashtag #RigaArtWeek.
