Min Mier(s) — An exhibition project inspired by Livonian sea mythology
Exhibition · 2026
Illustration & Embroidery: Kato Trofimova (Hey Kato Studio)
Soundscape: Antons Skultans-Marchenko / Mighty Jupiter & The Mooncake Band
Soundscape: Antons Skultans-Marchenko / Mighty Jupiter & The Mooncake Band
The Livs are one of Europe's most endangered peoples. Fewer than 200 remain in Latvia today — yet their mythology, carried through song, craft, and oral tradition, remains alive in ways that resist easy documentation.
Min Mier(s) — is a series of hand-embroiled illustrations inspired by Livonian cosmology and coastal ritual, translating a fragile cultural inheritance into a visual language that is both contemporary and deeply rooted.
The works depict figures and beliefs from Livonian sea mythology: Mierjemā, the Mother of the Sea and her herd of blue cows; the spring ritual in which women gather on the shore to sing the birds awake — Livonian belief holds that birds spend the winter sleeping on the sea floor; the taboo against entering the water before it blooms with yellow flowers; the superstition that forbids fishermen from naming the hare at sea, calling it instead "the long-eared creature." One work, made with glass beads, depicts an eye mid-tear — a meditation on grief as inseparable from a life lived beside the sea. Another portrays a Livonian bride in her traditional wedding crown.
"The Livs are an enigmatic culture — one that deserves far more attention than it receives. I didn't want to retell their stories word for word. I wanted to wake something up in the people looking at these works. Curiosity, mostly. And stepping into embroidery is a significant moment for me as an artist — a thread connecting me with the Livonian traditions I was trying to honour."
— Kato Trofimova
The exhibition is part of Daughters of the Sea(s) — alongside South Korean artist Jeongmin Lee. It is accompanied by an original soundscape by composer Antons Skultans-Marchenko (Mighty Jupiter & The Mooncake Band).
Min Mier(s) will travel to Arise Gallery, Busan, South Korea in 2027.
Exhibition details
Min Mier(s) — part of Daughters of the Sea(s)
Through 31 July 2026
Kalnciema Quarter Gallery, Kalnciema iela 35, Riga, Latvia
Part of Sābrs Zine & Small Print Festival
Min Mier(s) — is a series of hand-embroiled illustrations inspired by Livonian cosmology and coastal ritual, translating a fragile cultural inheritance into a visual language that is both contemporary and deeply rooted.
The works depict figures and beliefs from Livonian sea mythology: Mierjemā, the Mother of the Sea and her herd of blue cows; the spring ritual in which women gather on the shore to sing the birds awake — Livonian belief holds that birds spend the winter sleeping on the sea floor; the taboo against entering the water before it blooms with yellow flowers; the superstition that forbids fishermen from naming the hare at sea, calling it instead "the long-eared creature." One work, made with glass beads, depicts an eye mid-tear — a meditation on grief as inseparable from a life lived beside the sea. Another portrays a Livonian bride in her traditional wedding crown.
"The Livs are an enigmatic culture — one that deserves far more attention than it receives. I didn't want to retell their stories word for word. I wanted to wake something up in the people looking at these works. Curiosity, mostly. And stepping into embroidery is a significant moment for me as an artist — a thread connecting me with the Livonian traditions I was trying to honour."
— Kato Trofimova
The exhibition is part of Daughters of the Sea(s) — alongside South Korean artist Jeongmin Lee. It is accompanied by an original soundscape by composer Antons Skultans-Marchenko (Mighty Jupiter & The Mooncake Band).
Min Mier(s) will travel to Arise Gallery, Busan, South Korea in 2027.
Exhibition details
Min Mier(s) — part of Daughters of the Sea(s)
Through 31 July 2026
Kalnciema Quarter Gallery, Kalnciema iela 35, Riga, Latvia
Part of Sābrs Zine & Small Print Festival
© Hey Kato Studio. All Rights Reserved. 2026