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The artist Jānis Šneiders began working on the mural “Live Broadcast” on the front of Jelgava Centra Elementary School. It will be dedicated to the theme of nature and is a gift to Jelgava from the “Viegli” educational initiative “Ziedoņas klase” of the Imants Ziedonis Foundation.

“In collaboration with the fund “Mākslai vajag telpu” and with the support of the European Economic Area Financial Instrument, the “Ziedoņa klase” project will implement five large-scale art works in Latvia – one painting will be created in each region of Latvia, and Jelgava has been chosen for the Zemgale region. Jelgava is the heart of Zemgale, a cultural center, with which the foundation and the “Ziedoņa klase” have established a very successful cooperation. One of the project’s goals is to engage the younger generation in contemporary art and culture, and this mural is one way to encourage that,” says Elizabete Pavlovska, the head of the “Ziedoņa klase”, revealing that the mural is inspired by the ideas expressed in I. Ziedonis book “Es, cilvēks, pasaulē” (I, Human, in the World) about all living beings as rays of light.

“Birds have successfully adapted to city life, and the cities have become their horns of plenty. The birdhouse nestled in the blue sky is a room for new, chirping neighbors who are warmly invited to settle down with the rest of the house inhabitants. The birdhouse becomes an object of anticipation – who, when, and will anyone move in? Perhaps there will be soap opera-worthy events unfolding inside? Even if no one creates a space for family life in it, it can also serve as a good shelter from rain, sun, or other birds… The sky wall is a pause, a rest for tired eyes with the potential for elements of a bird-life performance. The sky represents freedom, peace, dreams, hope, and also a symbol of fertility, and the house in it – it can be ours too. The mural is an invitation to peace and understanding, for all of us to live under one roof – the sky of Earth,” explain the authors of the project.

Over the past few years, the mural’s author, J. Šneiders, has become one of the most noticeable and discussed young Latvian artists. In his paintings, the finest details of everyday life transform into metaphysical realism, and his deep dive into intricacies reveals a completely new, hyper-real perspective on life processes. In 2020, J. Šneiders received the Secco Pontanova Foundation’s Klaus Mihalec Award (Germany) as the best emerging artist from Eastern Europe – the Baltics, thus gaining the opportunity to participate in the international contemporary art fair “POSITIONS Berlin 2020” with a solo exhibition. He was also nominated for the Purvīša Prize for his personal exhibition “Vieta” (Place). In 2019, the artist received the “Nordic & Baltic Young Artist Award” for painting. Since 2017, he has held eight solo exhibitions in Latvia, Sweden, and Germany and has participated in 30 group exhibitions.