On 19 February, Latvia's state television channel broadcasted a live awards ceremony for the winners of the prestigious "Kilogram of Culture" competition, which is held for several years now with the support of Rietumu Bank charity fund, “Nākotnes Atbalsta fonds” (“Future Support Fund”).
As part of the ceremony, prizes were awarded in nine categories: “Music”, “Visual Arts”, “Literature”, “Film”, “Theatre”, “Heritage”, “Surprise”, “Event” and “My Cultural Place”. The Mark Rothko Art Centre (Daugavpils) was the last winner in “My Cultural Place” category, as from next year the competition organisers have decided not to include this category in the final vote.
However, two new categories will replace the “My Cultural Place” nomination: “Pop Culture”, a nomination that will cover events that don't “fit” into academic concert halls of Latvia, and “Start”, a nomination for the brightest debuts in various fields of culture.
Inga Shina, Chairperson of the Board of “Nākotnes Atbalsta fonds”, who presented one of the awards, said: “I am truly glad that there are so many talented people in our country. I am glad that we remain creative, persistent, courageous and true to our ideals. Of course, the past year was difficult and full of challenges in the cultural sphere as well. But in spite of this, we have once again seen many fine works of art. And this proves that true art can be created at any time and under any circumstances. It changes with the era and becomes an organic part of it. I want to thank all the artists who make our lives brighter and more diverse!”
The list of winners of the “Kilogram of Culture 2021” competition can be found at LSM.lv.
“Kilogram of Culture” is a
public media competition in the field of culture. The award is presented by
Latvian Television, Radio and the LSM.lv portal. The nominees are chosen by an
authoritative jury and the winners are determined by a free vote, which takes
place in three stages: spring, autumn and winter.
The competition was founded in 2012, when the first awards were given to the most outstanding cultural events of 2011.
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