Henrik Duncker

Dāvanas pēc protokola

A gift from the Metropolitan of Riga and All Latvia Alexander. Latvia, undated.

A gift from a USA Senator (first name and surname unknown). Riga, 20 April 2011.

A gift from the Speaker of the Parliament of Iceland Einar K. Guđfinnsson to Latvia on the 25th anniversary of the recovery of inde- pendence. Riga, 4 May, 2015.

A gift from the Latvian Olympic Committee of the XXII Winter Olympic Games. Riga, 27 February 2014.

A gift from the Latvian Olympic Team to Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma. Latvia, 2014.

A gift from the Defence Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden Anders Per-Arne Björck. Riga, 17 May 1993.

Fragment of the Berlin Wall. (13.08.1961&ndash;09.11.1989) The donor of the gift unknown. Undated.

Fragment of the Berlin Wall. (13.08.1961–09.11.1989) The donor of the gift unknown. Undated.

A gift from the President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. Mongolia, 12 June 2014 (during a state visit).

A gift from Chair of the Board of the Latvian Society for Gender Equality Inese Ielīte to Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis. Latvia, 8 March 2011.

A gift from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Latvia Banashri Bose Harrison. Riga, 3 December 2012.

A gift from the President of Ukraine HE Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine, 15 March 2013.

The donor of the gift and the location unknown. Possibly a gift from Ukraine. The vase features an image of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Ukrainian medieval national hero (1595–1657). 9 June 1998.

The &lsquo;Docker&rsquo; sculpture; possibly a gift from Belgium. 9 June 1998.

The ‘Docker’ sculpture; possibly a gift from Belgium. 9 June 1998.

A gift from the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria HE Ognian Gerdjikov. Pictured: a fragment of the gift. Riga, 8 June 2004.

A gift from the Kuweit Parliamentary Commission for Prisoners of War. 22 October 2001.

A gift from the President of Uzbekistan Islom Abdug&rsquo;aniyevich Karimov. The photo shows part of the gift. Uzbekistan, 25 May 2014 (during a state visit).

A gift from the President of Uzbekistan Islom Abdug’aniyevich Karimov. The photo shows part of the gift. Uzbekistan, 25 May 2014 (during a state visit).

A gift from the President of Ireland HE Mary McAleese. Riga, 21 May 2007.

A gift from the Vice Premier Minister of the People&rsquo;s Republic of China Li Lanqing. 7 June 1996.

A gift from the Vice Premier Minister of the People’s Republic of China Li Lanqing. 7 June 1996.

A gift from the son of the former Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia in Palestine Mordechai Caspi, Michael Caspi. Riga, 9 June 2003.

A stamp (Andris Bērziņš) created by the artist Yang Shying, a gift made at the opening of the Global China Business Meeting 2012 entrepre- neurial forum. Riga, 25 November 2012.

A gift from the Prime Minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevičius. Latvia, 10 January 2013 (during his visit).

A gift from the Vice-Mayor of Philadelphia (USA), Head of Economic and Trade Development. Philadelphia, 10 October 2013.

A gift from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Latvia, HE Massan Ghashgavi. Riga, 26 April 2005.

1
A gift from the Metropolitan of Riga and All Latvia Alexander. Latvia, undated.
2
A gift from a USA Senator (first name and surname unknown). Riga, 20 April 2011.
3
A gift from the Speaker of the Parliament of Iceland Einar K. Guđfinnsson to Latvia on the 25th anniversary of the recovery of inde- pendence. Riga, 4 May, 2015.
4
A gift from the Latvian Olympic Committee of the XXII Winter Olympic Games. Riga, 27 February 2014.
5
A gift from the Latvian Olympic Team to Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma. Latvia, 2014.
6
A gift from the Defence Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden Anders Per-Arne Björck. Riga, 17 May 1993.
7
Fragment of the Berlin Wall. (13.08.1961–09.11.1989) The donor of the gift unknown. Undated.
8
A gift from the President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. Mongolia, 12 June 2014 (during a state visit).
9
A gift from Chair of the Board of the Latvian Society for Gender Equality Inese Ielīte to Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis. Latvia, 8 March 2011.
10
A gift from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Latvia Banashri Bose Harrison. Riga, 3 December 2012.
11
A gift from the President of Ukraine HE Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine, 15 March 2013.
12
The donor of the gift and the location unknown. Possibly a gift from Ukraine. The vase features an image of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Ukrainian medieval national hero (1595–1657). 9 June 1998.
13
The ‘Docker’ sculpture; possibly a gift from Belgium. 9 June 1998.
14
A gift from the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria HE Ognian Gerdjikov. Pictured: a fragment of the gift. Riga, 8 June 2004.
15
A gift from the Kuweit Parliamentary Commission for Prisoners of War. 22 October 2001.
16
A gift from the President of Uzbekistan Islom Abdug’aniyevich Karimov. The photo shows part of the gift. Uzbekistan, 25 May 2014 (during a state visit).
17
A gift from the President of Ireland HE Mary McAleese. Riga, 21 May 2007.
18
A gift from the Vice Premier Minister of the People’s Republic of China Li Lanqing. 7 June 1996.
19
A gift from the son of the former Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia in Palestine Mordechai Caspi, Michael Caspi. Riga, 9 June 2003.
20
A stamp (Andris Bērziņš) created by the artist Yang Shying, a gift made at the opening of the Global China Business Meeting 2012 entrepre- neurial forum. Riga, 25 November 2012.
21
A gift from the Prime Minister of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevičius. Latvia, 10 January 2013 (during his visit).
22
A gift from the Vice-Mayor of Philadelphia (USA), Head of Economic and Trade Development. Philadelphia, 10 October 2013.
23
A gift from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Latvia, HE Massan Ghashgavi. Riga, 26 April 2005.

In 2014 Vladimir Svetlov and Anna Volkova contacted me. Their idea was to do a series on protocol gifts for Talka – an Orbita publication – in connection with the European Capital of Culture. So I photographed in the Chancery of the President of the Republic of Latvia, at the Saeima building and in the building of the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers. The series offers a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes functions and machinery of a democratic country, and reminds us of the importance of transparency in governance.
I used a movable natural light studio "pavilion" and colourful backdrops. In 2016 I went back to Saeima and photographed more gifts from their collections, so as to grow the series to a 30 picture exhibition.

Printed in Talka yearbook (Orbita, 2014).
Exhibition tour in Latvia during 2017.
Partly exhibited in the Latvian Museum of Photography in 2020.