On February 6, 2026, Ilze Onzule’s new photography exhibition “Encounters” (“Sastaptie”) was opened at the Polish House. “Encounters” is Ilze Onzule’s third exhibition. Her first exhibition, “Daring Is Beautiful…”, took place in the spring of 2022 at the Ceriņi Library, a branch of the Latgale Central Library. Her next exhibition, “Stories of Čiekuru Street in Photographs,” was held in the summer of 2025.
This time, the photographs feature familiar faces — people who are close to Ilze or with whom she shares meaningful moments. They are not random passersby, but those whose presence has left warm, vivid traces in her memory. Ilze often says that the most valuable encounters happen when we do not plan them, and these spontaneous, genuine moments have become the foundation of the exhibition.
There is nothing superfluous in these portraits. Human faces can tell what words often cannot — fatigue, tenderness, strength, doubt, joy, longing. Each image is like a small pause where the viewer can stop for a moment and see not only another person, but also themselves.
The atmosphere of the evening was especially enriched by the performance of the folk dance ensemble “Kukuļečka,” which filled the space with movement and rhythm. It was not merely a performance, but rather a gesture of living presence, reminding us that encounters are a process rather than a static event. The audience received it with genuine warmth and enthusiasm, surrendering to a moment that united everyone present.
This exhibition is also a visual meditation on human presence, mutual closeness, and the beauty of chance.
The exhibition “Encounters” can be viewed at the Polish House (30 Varšavas Street) until March 2.
The event was implemented with the financial support of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, supporting Poles and people of Polish origin abroad in 2026, with the assistance of the foundation “Pomoc Polakom na Wschodzie im. Jana Olszewskiego.”
