"A Quest for Freedom" Vol. 2
55,00 €
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Vinita Vilcāne Krilova
"A Quest for Freedom" Vol. 2
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A photobook about a barge, a borrowed grandfather, and the search for freedom
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The story
After Latvia regained its independence, my family met a relative of ours named James. He had left Latvia before the war and, decades later, stepped into our lives and took on the role of a grandfather.
In the early 1970s, James walked away from a comfortable life in California. With his partner Diana, he bought a barge named Klaidonis – the Wanderer – and moored it in the heart of Paris, right beside the Pont des Arts. It became his home, his studio, and his answer to a question he never stopped asking: is freedom actually attainable?
In 2014, I went to Paris to find that barge. I wanted to know what had happened to it and, in a way, to him.
I found Klaidonis still afloat, now cared for by Doris, an artist and photographer who owns it today.
A Quest for Freedom, Vol. 2 is my research that brings together James's own archive – photographs, photo cards, diary fragments, documents, small keepsakes, alongside my own images, and Doris's. It's not one person's story told straight through. It's a family story, a love story, and a meditation on whether a floating home can still hold you steady.
About the book
Mixed-media photobook combining archival material with new photography
First mockup developed in 2019 at an ISSP masterclass with the Greek publisher Void
Shortlisted for the Kassel Dummy Award and exhibited internationally in Croatia, Denmark, Cambodia, Singapore, and Australia
Finalist, NEXT 2021, Riga Photography Biennial
First limited edition of 200 copies
124 x 185 mm
Silk-screen printed hardback clothbound with blind embossing and photograph
Open spine Swiss binding
The book has 274 pages, comprising 192 pages of main text and photographs and 82 pages of supplementary appendices (letters, diaries, documents, and other archival materials).
The book is in two languages - English and Latvian. Designed by João Linneu (Void) and Georgs Avetisjans (Milda Books), edited by Vinita Vilcāne Krilova and Georgs Avetisjans, and supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia and Arctic Paper.
Why we need your help
The book is finished and ready to go to print. What's standing between the finished design and a copy in your hands is the printing and binding cost.
Every pledge goes directly toward printing this edition, launching it properly in Riga (planned for December 2026), and getting it into the hands of readers and bookshops in Latvia and abroad.
Rewards
Thank you (unlimited) 10 EUR
We will forever be grateful to you! Thank you for supporting our photobook. We will make a toast to you while relaxing after a long day, and tag you on social media!
Set of 5 postcards (50 pcs) 15 EUR
A small piece of the archive to hold onto.
Handmade porcelain duck (40 pcs) 25 EUR
A nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard Klaidonis, remade here by hand in porcelain
Early bird duck book (6 left of 20) 35 EUR
A numbered copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition (special price)
Book (83 left of 88) 55 EUR
A numbered copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition (regular price)
Signed book (19 left of 20) 65 EUR
A signed and numbered copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition.
Book + handmade porcelain duck (43 left of 45) 75 EUR
A nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard Klaidonis, remade here by hand in porcelain.
Signed book + handmade porcelain duck + set of 5 postcards (8 left of 10) 100 EUR
A signed and numbered copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition, a nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard Klaidonis, remade here by hand in porcelain, set of 5 postcards.
Book + original painting by Diana (3 pcs) 250 EUR
One-of-a-kind piece from James's partner and fellow traveller. Choose your favourite from the available pieces.
Book + original painting by James (3 pcs) 300 EUR
One-of-a-kind pieces from James's own hand, from the family's collection. Choose your favourite from the available pieces.
Coffee with the author (3 pcs) 350 EUR
Join me for coffee in James's actual former apartment in Riga - the place where this whole story began. Comes with a signed and numbered book, handmade porcelain duck, and postcard set.
Signed and numbered book + handmade porcelain duck + original painting by Diana + set of 5 postcards (1 pcs) 450 EUR
A signed and numbered copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition, a nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard Klaidonis, remade here by hand in porcelain, a one-of-a-kind piece from James's partner and fellow traveller. Choose your favourite from the available pieces. Set of 5 postcards - a small piece of the archive to hold onto.
Signed and numbered book + handmade porcelain duck + original painting by James + set of 5 postcards (1 pcs) 500 EUR
A signed and numbered copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition, a nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard Klaidonis, remade here by hand in porcelain, one-of-a-kind pieces from James's own hand, from the family's collection. Choose your favorite from the available pieces. Set of 5 postcards - a small piece of the archive to hold onto.
"A Quest for Freedom" Vol. 2 #1 Collectors’ limited edition (2 pcs) 1000 EUR
You are now friends with us forever. You will get a unique 35×24 cm "A Quest for Freedom" Vol. 2 #1 Collectors’ limited edition fine art print, framed, signed, certified and numbered in an edition of 3, a signed and numbered copy of the book of the full 200-copy limited edition, a nod to the little blue rubber duck that became a recurring motif aboard Klaidonis, remade here by hand in porcelain, and a set of 5 postcards.
Become a Co-Producer of the book (1 pcs) 2500 EUR
We don't even know what to say. A million times, thank you for being an integral part of completing “A Quest for Freedom” Vol. 2! In addition to being credited as a Co-Producer, you will get EVERYTHING! Your name (or your company's name) will be printed on the “A Quest for Freedom” Vol. 2 colophon page, and we would love for you to attend the book's printing, a private viewing, and a tour of the book by joining for coffee in James's actual former apartment in Riga - the place where this whole story began - a signed and numbered book, a handmade porcelain duck, and a postcard set of 5. You will also receive a unique, one-of-a-kind piece from James's partner and fellow traveller, Diana and a unique 35×24 cm "A Quest for Freedom" Vol. 2 #1 Collectors’ limited edition fine art print, framed, signed, certified and numbered in an edition of 3!
P.S. Use promo code "ISSPCOLLECT" to exclude shipping costs and collect the book at the ISSP Gallery in Riga, Latvia, at the book's opening and Jame's 101st Birthday on December 9, 2026. You can use the same promotional code to receive a “THANK YOU” reward.
About the author
Vinita Vilcāne Krilova is a photographer based in Riga, Latvia. She began working in photography in 2016 and studied at the ISSP School's Developing the Language of Photography program (2017–2019). A Quest for Freedom, Vol. 2 is her first full-length photobook – an emotional as well as visual investigation into family, memory, and the choices that shape us. Her editorial and commercial work has appeared in Lilit, Una, and L'Officiel Baltic. and she has photographed for Latvian brands including Rainsisters and Madara Cosmetics.
“The author's approach is not only aesthetic but also conceptually considered – one senses a desire to understand personal and collective experience through visual evidence and its interpretations.” – Iveta Gabaliņa, Program Director and Curator, ISSP Gallery
Thank you
This book started with one question in Paris in 2014 and it took over a decade to transform into what it is now. Thank you for helping it finally reach print.