Parodos
“GENERATION OF TRADITIONS AND CHANGES” – AT KCCC EXHIBITION HALL
An exhibition “Generation of Traditions and Changes” will be opened at the KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens str. 2, Klaipėda) on Friday, 24th of February 2017, at 5 PM. At the display – works of students of the Department of Painting of the 10th decade of the 20th century from VAA Museum funds, curator of the expedition – Vidas Poškus.
Student works of the 10th decade of one of the oldest departments of Vilnius Art Academy (VAA) – the Department of Painting – have been taken from the Collections of Academy Museum and are displayed at the Klaipėda Exhibition Hall. The years 1990-2000 have been full of changes, replacements and revaluation of values in the history of VAA as well as in the history of the whole country. On one hand, it happened in relation to political, social, economical changes and the changes of cultural situation, on the other hand – the academy, as well as any other community, had and was even forced to change in order to adapt itself to the altered circumstances, because inner transformation leads to progress and creation of different quality.
Painting students of then the Art Institute have partially been the catalysts of the “coup” when the Institute had undergone some kind of a revolution in 1989. A part of the old generation teachers were forced to leave VAA on students’ initiative (even though such authorities as Augustinas Savickas had still been working until 1993). Arvydas Šaltenis became the head of the Department; after he became a rector in 1994, he was replaced by Ričardas Povilas Vaitiekūnas. With Leonardas Gutauskas, Linas Katinas, Mindaugas Skudutis, Leopoldas Surgailis and other teachers working there, soon several artists from a younger generation started to teach in the Institute as well – Henrikas Čerapas, Jonas Gasiūnas, and Ričardas Nemeikšis. A great impetus to institutional and even deeper changes was given by a visiting professor Kęstutis Zapkus in 1992. He made a direct impact on a group of student painters called “The Good Evil” (originally “Geros Blogybės”), who were having a blast on the Lithuanian art stage with their conceptual expression (Julius Ludavičius, represented in the exhibition by two works dedicated to Vincent van Gogh, is namely one of this group). In the middle of the decade the analogical impulse was given by student internship abroad, such as Irma Leščinskaitė and Solomonas Teitelbaumas studying in Salzburg Summer Art Academy led by Leon Golub and Nancy Spero.
Term and diploma works of students of different courses and various years are displayed at the exhibition, aiming to reflect on the diversity of teachers of that time and their teaching specifics as well as artistic characteristics of students (the majority of them have already become significant art world personalities). Works of the study period of the painters living in the port city, such as Virginijus Viningas or Irma Leščinskaitė, have been specially included into the collection for the audience of Klaipėda.
The exhibition will run until the 19th of March 2017.
Ticket – 1,70 / 0,85 €.
Opening hours of the KCCC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens str. 2, Klaipėda): Wednesday-Sunday 11 AM – 7 PM.
