Near Miss
The family archive contains hand-redrawn railway maps, pre-war banknotes, Soviet-era documents and a passport issued during the Nazi occupation of Latvia, all of which belonged to the artist’s great-uncle Ilguts. Hoping to get closer to someone whose life he sees parallels with his own, Niklāvs Kadiķis indirectly asks whether it is possible to approach a person he has never met by examining the legacy they left behind.
“I went through the film reels, hoping to encounter Ilguts somewhere in them. The content is interesting, but it didn’t bring me the sense of closeness I had expected. Perhaps I was asking too much to an incomplete archive,” says Niklāvs Kadiķis.
Mould, surface damage and decay transform the images, sometimes obscuring what they depict, sometimes giving them unexpected forms. What would normally remain invisible, allowing us to look at the world represented in the image, moves to the foreground. Our gaze shifts towards the film itself and the processes that continue to alter it. Meanwhile, cleaning and organising the archive becomes a physical engagement with the traces left behind by a relative, offering an opportunity to establish a relationship, if not with the person themselves, then with the legacy they left behind.
The exhibition is made possible through the ISSP Open Call for emerging artists, launched for the first time in autumn 2025 as part of ISSP’s 20th anniversary programme. The initiative invited photographers at the early stages of their creative practice to apply. It is intended to become a regular open call, offering the opportunity to realise an exhibition at ISSP Gallery in Riga.
Niklāvs Kadiķis is an artist working with photography, video and installation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Latvia (2023) and completed his studies in contemporary photography at ISSP School (2025). He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the interdisciplinary POST programme at the Art Academy of Latvia. Alongside his studies, he is a member of the collective Kurss. Since 2024, he has participated in group exhibitions in Latvia.
Opening: 05.11.2026.
Exhibition dates: 06.11.2026. – 08.01.2027.
Exhibition team: Iveta Gabaliņa, Santa Ozoliņa, Elizabete Vuškāne,
Una Grants, Aivars Purmals, Aldis Bušs, Romāns Medvedevs
The exhibition is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Riga City Council.