David Guez continues
where Rothko didn’t finish
Paolo Levi, 2023
Held annually in Rothko’s birth month and birth town, the symposium brings together a small cohort of professional artists to engage with Mark Rothko’s artistic legacy and its continuing impact on contemporary abstraction. The 2025 symposium marked the 21st edition of the museum’s international program.
From 234 submissions across 61 countries, the Rothko Museum jury selected ten artists for participation. The symposium was supported by the Daugavpils City Council, the State Culture Capital Foundation and its Development Programme for Historical Latvian Lands, and Caparol.
Held annually in Rothko’s birth month and birth town, the symposium brings together a small cohort of professional artists to engage with Mark Rothko’s artistic legacy and its continuing impact on contemporary abstraction. The 2025 symposium marked the 21st edition of the museum’s international program.
From 234 submissions across 61 countries, the Rothko Museum jury selected ten artists for participation. The symposium was supported by the Daugavpils City Council, the State Culture Capital Foundation and its Development Programme for Historical Latvian Lands, and Caparol.
Within Rothko Museum’s
studios
Working within the Rothko Museum’s studios, David started a new body of work grounded in gesture, materiality, and the physical presence of color. The residency offered uninterrupted time for concentrated exploration, allowing his characteristic chromatic structures to evolve through large-scale canvases created directly on site.
Marked by slow layering, precise movement, and an intimate dialogue between surface and pigment, these sessions captured the core of David’s painting practice. The studio became both a laboratory and a contemplative space, where the influence of Rothko’s legacy intersected with David’s continuing research into color as emotional and almost sculptural form.
Mark
200*150 cm oil on canvas
200*150 cm oil on canvas
Created during David’s residency at the Rothko Museum, this oil-on-canvas composition emerged from a focused period of material research and studio exploration.
Following the symposium, the painting was selected to enter the Rothko Museum Collection, where it now forms part of the institution’s engagement with contemporary approaches to color and abstraction. Its inclusion reflects the museum’s recognition of the depth and relevance of David’s practice within an international context.
Following the symposium, the painting was selected to enter the Rothko Museum Collection, where it now forms part of the institution’s engagement with contemporary approaches to color and abstraction. Its inclusion reflects the museum’s recognition of the depth and relevance of David’s practice within an international context.
Continuing the legacy
of Mark Rothko
During the residency, David also worked alongside nine peer artists from diverse cultural and artistic backgrounds. The cohort formed an environment of shared inquiry into abstraction, materiality, and the continuing legacy of Mark Rothko. Daily studio exchanges, group critiques, and evening presentations supported a collegial atmosphere in which each artist’s practice could be explored in depth.
Moments from these sessions, including informal conversations, joint presentations, and communal gatherings, reflect the spirit of the symposium: a temporary but intense community united by research, experimentation, and dialogue. These interactions shaped the context in which David developed his new canvases, offering space for reflection and cross-cultural exchange that enriched the direction of his work.
Moments from these sessions, including informal conversations, joint presentations, and communal gatherings, reflect the spirit of the symposium: a temporary but intense community united by research, experimentation, and dialogue. These interactions shaped the context in which David developed his new canvases, offering space for reflection and cross-cultural exchange that enriched the direction of his work.
Moody Blues
200*150 cm oil on canvas
200*150 cm oil on canvas
This painting was developed on site during the 2025 Mark Rothko International Painting Symposium, as part of a new body of work shaped through direct dialogue with the museum environment and Rothko’s legacy.
The work was subsequently acquired for the Rothko Museum Collection, acknowledging its significance within David’s evolving chromatic language. Now held in the museum’s permanent holdings, the piece contributes to broader conversations on materiality, gesture, and abstraction.
The work was subsequently acquired for the Rothko Museum Collection, acknowledging its significance within David’s evolving chromatic language. Now held in the museum’s permanent holdings, the piece contributes to broader conversations on materiality, gesture, and abstraction.
Mark Rothko 2025
Symposium & Exhibition
Symposium & Exhibition
12 Sep. 2025 - 23 Nov.2025
Participating artists : Hazrii Kin (Malaysia), Ludovic Fleury (France), Joy Kloman (USA), David Guez (Israel), Heike Kelter (Germany), Weronika Teplicka (Poland), Kaori Fukuyama (Japan/USA), Yoonjee Geem (South Korea), Anna Silabrama (Latvia), and Paula Zariņa-Zēmane (Latvia)
Exhibition Curators : Tatjana Černova and Māris Popovs.
David Guez’s inclusion in the Rothko Museum Collection marks a defining moment in his artistic trajectory, affirming the relevance of his practice within the wider discourse of contemporary abstraction and painting practice. By entering the Rothko Museum’s collection, this milestone aligns David’s work with a wider artistic continuum, adding a distinct voice to the museum’s evolving conversation on color and abstraction.
Exhibition Curators : Tatjana Černova and Māris Popovs.
David Guez’s inclusion in the Rothko Museum Collection marks a defining moment in his artistic trajectory, affirming the relevance of his practice within the wider discourse of contemporary abstraction and painting practice. By entering the Rothko Museum’s collection, this milestone aligns David’s work with a wider artistic continuum, adding a distinct voice to the museum’s evolving conversation on color and abstraction.