ANGELINA BANYTĖ “MONUMENTAL SILENCE”

On Friday, 28th of June 2019, at 6 PM Klaipeda Culture Communication Center Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens str. 2, Klaipėda) together with Lithuanian Artists’ Association (LAA) Klaipeda Department present the exhibition by Angelina Banytė called “Monumental Silence”, curated by Neringa Poškutė-Jukumienė, multimedia project authored by Gintautas Beržinskas.

The exhibition “Monumental Silence” curated by LAA Klaipeda Department is dedicated to present the monumental works of artist Angelina Banytė (b. 1949). During the four decades of creative work that have passed in Klaipeda, A. Banytė has created a number of mural paintings, some with co-authors. Her entire body of work would cover over 1,000 square meters and this is the key point of the exhibition “Monumental Silence”.

A. Banytė’s mural paintings are mainly located in Western Lithuania (Klaipeda, Palanga, Juknaiciai), also in Vilnius and Druskininkai. Most frescoes are already in need of restoration, making it particularly important to capture and perceive them in the modern context. In the second half of the XX century public buildings used to be richly decorated with frescoes. It is characterized by a conditional multidimensional space, multifigural compositions, fresco was combined with other techniques, usually sgraffito. However, today this information is more known only to a narrow circle of art connoisseurs or people who have experienced living among them – between frescoes.

The artist’s wall painting works were and still are a pleasant creative challenge for her, because even today A. Banytė still works in her field. For the creator herself these projects do not require huge physical endurance and diligence, but bring self-realization and creative joy. Due to the fresco’s success then (after her graduation from 1974 up until the re-establishment of the state of Lithuania) artist used to be able to fully express herself, but now such commissions are rare – exclusive, smaller and in private spaces. According to Angelina Banytė, there is small chance that phenomenon of wall painting will ever come back. The painter jokingly says that creating such frescoes today would be almost impossible, because in the modern buildings, which are predominantly built from glass and metal, there are virtually no longer any open walls, and the pigments of the special paint are very expensive and need to be brought down from Italy.

In 2019, A. Banytė celebrates her 70th birthday. On this occasion LAA Klaipėda Division is taking the opportunity to curate the exhibition of the fresco phenomenon (and its modern destructive existence) which consists of the artist’s frescoes digitally printed on a scale of 1:1 by means of multimedia and life size prints on the KCCC Exhibition Hall’s walls, installations as well as the video piece fresco. This exhibition will enable the viewer to understand the scale of the works, the storyline, style, monumentality and the value of wall paintings typical for this artist. The title of the exhibition “Monumental Silence” was not chosen by chance. It makes very clear reference to the great works, that are worthy to be seen and to be saved, created by a fragile, feminine and modest person.

The exhibition “Monumental Silence” will run until the 28th of July 2019.

Opening hours of the KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens str. 2, Klaipėda): Wednesday-Sunday 11 AM – 7 PM (closed on public holidays).