Klaus Leo Richter “Kastute”

“The primary theme of Richter’s series revolves around the act of an individual refusing to engage with an oppressive system and the subsequent consequences that follow. The work explores the motivations and circumstances that drive noncompliance – raising questions about who Kastute was, why she chose such a path and more broadly, examining who is capable or unwilling to undertake actions that lead to punishment. The series also delves into the theme of punishment, particularly the historical practice of punishing individuals by denying them access to the comforts of civilization, placing them within the sphere of ‘nature’.”

Statement of ISSP Riga, which chose the series to be part of FUTURES! Photography

“I live in the small village, Bajorai, in the north-east of Lithuania. Each day, through my kitchen window, I see a small piece of forest with a tiny house. It is uninhabited; nature is taking over and it is slowly being decomposed by humidity, fungi, and insects.

In 1990, less than a year before Lithuania gained its independence from Soviet Russia, Kastute died. She had lived through Czarist rule and the times of independence between the two World Wars; almost all of her life on this piece of land, which she never owned. The father of her daughter went to work to America in the 1930s. He promised to return with money, but never did. Back then, together with her daughter, she lived in a semi-derelict clay hut, but in one summer, she managed to sell enough hazelnuts and berries to afford a used smoke sauna, the building was carried to her living place and she turned it into her home, even built the chimney herself.

In the 1950ies the authorities demanded her to work in the collective farm, but she refused. She told them, ‘If I’m an obstacle to you, you can dig a hole in front of my door and I will vanish.’

As a consequence, she was never allowed an electricity connection to her house.
Kastute’s act of refusal to work for the collective farm was punished by the Soviet system. She was denied the ‘comforts of civilization’ and banned into the ‘sphere of nature’.
There are numerous stories of resistance and disobedience, especially the dreadful punishment of people in (Soviet) Russia. And each deserves to be heard.

Silent revolts are often overlooked. But their ‘simplicity’ can allow us to connect more easily with the subject, and may even humble ourselves.

Kastute’s story also reads as a reminder of the unbroken tie of disregard for human life and dignity by the Russian regime. And it asks how much the comforts of our civilization today are worth to us and when a tipping point may be reached, where refusal and the facing of its consequences becomes necessary.”

Klaus Leo Richter

 

Klaus Leo Richter (b. 1986) is an Austrian-born artist and photographer living in Lithuania. His work focuses on the periphery, with an interest in the cultural and historical foundations of hegemony and the formation of difference between individuals or groups. Through photography and text, he sheds light on sparsely noted areas. He holds a BA in International Development from the University of Vienna, an MA in Media and Photography Art from Vilnius Academy of Arts, and completed the ‘Ostkreuzschule’ for Photography in Berlin. His works have been shown in various solo and group exhibitions internationally. He is a two-time recipient of the national artist stipend from the ‘Lithuanian Council of Culture’. This year the work ‘Kastute’ has been selected by ‘ISSP’ to be part of ‘Futures! Photography’; the work also will be part of ‘Rotlicht – Festival’ in Vienna, Austria.