"Chestnut and the Universe" solo show

The New York Times

"Chestnut and the Universe" solo exhibition

Show took place in Zuzeum, 13.02—11.05, 2026. 

Exhibition design by Toms Kampars
Visual communication by Aigars Mamis, Līva Indriķe
Photography by Zuzeum, Anna Matule, Ansis Starks

Chestnut and the Universe is the first institutional solo exhibition by illustrator and artist Roberts Rurans. The exhibition reveals the wide range of the artist’s practice – from bold, internationally recognised illustration to personal, spiritual paintings, in which a contemporary visual language intertwines with motifs from the Christian tradition. 

The law given by God is in the world like the heart in the body, like a holy image among the marginalia of a medieval book, or like a chestnut in its spiky shell. Christ drew out the essence of the Law, calling us to love God and our neighbour. The further we move away from the centre of the cosmic wheel – love – the faster it spins, placing us in a moment where good seems evil and evil seems good.
My creative path has turned back toward the centre. From three-storey-high monsters drawn in the darkness of night to miniature figures of Christ and the saints painted with a fine brush. From graffiti to icons, from demons to angels, I also invite the viewer to read the signs of the times and to look for the narrow path.

Illustration for an op-ed on the NYT: "Our Bridges Are Old, Our Grid Is on the Fritz, and Soon America Will Be Obsolete"

"Most Americans don’t think about infrastructure — unless it fails to work. But when it fails, it’s not abstract — it’s personal. When transit isn’t working, everyone that drives has more traffic, and it takes a little longer to get to work. When bridges aren’t maintained, TK detours become the new normal, or worse, lead to catastrophe."

Show took place in Zuzeum, 13.02—11.05, 2026. 

Exhibition design by Toms Kampars
Visual communication by Aigars Mamis, Līva Indriķe
Photography by Zuzeum, Anna Matule, Ansis Starks

Chestnut and the Universe is the first institutional solo exhibition by illustrator and artist Roberts Rurans. The exhibition reveals the wide range of the artist’s practice – from bold, internationally recognised illustration to personal, spiritual paintings, in which a contemporary visual language intertwines with motifs from the Christian tradition. 

The law given by God is in the world like the heart in the body, like a holy image among the marginalia of a medieval book, or like a chestnut in its spiky shell. Christ drew out the essence of the Law, calling us to love God and our neighbour. The further we move away from the centre of the cosmic wheel – love – the faster it spins, placing us in a moment where good seems evil and evil seems good.
My creative path has turned back toward the centre. From three-storey-high monsters drawn in the darkness of night to miniature figures of Christ and the saints painted with a fine brush. From graffiti to icons, from demons to angels, I also invite the viewer to read the signs of the times and to look for the narrow path.