For five years now the Riga Photography Biennial - NEXT has been collaborating with the Lithuanian publisher NoRoutine Books to evaluate entries for the Seeking the Latest in Photography! award. An international jury of experts is charged with judging the submissions and selecting one young Baltic artist to receive the main prize, the opportunity to have their work exhibited in ISSP Gallery, while NoRoutine Books also selects its favourite of the young contenders, giving them the opportunity to publish their own photobook

The goal of the Seeking the Latest in Photography! award is to discover and appraise the creative efforts of young artists who demonstrate the power of the image in their works, offering an original point of view and conceptual depth, suited to the times. It highlights emerging Baltic artists whose works are already dominated by these qualities. In 2023, the special prize – an opportunity to publish a photobook with the NoRoutine Books publishing house – was presented to Armands Andže (LV) for his series 29 Landscapes.

Armands Andže (1988) has been working in analog photography since 2008. A great part of his work is related to researching historical photographic processes and trying to find a more modern and more ecological approach towards them. As part of his MA studies, Andže is researching historic photographic printmaking techniques. He mostly works with large-format glass plate cameras and uses various forms of light-sensitive materials – self-made glass plates, scientific materials, daguerreotypes, etc. His main interest lies in landscape photography, particularly its social and psychological aspects, as well as the way in which the presence of landscape influences us on a collective level. He has participated in several art residencies and led workshops on different disciplines of photography.

NoRoutine Books was established as an independent publisher by the Lithuanian artists Gytis Skudžinskas and Vilma Samulionyte in 2014. Their aim was to create unique art books – in print runs of no more than 99 copies – that would be individually perfected in the studio after printing. Books made by NoRoutine Books have been exhibited in various important art centres and exhibitions.

Participants:Armands Andže (LV), NoRoutine Books (LT)
Image: Armands Andže, from the series 29 Landscapes, 2022
Language: English