AT THE KCCC EXHIBITION HALL – AGNĖ JONKUTĖ AND REMIGIJUS TREIGYS “WAITED OUT IMAGES”

On the 6th of April, 2018, Friday, 6:00 PM, at KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipėda) a photography and painting exhibition “Waited out Images” by Agnė Jonkutė and Remigijus Treigys opens.

In the common area of the exhibition, the artists present the works created in 2017-2018: Agnė Jonkutė exhibits a painting and photography cycle “The Earth”, Remigijus Treigys – a photography cycle “The Winter Diary”.

Photography is the companion of A. Jonkutė’s paintings. The artist, using the techniques of old photography, carries out experiments trying to record a landscape. Not to create, but to record it as it is: covers the paper in a sensitive material or chooses the paper that reacts to the light itself and by pressing it with earth, sand, stone or snow, so the wind wouldn’t blow it away, leaves it to record “that place, that time, that light” as the artist says. These recorded landscapes became a starting point to convey the Earth and Sky in paintings – two different elements, inseparable, changing, meeting at the line of the horizon. According to the artist, the Earth theme came to her works from personal history- grandparents, mother who was born inSiberiawhere they were taken – taken and moved to a different earth.

R. Treigys’ work exhibition is also inspired by personal experiences. According to the artist “The Winter Diary” is like his daily observations. They are autobiographical images, expressed through personal experience, views. “Usually a diary is secret, meant only for you, but in this case they are exposed. They might bring one memories to me, but to the viewer they might bring different emotions. Because it is very personal”, – told R. Treigys about the new photography cycle.

The works of the artists that live in different cities, communicate virtually and rarely seeing each other in various exhibitions are linked by range of colour, composition, but mostly – by the atmosphere of waiting and the peace, conveyed through mists, nothingnesses, effaced contours of things. And the staying, lingering at that one image, one object.

“It is important for both of us to stay long with the image, more precisely – next to the image until we dare to capture it on film or canvas. I can only speculate, that R. Treigys takes long at his photographical impress the same way I do by stroking my oily surfaces with a brush, until I lay down all the layers – A. Jonkutė spoke of communalities of creating. – This exhibition will have recurrent horizons, because we both search or wait for that line, there will be things, which slightly appear from the darkness or the light, there will be silver, Balt Salt and a little bit of other colours that appeared from photography. There will be a lot of nothingnesses and silence.”

The leitmotiv of silence is especially exposed in the latest photographs by R. Treigys. In his previous works, the scratches, cracks that were as a visual noise, gradually fainted and in the last cycle “The Winter Diary”, “photography is completely silent” according to the artist. Specific motives, objects are also gone – only fragments of them.

“When you get close to the object, you can’t see its contour. For example, a large face in one of my works – I only show the nose and the eyes. It is possible to get even closer, to cross the line and get inside. But we haven’t crossed that line yet. We got close to the object, hit against it, explored the surface, but we didn’t go inside”,- said R. Treigys.

Another component that links the creation of both artists is the objects of study, without any prearrangement and as if by accident appears in both of their creations. The artists called this phenomenon “speak without speaking”. “Having first met in 2007, we found out that we each own a bed: him – a photographed, me – a painted one. Both beds “happened” approximately at the same time, they are both white, emerging from the darkness, both empty, but with a clear understanding that a human was present in it. We didn’t know about each other’s beds”, – A. Jonkutė said. R. Treigys agreed with her: “Speaking of understanding each other with Agnė, there is a work in the exhibition, called “A window for Agnė. J”. When I made it, it hasn’t crossed my mind that it could be related to Agnė. But once on the internet I came over a painting by Agnė, and notice – the composition is almost the same! And the thought to name the photography just like that was born.“

About the authors

Agnė Jonkutė (born in 1974) acquired a master’s degree in Art at the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts. Since 2005 is a member of Lithuanian Artist’s Association. Participating in exhibitions since 1999, held 10 personal exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad, participated in more than a 100 group exhibitions. In 2005 at the 5th Francophonie Games inNiamey (Niger) was awarded a gold medal, in 2009 at the International Fair of Contemporary Art “Art Vilnius” was awarded the Best Young Lithuanian Artist diploma. The Ministry of Culture of theRepublic ofLithuania has awarded her with the state scholarship multiple times. Participated in creative residencies: in 2005 “Cite Internationale des Arts“ in Paris (France), in 2016 creative camp of Middle andEastern Europe artists inGuiyang (China) and at a residency “Art Hub” inAbu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). The artist cooperates with theKaunas gallery “Meno parkas”. Her works were purchased by: European Central Bank (Frankfurt),ModernArt Museum (Vilnius),M.K.ČiurlionisMuseum, Xin Dong Cheng gallery (China), private collectors inLithuania and abroad.

Remigijus Treigys (born in 1961) completed his studies at the Faculty of Klaipėda Visual Design of Art Institute of Lithuania (currently the Vilnius Academy of Arts). Participating in exhibitions since 1987, held 47 personal exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad, participated in more than 70 group exhibitions. In 1991 received an award of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania for young artists, in 2005 was awarded a CEC Arts Link (New York, USA) scholarship, and in 2006 received an award from of the Union of the Lithuanian Photographers. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania has awarded her with the state scholarship multiple times. Participated in creative studies: in 2000 at the “Pro Artibus” art centre in Eken (Finland), in 2004 at the Robert Bosch Cultural Foundation creative studies in Berlin, in 2008 at kunst:raumsyltquelle foundation art residency at Sylt island (Germany), in 2009 at KLEE art residency at Schwerin (Germany), in 2010 at the Graco International Home of Authors (Austria).

The exhibition will be opened until the 5th of May, 2018.

KCCC Exhibition hall (Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipėda) working hours: Wednesday – Sunday 11 AM -7 PM (closed on public holidays).