4–29 October 2024
Opening reception: 4 October, Friday, 7 pm
“1. Gediminas; 5. Beast in the Vilnelė; 33. The Ghost of Sigismund Augustus; 8. Vytautas in Good Spirits; 25. Bear Choir of Naujoji Vilnia; 32. Contents of Barbora’s Purse; 27. The Iron Wolf; 26. Thunder Playing the Stone; 30. Choir of the Damned from St. John’s Church; 35. Lizdeika the Priest; 9. Stork Carrying the Hand of St Casimir” – these are just a few of the imaginary stories of Vilnius that can be found in Kęstutis Grigaliūnas’s latest exhibition, The Ghost, Hares, Gediminas and the Octopus.
It all started a long time ago, when Kęstutis was still a child at his parents’ house in Kaunas and liked to read the book “Vilnius Legends” (based on the book by Władysław Zahorski, published in 1931). “I have chosen works from different periods, without dates or titles. There will only be some texts, slightly related to the existing images, but the texts may be mixed and the image may not correspond to the verbal narrative. In sum, the question is: what is Vilnius, who are its inhabitants? The past merges with the present.”
Kęstutis Grigaliūnas, winner of the National Prize for Culture and Art, gives the audience the opportunity to create the history of Vilnius by borrowing clues from his works. The witty fragments of stories in the paintings, prints, cut-outs, objects and puzzles on display will encourage the viewer to engage in a playful process of creation – to move the parts or details in their own way, to arrange them, or to sit down at the table of many stamps.
The new exhibition of Grigaliūnas is also important in the broader context of his work. In recent decades, Grigaliūnas has devoted much of his creative energy to artistic research on the tragic events of the post-war period, the history of the deportation and genocide of Lithuanian citizen. He has presented a number of memorable exhibitions based on the study of archival material, and has published several books, thus encouraging reflection not only on contemporary art strategies, but also on our personal experience. Meanwhile, in his educational exhibitions, Grigaliūnas once again highlights the principles of Neo-Pop Art and Fluxus, by creating objects characterised by subtle irony and the paradoxical universality of everyday situations.
The exhibition is part of the gallery’s ongoing art education project “The Playing Gallery”. Here, professional creativity is inseparable from educational activities, and the most important thing is the creativity of visitors. Every day of the gallery’s opening hours, at 11 am and 4 pm, exclusive educational sessions are organised for groups of children and schoolchildren, led by art critics Rita Mikučionytė, Kristina Stančienė and artist Liucija Teodora Mikučionytė. Saturdays are dedicated to family education. Class times can be adapted. Pre-registration is required at [email protected]
Visiting the exhibition and educational activities are free of charge.
The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City, Lithuanian Artists’ Association.
