Henryk Stażewski. Late Style is a major exhibition exploring the life and work of one of Poland’s most significant artists. As a continuation of the series of articles Artist under spotlight, the exhibition team offers a glimpse into the narrative and curatorial concept of the exhibition, as well as some stories about the artist's work through the ages.
After hearing Santiago Mostyn's presentation in the international symposium From Complicated Past Towards Shared Futures in Riga, philosopher Rūdis Bebrišs used the opportunity to meet Santiago for a further discussion of the philosophical aspects of the artist’s lecture – questions of identity, nationhood, memory, and history –, connect them with Latvia and some pages of its past and probe the potential of art in all of this.
In the framework of the project From Complicated Past Towards Shared Futures, Jonas Žukauskas realised an augmented reality project and app Beacon of Happiness, through which visitors of the National Gallery of Art can see how the building of the gallery came into being. Jonas also offers a look at the history of the NGA building through the twists and turns of history in the form of an essay from his perspective as a professional architect.
As part of the international symposium From Complicated Past Towards Shared Futures, we asked some of the participants to answer one question that is at the core of their individual professional activity, as well as in the centre of one of the six thematic blocks they participated in during the symposium.
The symposium was the final event of the collaborative project From Complicated Past Towards Shared Futures, which has been focusing on the relationship between the complex and difficult past of the twentieth century and today in our region, considering how to think and talk about these issues in a wider society, with a particular focus on the role of art mediation.
The exhibition The Latvian Collection at the Malmö Konstmuseum presented the collection in its entirety for the first time since the 1950’s alongside eight new commissions by artists who have researched the collection. The exhibition highlights overlooked narratives within the collection and looks at new ways of accessing the historic collection as a moment in time. The important and historic event was also complemented by a public programme of workshops, seminars and a carnival.
Eglė Nedzinskaitė has been shaping the educational department of the National Gallery of Arts in Vilnius since its opening 13 years ago and remains one of the most active art education practitioners in Lithuania. In this interview, Eglė elaborates on her past and current activities, shares her reflections on the social role of art museums and their current politics of inclusivity.
These series bring together artists, curators and interdisciplinary researchers dealing with the Baltic region, its neighbouring regions, as well as in broader geographies, with the aim to analyse the imprints of post-socialism and post-colonialism and their impact on contemporary realities.
LCCA is one of the cultural institutions that has been particularly focused on social inclusion and accessibility issues in recent years, so we invited the people who have been most directly involved in the Centre's accessibility programmes - inclusion expert Lība Bērziņa, art historian, founder of the Latvian Association for Supporting People with Disabilities Ieva Rosne, and education curator Māra Žeikare.
In this online event art curators and scholars from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine discuss how post- and decolonial strategies are being engaged in the artistic programmes of their institutions, contributing to the relevance of these approaches in the Eastern European context.
In the framework of the project ‘From Complicated Past Towards Shared Futures’, the Hungarian partner, OFF-Biennale Budapest, realized a practice-based meeting among professionals to meet, speak and think together on the topics raised by the project and to learn with and from each other.
The exhibition “Decolonial Ecologies” aims to explore the complex entanglements of postcolonial and postsocialist imprints in contemporary society and culture in the Baltics and its neighbouring regions through the prism of environmental history and environmental changes, and the current ecological crisis. In these brief video interviews, curator, architects and artists talk about the stories behind their works.
As part of the Summer School "Postsocialist Ecologies", we invited all the lecturers and workshop leaders - researchers Egle Rindzevičiūtė, Linda Kaljundi, artists Diana Lelonek, Linda Bolšakova, Quinsy Gario, John Grzinić - to answer the same question: What aspects of environmental and ecological concern that reflect post-socialist, postcolonial or decolonial perspectives are most important in your recent research?
Tamás Péli’s painting Birth was first shown to the public last summer at the Budapest History Museum in the frame of the third OFF-Biennale Budapest. Thanks to the dedicated work of many people, the painting’s story continued – it was on view in Kassel as one of the highlights of documenta fifteen.
In these brief video interviews, the curators and artists of the exhibition "Difficult Pasts. Connected Worlds" talk about the histories, stories and memories which are behind their works. These are body memories, neglected women and queer histories, and the Soviet past that still lingers around as shadows or ghostly presence, and the global scale and interconnectedness of the colonial histories.
On Friday, April 29, the exhibition Difficult Pasts. Connected Worlds dedicated to the painful histories of Eastern European countries was opened at the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius. The opening program of the exhibition also featured performances and a guided tour with the participating artists of the exhibition.
Besides much-needed support, such as donations of money and goods for basic needs, and solidarity actions to help people who are forced to leave their homes, engagement and contributions can also come from artistic and cultural communities.
In order to engage with innovative art mediation approaches and ways, we organised a workshop on mapping the art mediation work. It was led by art mediator Fanny Hajdú from OFF-Biennale, and interpeted in form of a comics by artist Vivianna Maria Staņislavska.
The participants of the seminar share their experiences of how mediation and new forms of audience collaboration can not only help to create a socially responsible and inclusive environment, but also reflect on and address issues that are related to the uneasy relations between past and present.