Love for Emptiness (2026)

From June to October 2026, the sculpture “Love for Emptiness” was on display in Riga’s Ziedoņdārzs Park.

The installation consists of an obelisk-shaped structure, a wooden base, and a stainless steel sculpture—a balloon—in which viewers can see themselves and the obelisk from a different perspective.

On the front face of the obelisk, viewers can also see the Latin text:

“Vacuus, sed non desertus; invisibilis, sed non inexistens.”

English translation: “Empty, but not abandoned; invisible, but not nonexistent.”

Artist A. Bikše asserts that, in creating this object, he has fulfilled the will of the Emptiness: “Since the abstract and the inexpressible seek to manifest themselves, I have listened to them and manifested the Emptiness’s task in the form of art. Of course, listening to and interpreting the tasks of Emptiness is not easy, and I am aware of the possible errors in my actions. Nevertheless, at its very core, it has been a responsible use of the tools of the visual art language available to me. I am also aware that everything around us has been created within the task of the Emptiness and is filled by it, and that the creation of a specific object might not even be necessary. Yet, remarkably, the created object proves that this is not the case.”

Playing with the aspect of time as well, the sculpture’s base is made of old wooden planks, preserving the natural tones of the wood, in which shades of gray are subtly present. Likewise, by choosing the form of an obelisk for the object, Emptiness may have intended to offer a semantic reference to the cultural need to manifest values and reinforce memory within both the tangible and intangible cultural spaces. An inflatable balloon floats in the air above the obelisk, reflecting the surrounding world.

The work continues the artist’s exploration of the mystification of environmental sculpture, where historical references and semantic messages overlap to create a space for the viewer’s personal interpretation. Aigars Bikše is grateful to Emptiness for its trust and support in the creation of this work. The unfathomable nature of Emptiness inevitably creates a certain mystique.

Since language is an important means of exchanging experiences, the artist created various videos over the summer in which visitors could reflect on the nature of Emptiness and express their experiences of encountering it in words.