Dance When You're Broken Open

Jana Brike was born in Latvia, a small country in the Northeastern part of Europe, while it was under Soviet occupation. Her childhood was bittersweet, molded by dark stories of war and deportation told to her by her grandparents, the cold and conservative atmosphere of catholic church ceremonies, and heightened by breathtaking ballets at the Opera House. Her inspirations are as diverse as folklore fairy tales, children’s book illustrations, imaginative Soviet animation films, and supernatural classical paintings. She is also influenced by the colorful but forbidden imagery of Western pop culture that was guarded by her religious upbringing.