Interview: Ieva Klingenberga
Luca Curci talks with Ieva Klingenberga during BARCELONA CONTEMPORARY 2021, 3rd Edition, at Valid World Hall Gallery.

Ieva Klingenberga was born on September 17, 1986 in Riga, Latvia. She is a composer and audiovisual artist. Ieva accomplished her Master’s degree in Composition with prof. Rolands Kronlaks at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in 2012 and the Master in Audiovisual composition with prof. Paolo Pachini at the Conservatorio di Musica G.Tartini di Trieste (Italy) in 2019. Since 2012 Ieva is a member of the Latvian Composers Union. During her studies she has participated in various workshops and masterclasses abroad, such as “Matrix12 on Tour”(Poland), the European Media Training workshop Summer MEDIA Studio (Lithuania) etc. Her music has been performed at the contemporary music festival Latvian New Music Days in Riga (2010,2011, 2012,2018), at the Avignon festival in France (2012), at the 12th Annual CSUF New Music Festival: Voice in the 21st Century in USA (2013), in Switzerland etc. In 2014 “Insomnia” for vocal ensemble was performed by German vocal ensemble Octavians on the 29th May at the German Choir Competition 9.Deutscher Chorwettbewerb 2014 in Weimar,Germany. In 2015 “Lamp Fever” was broadcast on Portuguese national radio and was performed by Loudspeaker Orchestra at the “Electronic Geographies” in Lisabon,Portogal. Her audiovisual compositions were also screened at the International Music festival The Musical Matter of World which is the part of the International symposium of art figures ART-AREA CHINA 2015 at the Hebei Normal University in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China, then at the Fresh Minds Festival 2015 in USA, at the International Video Festival DIGITALBIGSCREEN 2015, in Slovenia, at the It’s LIQUID International Art Show in Venice 2017 and 2020, at the Gallery LemoArt in the centre of Berlin 2017, at the ALCHEMIC BODY| FIRE . AIR . WATER . EARTH, International photography, painting, installation, video-art and performance art festival in Argentina 2017, at the art exhibition “Hic et Nunc. L’arte apre le porte all’infinito”at the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Italy (2018), at the international art exhibition “La Mente Artistica – Giovani donne artiste a confronto”in Roma,Italy in 2017,2018,2019, at the international art exhibition “Emozioni in Mostra – L’Armenia incontra il Mondo”at Castel dell’Ovo, Napoli, Italy 2019, at the festival Kaivos Festivaali at Vanha Kaivos,Outokumpu in Finland 2019, at the international New Music festival Arēna in Latvia 2020.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Ieva Klingenberga – Art is an expression of what it means to be human. Music is my religion. I truly believe that sound has a healing power and music will save us as a human beings.As Albert Einstein says:”Everything in Life is Vibration”. Sound is also a vibration and so are thoughts. Art is an essential component of my life, it is a lifestyle. It is the way i experience and understand the world. “Both color and sound affect the human spirit in accordance with the law of harmony”says Hazrat Inajat Khan. For me, art is also a philosophy. Art can help us heal.

LC – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
IK – Since a very young age I was interested in art and music as i grew up in a musican family. I loved playing the piano, singing, drawing, coloring. As i was growing the passion for the music and art grew even more. Later, when i was studing the Musical Composition at the Latvian Academy of Music i loved to travel by partecipating at various workshops, masterclasses, festivals in Europe and have my Erasmus studies abroad. In this way i learned more what’s happening in the artistic scene in other contries aswell. This led me to many creative collaborations. I loved to unite the arts so i decided to study the audiovisual composition in Italy and i’m really happy i did it. I improved my knowledges about how to perceive, explore, create the audiovisual art by using different kind of techniques and methods. An audiovisual composition is a multimedia artwork which contains three basic elements: audio/music, video, interacting audiovisual element. 

LC – Where do you find your inspiration? 
IK – Actually, the inspiration can appear in any moment and any place, it is important to spend time in my own thoughts. Playing some musical instrument, being in nature, reading books and doing something creative helps a lot, but still it could sit inside my head for a while, and then emerges. 

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
IK – We live in a so called digital age- in a connected world where technology brings benefits. Digital transformation has affected the lives of people. Nowadays most forms of mass media, television, recorded music and film are produced and even distributed digitally. So, nowadays, for an artist it is much easier to get noticed and be connected with the world by performing live at online events or participating at virtual exhibitions etc Especially now when we are still experiencing a global pandemic, an artist have an important role. This is a time to value the arts.

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way?
IK – Absolutely and I think it is a great thing. I was and I am always searching for new ways of expression which satisfies my artistic desires. 

LC – What do you think about the concept of this festival? How did it inspire you?
IK – Very interesting, the festival themes are always challenging and inspiring so artists can get the intellectual and artistic joy out of it.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
IK – BARCELONA CONTEMPORARY 2021 analyzes the relationship between body and space, and the hybridization between identities and cultural/physical/social/urban settings in contemporary time. The section FUTURE LANDSCAPES are abstract, infinite and conceptual, focuses on the concept of the borders and the structures between body, mind and soul, the human identity and the city, the space and the ground. My audiovisual composition “Hic et nunc” (2020) at its macro level, the seven parts reflect the spiritual transformation of humanity from current social distancing to social harmony. Each part is like a musically theatrical sketch on an intellectual level, which together forms a cycle in which the views and religions of ancient civilizations interact with modern philosophy: anthropology, metaphysics, psychoacoustics, animism, physical phenomena and mathematical models, symbolism , non-traditional medicine, including phytotherapy, music therapy and art therapy, meditation, existentialism, psychology of perception.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
IK – Yes, it really can.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us? 
IK – Of course.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
IK – The ITSLIQUID platform presents quality contemporary works, and it offers great opportunities for artists to showcase their art. It is a very good space to know what happens in art and its various areas.