Ērika Māldere’s Exhibition “Stories of Books”

From 10 February to 25 May 2026, the Aleksandrs Čaks Museum, at 48-8 Lāčplēša Street, will host the exhibition “Stories of Books,” featuring handmade artists’ books by artist Ērika Māldere.

The works displayed in the exhibition were created in response to events in Latvia’s cultural sphere. They incorporate various paper materials, natural elements and fibres, while also demonstrating the artist’s acquired bookbinding skills.

An artists’ book (art book) is a work of art—an artistic form of expression that uses the form or function of a book. Book illustrations and original books have a very long history, but the artists’ book as we know it today emerged only in the 1950s and 1960s. Since then, this form of artistic expression has continued to develop and evolve.

The artists’ books are made from handmade sheets of paper produced from recycled paper pulp, abaca fibre and rhubarb pulp, supplemented with other natural materials. The paper is decorated using ecoprinting, plant impressions and improvisations with indigo and blue dye.

Ērika Māldere is a professional artist, graphic artist and designer. She runs the Memberi Creative House in Dzērbene and the Lamp Design Workshop, works at the Pēteris Rozenbergs Cēsis City Art School, and is a member of the Latvian Artists’ Union Designers’ Association and IAPMA—the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists.