After completing its 18th edition in autumn 2021, the international photo art festival KAUNAS PHOTO has saved the realization of its last highlight for spring 2022.

For the occasion of the possibly last edition, the festival’s founder Mindaugas Kavaliauskas conceived the idea of honouring one of the patriarchs of Lithuanian photography, Antanas Sutkus, by embellishing the façade of the Ežerėlis Primary School with a motif of his work. The motif chosen for the mural was Antanas Sutkus’ “Mother’s Hand” (Vilnius, 1966, although some sources state 1965), depicting a girl holding her mother’s hand.

After the artist Marius Skrupskis completed the work and Mindaugas Kavaliauskas made a post about it on Facebook, the reactions to the work were overwhelming.

“The window of my work is directly facing this wall… I’ve watched this artist work every day, and the result is really something  … Thank you for the opportunity to see it so closely ,” Ieva shared her impressions.

“It looks amazing. Thank you very much. It will make us, the people of Ežerėlis, happy every day ,” wrote Asta on social media.

“Perfection. I went, stood, watched and wiped a tear. Very strong. THANK YOU.“, wrote Inutė.

Antanas Sutkus, a classic of Lithuanian photography, said that “Mindaugas Kavaliauskas has found yet another way to engage with photography through a direct participation of the people themselves. This is both a great appreciation and, at the same time, a responsibility—photography as an artistic element in a town has both an educational function and an emotional impact. I believe that “Mother’s Hand” will convey to the inhabitants of Jezerele the empathy that I feel for my native land.”

The Mayor of Kaunas District Municipality Valerijus Makūnas says that “Sutkus’s works have been acquired by the world’s most famous museums: the National Library in Paris, the International Center of Photography in New York, the Dresden Art Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, and private collections. I am delighted that his work “Mother’s Hand” has become a part of the Ežerėlis school building.” Expressing his gratitude to the young generation photographer Mindaugas Kavaliauskas and the whole team for realising the idea, the mayor hinted that we should look forward to other news in the summer…

According to Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, the director of the KAUNAS PHOTO festival and the author of the idea, this work will remind the students attending the same school as the legendary photographer did, that you can grow up to be a talent of global significance, even if you come from a small village.

The sponsor of the KAUNAS PHOTO photography festival is the Lithuanian Council for Culture. The implementation of the mural was managed by Karolina Krinickaitė, the image was transferred onto the wall by the artist Marius Skrupskis. The implementation of the mural was supported by the Antanas Sutkus Photographic Archive, Kaunas District Municipality and Ežerėlis Primary School.

The international KAUNAS PHOTO photo art festival was held annually from 2004 to 2021.

On Tuesday, 26 October 2021, KAUNAS PHOTO festival invited to an open lecture “Humane stories in Rosa Mariniello’s portraits” at KTU Photo Studio. The lecture was held by the photographer and head of KTU Photo Studio Donatas Stankevičius and the audience had an opportunity to hear the photographer herself, Rosa Mariniello (Italy), in a special video recording dedicated to KAUNAS PHOTO festival. Rosa Mariniello’s portrait series “The Suspended Youth” is one of the eight Finalists of the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2021 contest on the theme “Age” and was display at the same building, KTU III Chamber’s 4th floor.

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. The artistic program of this year’s festival is curated by a joint team: Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, Kristina Juraitė, Donatas Stankevičius, Fred Boucher and Karolina Krinickaitė.

KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.

On September 22, 2021, KAUNAS PHOTO festival held a tour on wheels of the 18th festival’s outdoor exhibitions to celebrate the World Car-Free Day. Four photography exhibitions installed under the open sky were visited during a 1h 30min and 12 km low difficulty tour. The excursions were conducted by the festival’s art director Mindaugas Kavaliauskas. Visited exhibitions: Alain Schroeder (Belgium) “Grandma Divers” (KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2021 Finalist); Adas Vasiliauskas (Lithuania) “Portraits of Quarantine”; Francesco Amorosino (Italy) “The third phase (Paola)”; Marna Clarke (USA) “Growing Old” (KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2021 Winner).

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. The artistic program of this year’s festival is curated by a joint team: Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, Kristina Juraitė, Donatas Stankevičius, Fred Boucher and Karolina Krinickaitė.

KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.

On September 12, 2021, KAUNAS PHOTO festival held an artist talk and meeting with Jonas Kulikauskas, a USA-based artist of Lithuanian origins. Kulikauskas presented his contemporary photography project “I Often Forget” layered with themes of the Holocaust, Soviet desecration, nationalism, and diaspora, that he was developing in Lithuania at the time. Son of Lithuanian refugees, Jonas Kulikauskas had fastened a World War 2 era lens to a newly constructed 8×10” camera loaded with black and white film, to capture life today in what used to be the Vilnius Ghetto. The event took place at the Kaunas Choral Synagogue.

Photos by Karolina Krinickaite.

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. The artistic program of this year’s festival is curated by a joint team: Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, Kristina Juraitė, Donatas Stankevičius, Fred Boucher and Karolina Krinickaitė.

KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.

On September 12, 2021, KAUNAS PHOTO festival held an artist talk and meeting with Grzegorz Jarmocewicz—Polish photographer born near Lithuanian border. The event was held at the Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations where Jarmocewicz’s series “On both sides of the border. Why do I fall in love with Lithuania?” were being exhibited as a part of the 18th KAUNAS PHOTO festival’s programme.

Photos by Karolina Krinickaite.

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. The artistic program of this year’s festival is curated by a joint team: Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, Kristina Juraitė, Donatas Stankevičius, Fred Boucher and Karolina Krinickaitė.

KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.

On September 10, 2021, the opening of the 18th KAUNAS PHOTO festival’s outdoor exhibition “Portrait of Early Generation Z” by Elena Krukonytė (Lithuania) took place at the Draugystės park in presence of the author. The opening followed by the artist talk “The relationship with time, the environment, and self through photography” by Elena Krukonytė at the Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library’s Park Branch.

Photos by Karolina Krinickaitė.

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.

On September 8, 2021, the opening of the 18th KAUNAS PHOTO festival’s outdoor exhibition “Portraits of Quarantine” by Adas Vasiliauskas (Lithuania) took place at the Square near A. Juozapavičiaus Ave. 57 in presence of the author. The opening followed by the artist talk “Backstage of the Portraits of Quarantine and other stories” by Adas Vasiliauskas at the nearby photo studio “No Name Studio”.

Photos by Karolina Krinickaitė.

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.

Moments from the exhibitions and opening events of the 18th international photo art festival KAUNAS PHOTO. To see the Part I of the photo album — click here.

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.

On 2 and 3 September 2021, the 18th international photo art festival KAUNAS PHOTO opened exhibitions in nine indoor venues and five open-air public spaces in Kaunas featuring fourteen authors from all over the world: “Do Not Forget, You Are Not In Lithuania” by Martha Thomas (USA) and “Open Wounds” by Younes Mohammad (Iraq) at the Kaunas City Museum Folk Music Branch, in presence of the author Martha Thomas (USA), “Belles Mômes” by Clelia Rochat (Belgium) at the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum, “Memories of a man once there…” by Cristian Geelen (The Netherlands) at the Kaunas City Museum Kaunas Castle, “Grandma Divers” by Alain Schroeder (Belgium) at an open-air space near the Kaunas Castle, “On both sides of the border. Why do I fall in love with Lithuania?” by Grzegorz Jarmocewicz (Poland) at the Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations, “±100” by Magdalena Stengel (Germany) at the Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library – Department of Youth, Art and Music, “RENDEZ-VOUS” by Caroline Minjolle (Switzerland) at the Chechnya Square, “Cut It Short” by Michal Solarski & Tomasz Liboska (United Kingdom / Poland) at the Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library – Park Branch, “2031” by Uta Genilke (Germany) at the Kalniečiai park, “The Suspended Youth” by Rosa Mariniello (Italy) at the KTU III Chamber, “The third phase (Paola)” by Francesco Amorosino (Italy) at the foot of  Žaliakalnis Funicular (this exhibition has been relocated to the Square near A. Juozapavičiaus Ave. 57 due to city’s works), “The Animal Within” by Fábio Cunha (Portugal) at VMU Multifunctional Center for Studies and Research and “Growing Old” by Marna Clarke (USA) at the Vienybės Square.

The evening programme at BLC “Otto” hall on September 2nd featured projections of the series submitted to the festival’s open call on the theme “Age” and a presentation by Chirag Jindal (New Zealand), an artist and topographer working at the intersection of documentary journalism and contemporary cartography. On September 3rd—a screening of the photographs from the series “Do Not Forget, You Are Not In Lithuania” by Martha Thomas (USA), accompanied by the readings of her aunt’s Daina Klimauskaitė’s memoirs of the youth spent in deportation in Siberia. The memoirs were interpreted by the Lithuanian theatre and cinema actress Olita Dautartaitė, in presence of Daina Klimauskaitė herself and the author Martha Thomas, who was currently visiting Lithuania. The evening continued with the screening of the festival’s competition KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Finalists’ series, many of the finalists greeted the audience via video conference call, and the evening culminated with the announcement of the Winner of the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2021 Award—Marna Clarke (USA) with her series “Growing Old”.

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KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest running annual international photo art festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. The festival founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004 is organized by the public institution “Šviesos raštas”. KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.