Art works and events that stand out 0
In brief: A person who decides to devote a day for a cultural walk in Kaunas may find many traditional exhibitions of good painting and sculpture in the city. Still, if he/she searched for interactive exhibitions or art actions where he/she would become a participant or co-author of artistic projects, he/she could frustrate – such events are rare.
This is why the Biennial of Kaunas Unitext that is still in progress wins due to its active and educational art activity and does not leave visitors indifferent. The audience was involved into competitions organised by the biennial and gathered in lessons. The author of the article participated in one special tour in November too. The tour in M. Žilinskas Gallery was organised by Prof. Rasa Žukienė, and her public lecture was attended by a big number of the city inhabitants.
The tour was limited with several different works and their analysis without trying to encompass everything. In this exhibition the paradox of well-known artists revealed – Lithuanian authors, such as Audrius Janušonis or Jūratė Jarulytė, surprised by their works in the large international exposition.
One more event that drew attention of the author was the project “Self-defence” organised by the Psilicone Theatre artists Auksė ir Darius Petruliai at Akademija gallery in the old town of Kaunas. People who dropped by could see what it meant to be a participant of a traditional exhibition and what he/she could become after stepping into the psilicone theatric space.
In addition to interactive or traditional exhibitions, more and more art albums are published as the year is ending. For instance, the gallery of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association Meno Parkas is publishing three albums at once: the catalogue of works of the latter years of Aušra Vaitkūnienė “4 Stories or Much More?”, the documentary publication of Vilnius art critics and artists’ group 24 and the painting album of Jonas Gasiūnas. Also, Kaunas Branch of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association is waiting for the album of the graphic artist “Elena Jakutytė (1911-1999)” about the artist who lived in the 20th century, which should arrive from the publishing house soon.
One more important recent publication is the monograph written by the art critic Violeta Krištopaitytė about the artist and teacher Jonas Vaitys (“Jonas Vaitys. 1903-1963”, Vilnius: Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishers, 2013). It is about the mysterious artist of Kaunas, whose works and life have not been searched more thoroughly until now.