DEEPER UNDERGROUND. 7+ places in Riga for the subcultural lovers.
Some 10 years ago there was a house restaurant in Riga where you could go for a stylish feast only by knowing the door code and booking in advance. I also know that in New York there was a book store that worked by the same rules. In fact, Riga was full with underground publishers and book sellers under the Soviet yoke when many writings were illegal to be printed or distributed. So, having parallel lives and subcultures is a thing often observed in larger cities, including Riga.
Times change, it's all social media now, news and secrets travel fast, and it's harder to find underground initiatives in every city around the world. Nonetheless, Riga holds many great places that represent an intense aura of the subcultural, super contemporary, art house or underground. We have already covered our famous waterbeyonds (a.k.a. waterfronts very much off the grid) and the lovely and rediscovered Daugavgrīva fortress. But here is a shortlist of places and communities that take a sidestep from the beaten path, doing their little thing not because it's cool or popular, but because this is what they are and have been since... well, forever.
So here are some nice, tiny or secluded spots in alphabetical order you would most likely be suggested by locals exclusively to visit when looking for those parallel lives in Riga. Do you have others in mind? Share them in comments!
BOLDERĀJA
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| Photo: Anna Rutmane, 2018. |
Without shedding a single sign that this might be an actual place, Bolderāja
represents the pure essence of Rīga's subcultural scene of young adults
being hungry for thought and an unhistrionic, honest and unmerciful
conversation. Named after the far north suburb located completely to the
other side of the city, Bolderāja messes up with urban novices, quotes a
famous Latvian multimedia creator Hārdijs Lediņš (1955 - 2004), and is
full with top notch second-hand literature - philosophy, theory, essays,
art and design books, full-blooded renowned fiction, and more.
The store somewhat represents a worldview of post-economical-crisis
society taking place in many cities globally as well as in Rīga, when
some things got bad, some people got poorer, but many things got thrown
away and abandoned. Didzis Kalniņš, the founder of Bolderāja was one of many
influencing a wave of new underground-revival places slowly popping up
since the economical crisis. They were in cheaper suburbs, more
particularly in the now subculturally-rich Avoti and in 100+ year old
houses with DIY interiour the owners didn't find kitschy, but rather
like a representation of real life, social history, or even as a protest
for or out of anger against something.
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| Photo: Anna Rutmane, 2018. |
The overall hipster sanitation of the place never happened in those bars, cafes or culture spaces, yet the weakest elements of interior and furniture were replaced with rough, yet solid second-hand substitute, shaping a place so full of stories one could write a book about the bookstore itself. Eventually, Bolderāja was born and still grows as probably the most unique place for literature of its kind in Rīga anonymously located right in the centre of the city.
427
Photo: Līga Spunde, 2022.
"Four-two-seven" is independent art gallery showcasing adventurous, subcultural and experimental fine and not so fine arts. And that's good! Because this city needs artistic exploring, checking on its boundaries and giving space and voice to the younger generation of artists as well.
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| Photo: Elīna Vītola, 2019. |
427 was created in 2014 by an underground artist, musician and currator, Kaspars Groševs and his then partner Ieva Kraule-Kūna, for such exact purpose - to showcase art and artists that often (or never) could enter the traditional and usually elitist galleries. It started as a place for Kaspars and Ieva's crowd, but soon expanded and focused to emerging or soon-to-be artists working in various media. Now there are more people involved, yet 427 keeps going straight into art that expands what it can stand for and represent, usually including avantgarde, arte povera, approximate art, post-internet, fluxus, contemporary, conceptual etc. style fueled pieces, publishings and events.
FUKUŠIMA
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| Photo: Fukušima, 2021. |
This suburban, noncommercial and DIY and upcycling sauna and
creative space has been around in town for more than 5 years and is located in
the post-industrial part of the Ķīpsala island that shares space with one of the
most expensive housing in Riga. Yet Fukušima has managed to preserve its
ingenuity, independent status, and has grown close to the hearts of
punks, gypsies, and other alternative seekers.
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| Photo: Fukušima, 2021. |
Fukušima is run by a Finnish lad often known as Murphy Monsanto and offers
sauna, library, camping site, graffiti wall, artist residency, space for
band rehearsals and alternative musical and social events and
bioremediation. Fukušima's goals are to 1) minimize the local
environmental impact of industrial activities around the territory, 2)
experiment & promote the emerging science of grassroots
bioremediation, 3) appreciate benefits of sauna, 4) maintain a book
library, 5) provide camping & facilities for musicians, artists,
& travelers, 6) improve the territory for enjoyment by local &
foreign visitors, 7) organize events that support these goals, 8) evolve
a community that shares responsibilities in achieving these goals. NB! The place is only available during public events or prebooked visits!
KINO BIZE
Photo: Reinis Krastiņš, 2019.
This little, cozy art house cinema is one of my favourites to visit every time there is a premiere of a more or less popular movie. Only providing 40-odd seats, "Cinema Braid" "embraces challenging, vibrant and independently produced films and videos as well as thematically programmed retrospectives, educational programs and special events". It serves films that often disappear in larger cinemas or demand less pompous presentation; the place also has its own movie school for youngsters and provides private screenings.
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| Photo: Kristīne Madjare, 2016. |
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| Photo: Kristīne Madjare, 2016. |
Started as a movie lectorium, the idea of "Kino Bize" was birthed by Māris Prombergs, who organized and presented such lectoriums and selected art-house or retro movies from all over the world. The events took place at the former Dirty Deal Teatro premises right around the economical crisis, while the first little cinema was founded in 2012 at Kaņepes Kultūras centrs. Finally, by 2015 "Kino Bize" moved to its current location, grown with a team hungry for movie art.
LASTĀDIJA
Lastādija is a self-organized subcultural and social creative quarters and a showcase of the local power of placemaking located at and named after the oldest suburb in Riga, die Lastadie (die Last- cargo, load). Already in the 14th century merchants, boatmen, craftsmen and peasants were building their campsites around the start of the road to the East, now called Moscow district.
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| Photo: CAPITAL R, 2022 |
The journey to Lastādija began in 2013 when cultural, art, urban and social activists decided to highlight the problem of abandoned housing in Riga and emphasize place rejuvenation and cultural planning as the key success to bringing houses and people back. "Free Riga", the organization dedicated to such questions was founded to become the gamechanger of placemaking in Latvia.
On of their first projects revolved around a block behind the Riga Central Market, consisting of old wooden houses being around for more than 200 years and mixed with some post-industrial soviet housing. Its main powerhouse was and still is Mārcis Rubenis, also one of the founders of Free Riga. In 2015, the project was launched with one building and was soon followed by 4 more houses and the outdoor/backdoor territory.
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| Photo: Jurģis Emīls Liepiņš, 2022. |
Now Lastādija truly embodies the DIY and upcycling culture, focuses on social questions of the neighbourhood as well as the city, and lately has been centered around youth subcultures and events related to them. For now, around 100 residents (artists, musicians, creative collectives, social activists, craftsmen, culture organizers etc.) work, live, reside and create at Lastādija. Even when the place seems closed, visitors are still welcome to enter the outdoor territory, and there will always be someone to tell you about the great, yet often considered underground work this community does.
LUCAVSALAS EKOKOPIENA
Launched in 2012 as a garden community to protect then endangered Lucavsala allotment gardens, this initiative soon became a haven for many alternative, spiritual and free-thinkers and practitioners. The community grew from 2 challenges facing Riga back then - 1) despite being incredibly important in the history of Riga and Latvia, the allotment garden culture was perishing in the city due to lack of interest from the municipality to attend and secure safe municipal gardens, and 2) the city constantly had grandiose plans to develop Lucavsala island into a multi-million housing and entertainment district.
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| At Lucavsalas Ekokopiena during Nirvana Fest, 2020. Screenshot from "Meanwhile in Lucavsala", 2022. |
Lucavsalas ekokopiena were probably the first on the island that stood against both plans - to degrade and then level the gardens. Throughout the next few years, it grew considerably from a dodgy and unkempt area, and the community organized multiple protests against city's plans, popularized permaculture, organized spiritual events and seed exchange, and helped revitalizing the allotment community on Lucavsala (at least, among families and young adults). Luckily, by 2015, Nils Ušakovs, the notorious city mayor, announced the plans of the grand redevelopment to be sacked.
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| One of the revived gardens that exists because of the work of Lucavsalas Ekokopiena. Lucavsalas dārzkopju memuāri, 2020. |
During these years, Lucavsalas Ekokopiena has not lost its free spirit, and dozens, if not hundreds of more people have leased their own allotments on the island. The community might seem a bit odd to some, but isn't that what makes something a sub culture? An oddity among the mediocrity? Because of Lucavsalas ekokopiena, we still have this unique anthroposcene located literally within the city centre. Plus, there is also a documentary about the whole allotment community where viewers can experience this spirit in full scale!
Youtube (documentary trailer)
RIGA WAKE PARK - SAUNA
Believe it or not, this is one of the most intriguing saunas there are in Riga located on the Zaķusala island in the middle of the city. While part of the business is run by wakeboarders, another part is a lovely sauna booth with a terrace and a lush view over the Daugava river faced toward the sunset.
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| Photo: Riga Wake, 2022. |
Unsure if many people actually know about the sauna option, I believe this is one of the alternative places worth mentioning if you are willing to book a private bathing session with a swim in the Daugava included. Other public saunas include some soulless, touristic or posh experience while the one at "Riga wake park" is the closest you can have to a private bathhouse in the countryside.
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