CHANGE OF TIME, DISTANCES AND US 0

Milda Kiaušaitė
www.kamane.lt, 2010-12-16

V.Luckus. Self-portrait

 

 

In the exhibition of V.Luckus. Photo by M.Kiaušaitė

V.Luckus. "In White Background"

In brief: The exhibition of the art photographer Vitas Luckus (1943-1987) “In White Background” open at Kaunas Photography Gallery from the 14th to the 26th of December is the first glance at the archives of photographs of the conceptual and rebellious artist. The chairman of the Lithuanian Union of Art Photographers, Kaunas Branch, Gintaras Česonis hopes to present earlier works of the photographer and mentions that it is planned to organise a retrospective exhibition of V.Luckus at the National Gallery of Art in 2012.

Even though the photographer V.Luckus belonged to the epoch of the Lithuanian school of photography, he stood out from the circle of his colleagues by the original style and modern ways of creation. The courage and innovative thought of the photographer was noticed by the Russian critic Lev Aninsky, the photography album of V.Luckus “The Hard Way” (1993) was published in the Netherlands in English. The traveller was kindly welcomed abroad. The biggest secret is why the name of V.Luckus is pronounced in Lithuania with uncertainty until now.

According to the art photographer and organiser of Kaunas Photo Festival Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, the conceptual photography did not appear so revolutionary in the wide world: similarities could be traced with Americans Richard Avedon, Diana Arbus; nonetheless, the photography of V.Luckus is interesting in the Lithuanian context.

M.Kavaliauskas points out that the series of photographs of V.Luckus “Large-Scale Portrait” (1969-1987) is an important part of searches of the photographer; it is related with the typological portraits showcased in the exhibition.

The graphic Egidijus Rudinskas notes: “I enjoy the fact that the artist is in the second plan here; we look at the characters themselves. We may feel the change of time and the distance”. He states to have noticed a similar conception in German and Scandinavian photography.

M.Kavaliauskas: “I am intrigued by the fact that these portraits are of a more general plan and contain many socially eloquent details, which were usually lost in the games with form.”Details that enable to realise the time are more important than the man and the clean space.

By his photographs V.Luckus laughs at the theatre of daily life. A wincing young photographer, perplexed glances of elderly women, static old people feeling unsettled inside… The photographer has erased everything that hides the most important features. Meanwhile, the viewer is granted the possibility to see himself/herself in the clean white background.


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