KAUNAS IN ART. Spread. Connections
Contemporary art festivak “Kaunas in Art” returns after a year break. Festival comes back with new ideas, other conception. Admirers of contemporary art this year will be invited in to festival’s events twice: summertime and fall. With the festival’s conception:”Spread. Connections” the organizers aim to present new projects, introduce with not seen in Kaunas artists, present young and worldwide admired artists’ creation, but also to continue the presentation of the pieces of artists, that have participated in the past festivals. As in the previous events, the projects are organized in the spaces of galleries, museum’s halls and already the tradition of “Kaunas in Art” – public places. Without artworks of well known artists such as Andzej Wajda (PL), Lena von Lapschina (AT), Stasys Žirgulis (LT), Artūras Valiauga (LT), Judith Lesur (FR), curator from Bulgaria Neno Belchev and perspectively rising young Lithuanian artists Povilas Ramanauskas, Rosanda Sorakaitė and others, there will take place and experimental events at the festival (“Kaunas Artists’ Day“), which success depends not only on the organizers efforts, but also on the participants. The “Partners of the festival” list has also expanded. Along with the old partners, such as M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas Photography Gallery, cafe “Skliautas”, this time goes two new exhibition spaces – gallery “POST” and gallery “Meno forma”. We hope, that this year festival will provide satisfaction of expectations, great impressions and even more consolidate the image of Kaunas as the city of contemporary art.
Arvydas Žalpys,
Director of contemporary art festival „Kaunas in Art“
Festival Programme:
Young artists' project MYTH AND ART
Participating artists: Julija Jakilaitytė, Simonas Kuliešis, Kristina Mažeikaitė, Julija Pociutė, Povilas Ramanauskas, Rosanda Sorakaitė, Lina Šniraitė, Vytautas Tautkevičius, Rasa Vilčinskaitė
f&d cartier (CH). WAIT & SEE, LITHUANIA
Exhibition was opened till from June 27th to July 27th at Kaunas Photography Gallery (Rotušės a. 1 / Vilniaus g. 2).
Documentary exhibition of the festival "Kaunas in Art"
Exhibition was opened till from June 27th to July 27th at the gallery "Homo ludens" (Jonava Cultural Center, Žeimių g. 15, Jonava).
Public review of international video art festival VIDEOHOLICA. Curator Neno Belchev (BG).
From June 26th to July 18th at the yard of caffe "Skliautas" (Rotušės a. 26).
On the 28th of June 12 - 4 p.m. at Kaunas Town Hall Swuare – KAUNAS ARTISTS' DAY.
Organizers invited all artists of Kaunas to meet at one place - heart of the city. The meeting was accompanied with improvized actions, temporary artists' library was open.
From the 3rd to the 9th (2014) of July in gallery POST were exhibitid videoinstallation of Judith Lesure (FR), videofilm by Gregoire Fabvre (FR) "Life" also the collection of the best videos from international VIDEOHOLICA short movie festival, 2013 (Curator Neno Belchev (BG).
During the closing of the exhibition there was shown performance program:
Diego Tampanelli (SP) "Fugue State". Performance
The relations between individual and collective memory constitutes the framework of his last works. If the possibility of generating memory is achieved through experience, can art stimulate in any way its capacity to generate art as experience, not only individual but also shared?
This durational performance started at 6 p.m. on the 8th of July and lasted for 24 hours. During the closing of exhibition people were asked to interact with the artist.
Judith Lesure (FR) "Masquerade". Performance
Judith Lesure - artist creating videofilms often animated and based on collages, takes part in socally sensitive projects. In her artworks often citates clasical culture but also is staying in deep connection wild nature powers.
Daina Dieva sound performance "Beehive". Daina Dieva is a composer and audioartist, audio and video performansist.
Gallery "Meno parkas" (Rotušės a. 27, Kaunas)
On October 16th at the gallery "Meno parkas" (Rotušės a. 27, Kaunas) was presented artists from France project - ZWANN EÏ COLLECTIVE and their performance "Apnea". Artists, using body, sound and video analyzes symbolic or phyzic expansion when, even for a short moment, it is aimed to rescue consciousness from body.
On October 19th at the gallery was opened site specific installation CONSTRUCTED TO BE PHOTOGRAPHIC of artist from USA Steve Yates. The site-specific photographic installation includes digital photographic prints made from cities throughout Eastern and Central Europe. The large color prints combine camera imagery with drawing. Painting elements with color. Scale with repetition. Interactions that expand and multiply the gallery’s individual architectural space, structure and light. Combinations that are a catalyst to new ways of seeing with a poetics of space.
On November 18th at the gallery was presented the last event of this year's festival - Contemporary Bulgarian video art LIVING IN POST-SOCIALISM. Curator Neno Belchev (Bulgaria). Participating artists: Albena Baeva, Jivko Darakchiev / Perrine Gamot, Katelina Kancheva / Krum Yankov, Lipovanski / Nenova / Mechev, Adelina Popnedeleva, Samuil Stoyanov.
M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art M. Žilinskas Art Gallery (Nepriklausomybės a. 12, Kaunas)
On the October 16th at the Nationall Gallery of M. K. Čiurlionis M. Žilinskas Art Gallery (Nepriklausomybės a. 12, Kaunas) project ANDRZEJ WAJDA. KAUNAS - VILNIUS (curator: Krzysztof Stanisławski, Poland) was presented.
At this exhibition was presented not well familiar for Lithuanian audience side of the most known contemporary polish movie director - Andrzej Wajda (b. 1926): paintings and drawings, posters of A. Wajda's movies, photographies from the movie set. This collection, including director's retrospective of visual arts, was organized for the first time in Lithuania and hasn't been shown no where else. Andrzej's drawings and paintings were borrowed from Muzeum Sztuki Współczesnej w Radomiu and Muzeum im. Jacka Malczewskiego. The biggest part of original posters that was exposed in this exhibition, were bought by association "Kampania Artystyczna" (Warsow).
The separate part of exhibition was composed of A. Wajda movies: at one hall of M. Žilinskas Art Gallery were shown short movies and at M. Žilinskas' cinema hall was shown movies programme: "UMARŁA KLASA" ("The Dead Class"), 1977, "TATARAK" ("Sweet Rush"), 2009, "WAŁĘSA. CZŁOWIEK Z NADZIEI" ("WAŁĘSA"), 2013 and documentaries "LEKCJA POLSKIEGO KINA" ("A lesson of polish cinema"), 2002, 71 min. and "JAKI JEST Z BLISKA" ("Up-close and personal Andrzej Wajda"), 2004, 45 min.
Also, these four movies on October 17th - October 19th was shown in Contemporary Art Cenetre (Vokiečių g. 2, Vilnius).
Curator K. Stanislawski participated at the opening at M. Žilinskas Art Gallery. During the opening it was presented two publications prepared by K. Stanislawski: monograph "Andrzej Wajda" (2012, polish / english, 248 p.) and especially for this project prepared publication "Andrzej Wajda. Kaunas-Vilnius" (2014, lithuanian / polish / english, 56 p.).
Gallery POST (Laisvės al. 51A (3rd floor), Kaunas)
PATRICIJA GILYTĖ (Lithuania / Germany): "tri - galaxian L4116". This video artwork has been created in Austria at the tabacco factory of Linz in the year 2014. Videoartwork has three projections. Vizual story consists of separate luminous points (tea lights), connected to lines in associatively percieved visual webs. This artwork doesn't seek objectivity, which is based on science experience or strict standart. Origin of inspiration lies on varieties of methods of perceiving.
Internatiional video artists' collective FEMLINK is presenting 24 video works collage “Vital”. Curator Véronique Sapin (France). This is not the first project of FEMLINK presented in Lithuania.
FemLink is a women artists’ initiative. It was founded by the artist Veronique Sapin (France). C. M. Judge (USA) was the first artist who accepted. C. M. proposed the name “FemLink”. Since the creation of FemLink in 2005, they invited 145 artists from 62 countries (the 4 continents are represented) for creating common art–works which can include women–artists from everywhere in the world. Also with them, 15 males from 15 countries at this time.
Cultural diversity is no empty slogan for Femlink, an association whose very name points to the link between female artists throughout the world, beyond nationalities and cultures. Our video collage speaks to everyone who is convinced that a work of art, using Françoise Colin’s phrase, should ‘make human sense’. Cultural diversity is the root of our video collage; its sustenance and richness. Both autonomous and singular, the works of
this video collage echo the world, in their own artistic way, opening prospects, offering new views and providing possibilities.
Rimantas Milkintas (Lithuania). Project "X". 2014 In my sculptural objects I analyze links of substance and the meanings associated with it. Physical states of matter: flexibility, stability, softness, hardness, fragility, durability are the substances, which reveals the essence of the sculptures. In my works, I equate physical states of materials to individual experience, selecting
them in order to create desired situations. I often composing the materials with opposite features, that gives polarity to my sculptures. I like open design structures. Also I’m seeking an intriguing position in space. Often space determines the choise of materials, physical and plastic result of their expression. Whith my works I’m developing the Lithuanian sculpture, in the direction of minimalist geometric abstraction with psychological overtones.
Project "Touch of Magic" Agnė Matulevičiūtė, (Lithuania), Tobias Gundorff Boesen (Denmark). Curator Ieva Vitkauskaitė (Lithuania).
The short film of Tobias Gundorff Boesen is incorporated into installation of young artist Agnė Matulevičiūtė, where the film is no longer a product of a "pure" movie The idea of project's curator was to pull out it out of movie theater" and to show how a film may perform other functions.
Kaunas Gallery (Vilniaus g. 2, Kaunas)
On October 19th at Kaunas Gallery (Vilniaus g. 2, Kaunas) was held an opening of Lena's Lapschina's exhibition TREES AND POETS, CITIFIED [THE URBANIST’S ALPHABET].
Artist explores urban structures, street life and visual user interfaces of big cities.
Gallery "Meno forma" (Savanorių pr. 166, Kaunas)
On November 7th at the gallery “Meno forma” (Savanorių 166, Kaunas) was presented project BREAD, WINE, MEDIUM. Artists: Linas Liandzbergis, Artūras Valiauga ir Rokas Valiauga.
