We are happy to announce that the RIXC artists Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits are nominated for the Baltic Award 2025 in art! Starting from 2025, the Inese Galante Foundation will present a unique Baltic Award in cooperation with science, architecture, art and music organizations in all three Baltic countries. The award will honor the most outstanding personalities of the Baltic States in music, art, science and architecture – people who carry the name of not only the Baltic States, but also Europe.

The nominees in the Art category are: Rasa Šmite and Raitis Šmits, Amanda Ziemele and Skuja Braden / artist duo Ingūna Skuja & Melissa Brade. The nominations in the category "Art" were submitted by the Art Academy of Latvia.

Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits are Latvian artists, founders of the RIXC Center for New Media Culture (Riga), curators of the RIXC Art Science Festival and editors-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal and book series Acoustic Space. Rasa is a professor at RTU Liepaja Academy, New Media Art Programme, Raitis is a professor at the Art Academy of Latvia, Visual Communication Department. From 2018-2021, they were lecturers at MIT Boston, and have lectured in Germany, Switzerland, USA, Canada and elsewhere.

Together as an artist duo, they create visionary and expRasa Šmite and Raitis Šmits are Latvian artists, founders of RIXC New Media Culture Centre (Riga), curators of the RIXC Art and Science Festival and editors-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal and book series Acoustic Space. Rasa is a professor at RTU Liepaja Academy, New Media Art Programme, Raitis is a professor at the Latvian Academy of Arts, Visual Communication Department. From 2018-2021, they were lecturers at MIT Boston, and have lectured in Germany, Switzerland, USA, Canada and elsewhere.

Together as an artist duo, they create visionary and research-based digital artworks and immersive experiences, collaborating with scientists to address environmental and climate issues and using data visualisation, extended reality and artificial intelligence technologies.

Their immersive artworks have been nominated twice for the Purvītis Prize 2019 (Microworld Oscillations, Purva Radio, 2018) and the Purvītis Prize 2021 (Atmospheric Forest, VR, 2020), as well as nominated for - International Public Arts Award - Eurasian region 2021, awarded (Ars Electronica 1998, Falling Walls - Science Breakthrough 2021) and shown widely, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Latvian National Museum of Art, the House of Electronic Art in Basel, the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz and other venues, exhibitions and festivals in Europe, USA, Canada and Asia.

Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Deep Sensing, 2023. MEET Digital Culture Center, Milan, Italy.

Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Atmosferic Forest, 2020. The exhibition of the nominants of the Purvitis Prize 2021, Latvian National Museum of Art. Photo: Kristīne Madjare

Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits. Deep Sensing, 2023. Convergence: Artistic Explorations from Nature to Society exhibition, 2024. Zone Sound Creative, Taipei, Taiwan.

More about artists:https://smitesmits.com/

More about the awards here and https://www.baltijasbalva.lv/en

CONTEXT

Photo: Ieva Makare

On May 13, the solemn Baltic Awards ceremony was held at the Latvian National Museum of Art for outstanding representatives of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia for their contribution to the development of art, science and architecture, highlighting the importance of the region in the European context.

The winners were determined by the members of the Baltic Awards Honorary Selection Committee, which includes such prominent public figures, such as Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, the former President of Latvia, politician, public figure, Valdis Zatlets, the former President of Latvia, politician, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the former President of Estonia, politician, Taavi Rõivas, the former Prime Minister of Estonia, Ivars Kalviņš, the President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Jūras Banys, the President of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Pēteris Vasks, the world-famous Latvian composer, Jānis Šipkēvics, the Latvian journalist, Chairman of the Board of Radio SWH, Officer of the Order of the Three Stars, Jens-Christian Pastille, the General Director, Managing Partner of Rödl & Partner in the Baltics and Northern Europe, Sols Normans Bukingolts, the former advisor on economic issues to the former President of Latvia Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, and Emanuels Grišpūns, the diplomat, and entrepreneur. The chairperson of the committee is the founder of the foundation, opera singer Inese Galante.

The Baltic Awards gala award ceremony was opened by an excellent performance by the State Choir Latvija. This majestic musical performance merged into a single rhythm with the significance of the event and its eminent goals. The ceremony continued with music performed by talented and bright performers, the laureates of the "Ineses Galantes Talanti" (Inese Galante’s Talents) competition - the percussion ensemble Ekho.

The winners of Baltic Awards 2025. Photo: Ieva Makare

The winners were determined in four nominations – “Science”, “Architecture”, “Art”, and “Music”. Besides, during the Baltic Awards ceremony, two Grand Awards for Lifetime Achievement to society and the special awards of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet “Baltic Awards the Opera Rising Star” were presented.

The Baltic Awards were presented to:

/ To the representative of Lithuania – for a significant contribution to science; 

/ To the representative of Latvia – for a significant contribution to art and music;

/ To the representative of Estonia – for a significant contribution to architecture.

Gediminas Račiukaitis won the Baltic Awards in the nomination “Science”. 

Academician of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Department of Laser Technologies and Chief Researcher of the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology. A well-known Lithuanian specialist in the development of world-class laser technologies.

The award was presented by Leonas Valkūnas - Head of the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. 

Other nominees nominated by the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences: 

/ Jurgis Kazimieras Staniškis

/ Giedrius Antanas Kuprevičius.

The Baltic Awards in the nomination “Architecture” were awarded to Ralf Lõoke and Maarja Kask (SALTO),participants of the Venice Biennale of Modern Art, winners of more than 100 competitions in architecture and art. The practice has gained international recognition for its public architecture projects, which challenge the re-evaluation of public space in the context of current social, aesthetic and economic concepts. 

The award was presented by Aet Ader, the President of the Estonian Association of Architects. 

Other nominees nominated by the Estonian Association of Architects:

/ Sille Pihlak and Siim Tuksam (PART) 

/ Kalle Vellevoog (Architectural Office JVR) 

In the nomination “Art”, the Baltic Awards was awarded to the duo of artists working with porcelain, Ingūna Skuja & Melisa Braden(SKUJA BRADEN).  The duo is well-known for their bright, extravagant handwriting, unconventional forms, and ambitious choice of subjects. In 2022, they represented Latvia at the 59th Venice Biennale of Modern Art with more than 300 works. 

The award was presented by Andris Vītoliņš, Professor at the Art Academy of Latvia.

Other nominees nominated by the Art Academy of Latvia: 

/ Raitis un Rasa Šmiti 

/ Amanda Ziemele 

Nominants: Rasa Šmite, Raitis Šmits. Photo: Ieva Makare

In the nomination “Music”, the Baltic Award was received by the outstanding Latvian composer and pianist Raimonds Pauls, who is popular all over the world and the author of more than 3,000 compositions.

The award was presented by Liena Edvardsa, the Director General of LaIPA.

Other nominees nominated by LaIPA:

/ State Choir Latvija 

/ the singer Dons 

There were also two Baltic Awards Grand Prizes awarded during the ceremony for Lifetime Achievement to society – to the composer Raimonds Pauls and to Gints Zilbalodis, director of the animated film “Flow”, and Matīss Kaža, the producer of the animated film “Flow”. The awards were presented by the founder of the foundation, opera singer Inese Galante, the Chairman of the Board of Radio SWH Jānis Šipkēvics, and the world-famous Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks. 

The special award of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet "Baltic Awards the Opera Rising Star" was received by the young soloist, soprano Annija Kristiāna Ādamsone.The award was presented by the Chairman of the Board of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet ​Sandis Voldiņš. 

There was a draw held during the ceremony to determine the order in which nominations would be distributed among the three countries for the next year. In 2026 the Baltic Awards will be awarded to:

/ To the representative of Lithuania – for a significant contribution to art and music;

/ To the representative of Latvia – for a significant contribution to architecture.

/ To the representative of Estonia – for a significant contribution to science.

The ceremonial event was attended by ambassadors and embassy representatives from the United Arab Emirates, United States of America (USA), China, Austria, Lithuania, Italy, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. There were many cultural figures, business and public figures among the guests of the event. 

The Baltic Awards award ceremony was hosted by Valdis Melderis. 

The next event within the framework of the extensive project Baltic Awards will be summer concerts in Jurmala. On 17 August at 18:00, a concert will be held in the Small Hall of the Dzintari Concert Hall, featuring the brightest talents, the winners of the “Ineses Galantes talanti” competition (Inese Galante’s Talents), and on 17 August at 20:00 in Dzintari Concert Hall - concert "GALA GALANTE, THREE TENORS & FRIENDS", featuring world-famous Latvian and foreign performers.

 

Project partners: Jurmala City Council, Anders Walls Stiftelse, Rödl&Partner, LIAA, National Opera and Ballet, Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga Airport (RIX). 

Informative partners: TV3, SWH, Pastaiga, Visual Media, L’Officiel.