From 2 October 2026 to 17 January 2027, Zuzeum Art Museum is hosting the exhibition “Looking away. Women Artists in the Zuzāns Collection: 2000 - 2026”, which also places special emphasis on making art accessible to people with visual impairments. The exhibition features 3D tactile models of selected artworks, as well as audio descriptions developed by SOCINTEGRA, enabling blind and partially sighted visitors to explore the artworks through touch and hearing.

The exhibition “Looking Away. Women Artists in the Zuzāns Collection: 2000 - 2026” focuses on contemporary women artists and their works created during the first two decades of the 21st century. It brings together works by more than 40 women artists from Latvia, the Baltic region and other parts of the world, all represented in the Zuzāns Collection. The exhibition explores not only the artworks themselves but also the circumstances in which they were created, the artists’ personal experiences and their creative processes.

The exhibition's concept is inspired by British visual culture theorist Irit Rogoff's idea of looking away as an alternative way of engaging with art. This approach is reflected in the exhibition by allowing the artists themselves to reveal the context behind their works – from personal notes and memories to various objects, materials and sensory experiences associated with the creative process.

From a personal initiative to an accessible exhibition

The idea of developing special accessibility solutions originated with Jevgēnija Estere Briede - Birone. Her son, Mihaels, has a visual impairment, and after exploring the experiences of museums across Europe, Jevgēnija developed the idea of creating 3D models of artworks in Latvia, allowing people with visual impairments to experience visual art through touch.

She approached Zuzeum Art Museum with her proposal, and the museum supported the initiative. SOCINTEGRA was subsequently invited to participate in the project, with its specialists developing audio descriptions for the artworks.

Marija Kožarina, Chairwoman of the Board of SOCINTEGRA, emphasises that this approach represents an important step towards creating a truly accessible cultural environment: “I am particularly pleased with this project because it demonstrates how one person's initiative can become the starting point for meaningful change. Visual art is traditionally experienced through sight, but that does not mean the world of art should remain inaccessible to people with visual impairments. By combining tactile models with professionally developed audio descriptions, we help people understand the composition, shapes and details of an artwork while allowing them to form their own impressions and experience art for themselves.”

“High - quality accessibility solutions cannot be created through technology alone. They require knowledge, experience, collaboration with museum professionals and artists, as well as testing together with people with visual impairments. We are truly delighted that Zuzeum is open to this kind of collaboration and that together we can create new experiences for museum visitors,” Marija Kožarina continues.

 

About the Exhibition “Looking away”

The exhibition “Turning Away. Women Artists in the Zuzāns Collection: 2000 - 2026” presents works by more than 40 women artists, exploring both their artistic expression and the personal and social circumstances in which their works were created.

The exhibition is curated by Sņežana Krastjeva, with Jevgēnija Hamudajeva as co-curator. The exhibition design is by Darja Meļņikova.

Exhibition dates: 2 October 2026 - 17 January 2027

SOCINTEGRA warmly invites people with visual impairments, their families and all art enthusiasts to visit the exhibition and discover how art can also be experienced through touch and audio description!