At the end of 2023, the Bank of Latvia announced a competition in which artists were invited to create proposals for the graphic design of coins dedicated to a theme of their choice.
I submitted a coin with motto "Everything is Cyclical" in this competition.
Concept
A Latvian can be proud of four seasons. They can be seen in nature, and at the same time – the seasons determine the rhythm of human life. The charm of the seasons lies in their immutable laws, predictable cycles, while a person's everyday life is made up from series of conditions that are often impossible to predict or influence. People have a tendency to fear not fitting in with time or missing what is not yet there. Returning to nature brings peace, observing the constant and permanent.
The "Cycle" coin reflects the Latvian's pursuit of nature. Its predictable processes draw parallels with changes in person's life. Maybe anxious everyday life is just as systematic series of changes as the change of seasons where only after some time it is possible to see the logical sequence of events and the expected result.
Obverse
Depicts person striving towards the nature. The hectic everyday rhythm is symbolically represented as a reflection of water, where looking only deep down there can be seen the calm of seasonal changes.
Reverse
The reverse of the coin shows clarity and the cyclical seasonal changes.
They overlap each other, breaking down the boundaries of which is more important. Everything is cyclic and everything is one.
They overlap each other, breaking down the boundaries of which is more important. Everything is cyclic and everything is one.
The changes of seasons, just like events in human life, mark the paradoxical motif of change as the only constant thing in nature and also life.
