“ICEBERG”

An interdisciplinary exhibition “Iceberg” is going to be presented at the Exhibition Hall of Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre (KCCC) (Didžioji Vandens str. 2, Klaipėda) on Friday, the 9th of October, 2020, at 6 PM, where the authors delve into the moments of a contemporary artist’s self-perception and self-realisation, and reflect on his role in the society. This exhibition will be exhibited in Vilnius at the beginning of the next year.

The idea for the exhibition “Iceberg” was inspired by the backstage discussions of the artists, where the perception and evaluation of oneself and one’s works as well as the transmission to other (artistic and non-artistic) territories and similar issues are quite actively discussed. Does a contemporary work of art have to reflect personal experiences, inner conflicts, and disagreements with the outside world? Does it have to respond to the stimuli emanating from the field of society? How much of yourself do you need to put into a piece of work to stay intact but have enough potential to broadcast the message?

The iceberg has been chosen here as a symbol, a starting point for discussion and by its nature close to the artist’s situation. The mass of ice detached from the ice shelf and floating freely in the water here symbolises an in/dependent artist who, while remaining in the same waters, on one hand is no longer part of the glacier, as if free in his choices, but on the other hand he is still limited by the same shores, bound by the same obligations, rules and laws. He, like others, is dependent on logical and illogical government decisions, commitments to himself, the family, and society. The detachment of the iceberg from the glacier is largely driven by the climate change, which is undoubtedly affected by the activities of contemporary human. An artist who cannot / does not want to isolate himself or his work from the society is in a similar situation. And yet it happens that due to one or another decision he detaches from this glacier. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. How, then, does he change, his relationship with the environment, and to what extent does it affect his creativity?

Only one-ninth of the iceberg usually rises above the water, the other part remains underwater, and therefore we do not know its exact shape and size. That is precisely why the phrase “the tip of the iceberg” refers to a problem that is believed to be much larger in scale than can be seen. Could this also be the case for a contemporary artist? This exhibition does not endorse or deny this. It would be difficult to accurately measure not only the volume of the submerged iceberg, but also the real situation of a contemporary artist. Therefore, the aim here is only to further develop the artists’ discussions, which began backstage verbally, and now are brought out into the exhibition spaces and continued visually.

Artists of different ages (almost half of them – the younger ones) from various fields participate in the exhibition. Some of them are already recognised and realise themselves in the field of art without major obstacles, others are still striving to be visible and appreciated. This choice of the curator was determined by the desire to present not only the positions of well-known artists, but also of those who have not yet fully formed their creative attitudes. The fact that the opinions of the artists differed from the initial stage and each of them presented a unique approach to the topic, suggests that it is still relevant today. “Iceberg” does not seek to form, unite, let alone cause division. It is a platform on which 11 authors present their relationship with creativity.

Participants in the exhibition: Agnė Jonkutė, Toma Šlimaitė, Inga Likšaitė, Neringa Poškutė-Jukumienė, Laura Guokė, Augustė Santockytė, Darius Antonovas, Laima Antonova, Simona Martinkutė, Karolis Paulikas, Erdvilė Girininkaitė.

The exhibition id curated by Danguolė Ruškienė.

Project website: https://www.facebook.com/ledkalnis2020.

Project is financed by Klaipėda city municipality.

The exhibition “Iceberg” will run until the 8th of November, 2020.

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

We would like to inform the visitors that photos and videos will be taken during the event, so they can be featured on photos or videos of the event posted on social networks or in the media.

Visitors without protective masks will not be allowed.