Parodos
“(NON) PHOTOGRAPHICAL FIELD. 1988–1995” AT KKKC EXHIBITION HALL
On the 18th November 2016, Friday, 6 p.m. at KKKC exhibition hall (Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipėda) the opening of exhibition “(Non) photographical field. 1988-1995” prepared by Vitas Luckus photography centre, that will shed a new insight on the photographic phenomena that occurred outside the Lithuanian photographer’s union.
Works of Audrius Puipa, Gintautas Trimakas, Gintaras Zinkevičius, Gintaras Znamerovskis, Gintaras and Donatas Srogis, Linas Liandzbergis and Herkus Kunčius, Svajonė and Paulius Stanikas, artist group “Post Ars”, “New communications school” (Linas Jablonskis, Saulius Paukštys, Andrius Puipa, Rimvydas Bartkus, Augustinas Gricius, Eglė Rakauskaitė), “Doooooris” (Raimondas Urbonas, Audrius Jankauskas, Arvydas Karvelis) will be presented in the exhibition. Curator – Ieva Meilutė-Svinkūnienė
Twentieth century, 9-10 decade junction marked not only a turning point in the country’s history, but also in the life of art. In the background of the movement eve and forming of the processes of modern art inLithuania, photography had to transform and speak out in a language suitable for the issues and art tendencies of the time, creative innovative young conceptual photographers began to emerge more actively.
Groups of artists (which were usually composed of different disciplines) sought to break free from the system, institutions and media canons. Many of their works were related to an anti- art movement, characterized by Dadaism and Fluxus art principles. Often this kind of photo series or individual pieces in the field of photography were treated as “non- art” or at least non- photographic. Maybe this is why they were rarely published in photographic publications, rarely exhibited, and exist as an oddly faint myth in our consciousness.
A Different kind of photography existed alongside the Lithuanian photographer’s union, usually with having no ambition to become a phenomenon, more likely just a game, a joke (unofficial art group members from “New communications school”, “Doooooris” remade the already existing photographs playfully), as modern art (works of Svajonė and Paulius Stanikas) or as a mean for performances and other art campaigns to be documented conceptually (“Post Ars“ group, Linas Liandzbergis together with Herkus Kiunčius, Gintaras Znamierovskis together with Donatas Srogis). To be true, some did this very solemnly, others – obviously with much irony. Yet others explored the relations between photography and painting (A. Puipa’s “Staged paintings” photographed by G. Trimakas).
Groups of artists (which were usually composed of different disciplines) sought to break free from the system, institutions and media canons. Many of their works were related to an anti- art movement, characterized by Dadaism and Fluxus art principles. Often this kind of photo series or individual pieces in the field of photography were treated as “non- art” or at least non- photographic. Maybe this is why they were rarely published in photographic publications, rarely exhibited, and exist as an oddly faint myth in our consciousness.
Photographer’s Association members of the groups mentioned (Gintautas Trimakas, Gintaras Zinkevičius, Saulius Paukštys) couldn’t realize their ideas purely in photographic media, so they adjusted the photography to performances, installations and accomplishment of other conceptual ideas.
The retrospective of the artists or groups who expanded the boundaries of photographic art have meaningfully complemented the Lithuanian art photography history, highlights some of the processes and trends, shows photography’s integration and transformation of the current contemporary art forms, emphasizes group activity impact on individual composers, and vice versa.
This is the first exhibition of Vitas Luckus photography centre established at theMuseumofPhotography, which reflects one of the purposes of the centre – a new view to different historical photography stages; actualize the less known photographical phenomena. In his diary Vitas Luckus wrote: “Everything can be different. I’d like to emphasize the press photography, passport, documentation photography, I would not like to degrade the happening photography, be it kitsch or be it photography on ceramics or medallions. What matters is that it’s photography, which I understand as a part of Mozartian sense. All directions and areas are interesting.”
The exhibition “(Non) photographical field. 1988-1995” was first exhibited on December, 2015 at The museum of photography in Šiauliai, Exhibition Hall presents an expanded version of the exhibition, complemented with the works that were not shown in Šiauliai.
Organizers: Vitas Luckus photography centre. Šiauliai museum of photography, partners: Lithuanian photography union, LPU Klaipėda department, National M.K. Čiurlionis art museums, sponsors: Lithuanian Cultural Counciol, KKKC.
The exhibition will be opened until the 11th December, 2016.
Ticket – 1,70 / 0,85 €
KKKC Exhibition Hall (Didžioji Vandens g. 2, Klaipėda) working hours: Wednesday – Sunday 11am to 7pm.
