Daina Skadmane

In 2018, Anda Skadmane organised her twin sister's art exhibition Daina Skadmane's ART WORLD. The exhibition unveiled the world of art of the young artist – how it looked up to the tragedy, which ended her life so early, abruptly and cruelly. Graphic works, paintings and drawings are presented, as well as a part of her internationally famous collection devoted to the events of the Holocaust in Latvia.

In January 2018, LTV1 aired a short documentary film "Aculiecinieks: Twin Sisters" dedicated to the memory of Daina Skadmane. This documentary film explores the life and art of twin sisters Anda and Daina.

In 2014, in response to the request of the Zolitūde Society 21/11, Latvijas Pasts issued a commemorative envelope devoted to the victims of Zolitūde tragedy. The “Fir of Wind” by Daina Skadmane was also used for the design of this envelope.

Her family lived in Zolitūde and Daina went to the Riga Grammar School of Nordic Languages and Janis Rozentāls Art High School. She studied at the Art Academy of Latvia from 2011 to 21 November 2013. Daina Skadmane together with her twin sister Anda, was involved in fine arts from the age of five. The sisters participated in a number of international competitions, and Daina had several exhibitions.

Many of the works created by Daina Skadmane are devoted to the events of the Holocaust in Latvia. She began working on this subject from the age of 13 and many of her works already won international recognition during the lifetime of the young artist. Daina's works are also remarkable due to the fact that most of them were drawn on old paper, made 60–80 years ago. This allows both the spectators and the artist to ‘approach’ the times of 1930s-1940s, preceding the tragic events of World War Two, and feel the spirit and materiality of that epoch.

Daina Skadmane died on 21 November 2013, together with her father Jānis Skadmanis, under the collapsed roof of a shopping centre in the Riga district of Zolitūde, Latvia. She was 23 years old. Daina Skadmane was the youngest victim among the fifty-four people who were killed and dozens injured when the roof of a large store collapsed in Latvia's capital Riga. It is the third worst roof disaster in Europe in 30 years. Daina and her father are buried at the Riga Forest Cemetery.

On 6 December 2013, the last work of Daina Skadmane – the installation “Fir of Wind” was presented in Kronvalda Park in Riga, near the House of Congress and the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And year later the art installation "Vēja egle" was displayed next to her school (Art Academy of Latvia) in Riga.

In 2013, Andris Bērziņš, who was President of Latvia at the time, used a sketch of this work for a Christmas card, which was sent on his behalf to leaders of other countries.

The card was included in the survey of Christmas cards from foreign leaders by the Telegraph (Great Britain). The same card was included by President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves in his personal selection – “Selection of Christmas cards sent to President Ilves”.

Works of the artist, such as “Landscape Scene” (2006) and “Rumbula” (2003), are in the archive of the Nobel Prize winner who survived the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel, in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Boston University, US, where materials and statements of well-known people are stored such as Bette Davis, Jean Kelly, Martin Luther King, “Einstein Papers Projects”, etc.

Daina's works were also shown in the documentary film “Melodies of the Riga Ghetto” (2006) and in the biographical book by Frida Michelson “I Survived Rumbula”.

Works of Daina Skadmane can be found in public collections, as well as in private collections of well-known people. A number of Daina's paintings and their reproductions, for example, “Last Glance” (2003), “Frida Michelson” (2004), “Jewish Boy” (2003), are located in different centres of culture and art institutes commemorating the Holocaust – in the United States, Israel, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany; two works are in a private collection of the documentary director Vladimir Molchanov (Russia), and her work “Skyline Christmas” is in the collection of Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall (Great Britain).

Skyline Christmas, 2003, lithography, Archive of Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall

Last Glance, 2003, watercolor painting, painted on 1941 old paper

Jewish Boy, 2003, watercolor painting, painted on 1941 old paper

Daina Skadmane (19 March 1990 – 21 November 2013) was a Latvian artist. Daina Skadmane was a painter and lithography artist, she left more than 342 art works, her name is associated with the artwork "Vēja egle" (Fir of Wind) in Riga and her internationally famous collection devoted to the events of the Holocaust in Latvia.