MARCH IN KAUNAS EXHIBITION HALLS 4

Kristina Budrytė-Genevičė
www.kamane.lt, 2013-03-26

In brief: As March comes to an end, one may notice in schedules of the city exhibitions that the majority of organisers prolonged the duration of expositions. It is an ambivalent phenomenon: other artists are waiting for their turn or perhaps they refuse and let the place to colleagues who have their shows already. Visitors are also allowed not to hurry – they may come another time and perhaps even bring friends to the visited exhibition.

The gallery Meno Parkas of the Lithuanian Artists’ Association, Kaunas Branch (Rotušės Sq. 27) loves conceptual art projects and now the exhibition “Disguise” of the young artists’ family – Greta Grendaitė and Tomas Vosylius – is showcased here until March 27. As the authors of the works wrote, most probably it was the first part and a continuation of the exhibition awaits.

The artists were on internship in France in 2012 and showed some of the works during the open-door day of the studio. Now the main reflection of the creative work starts: after some time one can look at the map and think about the position of one’s own and another city, the experienced and non-experienced view/sound and, in general, to comment the definitions of “the new” and “the old” or “traditional” and “contemporary”. 

In this exhibition two branches of traditional fine arts – graphic art and sculpture – create the eclectic but at the same time harmonious encoded system, a conceptual view. This view may be constructed from the city experiences, may be the detail of its time or a fragment of some place.

Another exhibition coming to an end, which has not been reviewed much, is the commemoration of the centenary of Kazimieras Žoromskis (1913–2004). The exposition is presented at M.Žilinskas Art Gallery of the National M.K.Čiurlionis Art Museum (Nepriklausomybės a. 12) until March 31. The exhibition “The Vibration of Colour” consists of early works of the artist, some cycles (“The Wall”, “Billboard”, “The 23rd Street”, “Series of 3D Works”). Each group of works is discussed comprehensively by the artist’s wife, art critic Dr. Kristina Miklaševičiūtė-Žoromskienė.

Many portraits are showcased in the exhibition. No wonder that in order to encompass so many experienced colours, things and met people as well as visions, the best way is to turn such a mirage into one controlled system that pulsates with geometrical spots and white pauses. Optical works showcased in the exhibition are even more mysterious than the painted portraits – the cipher encoded by the artist may be hidden in these works, but also it is possible that the colours have been used according to the mood of the artist while looking at the changing face of the world.

One more exhibition displayed at M. Žilinskas Art Gallery is part of history of Lithuanian emigrants’ art: it is the painting exhibition of Jonas Rimša (1903–1978) “Bronze People. Indian Spirit Revealed” (3rd floor of the gallery, open until April 21). Links with European painting masters could be traced in the artist’s works but this is not the only determinant of the painting’s value. Figures of some works of J.Rimša are formed of bright colours as well as white colour that shines mysteriously. This mysterious white reminds of people of El Greco (1548-1625). Also, the thinking of the Fovism representative André Derain (1880-1954) is close to the artist. Still, all these influences may only reveal that Rimša studied German and Austrian art galleries and museums well while he lived in Europe and studied at a sewing and cutting school. Later Rimša spent many years in both continents of America but the seen and realised history of European art never left his mind.

The exhibition of Kaunas artists Rimvidas Jankauskas-Kampas (1957-1993) and Rolandas Karalius at Aukso Pjūvis gallery (K. Donelaičio Str. 62/ V. Putvinskio Str. 53, BLC) was prolonged until April 26. It is a wonderful occasion to see works of Kampas that are displayed rarely and to compare them with works of his colleague, painter Karalius. Of course, only a few of Kampas’ paintings are showcased as the majority of them are lost, are abroad or are not made public by private collectors. Still, this is not bad. The construction of the building lets the visitor see paintings only from a very small distance or from very far, i.e. to see all paintings at once.

While the visitor admires bright red spots, he/she may notice the liking of both authors for repetition of the line, the change, comparison and continuation: for one artist it is the road from chaos while forming powerful giants, for another it is the introduction of colourful contrasts in a square. The artists have such different ways of painting that their works ask to be studied from very close.


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