On 13 of July, at 5:30 pm KAUNAS PHOTO will present the exhibition “Silver Garden” by Emilija Petrauskienė at the VMU Botanical Garden in Kaunas. Emilija Petrauskienė uses slow photography while looking for classical herbarium-specific compositions. The “Silver Garden” turns on the event “Fragrance Night” happening and offers the unique opportunity to communicate straightly with the author at the opening.
“Silver Garden” is a childhood garden’s pieces frozen in silver. It all started from an idea of Emilija Petrauskienė to recreate a childhood’s garden. “It is always wonderful like a dream – full of colorful flowers with bees and butterflies fluttering around, fragrant herbs and secret corners filled with light playing between leaves. I did spend my early childhood in such a garden, which was surrounded with thick forest. Under old apple trees we played with dolls, made from Clematis dead blooms and Pflox flowers. “, – tells artist Emilija Petrauskienė. This project is like time-travel backwards, where was no rush. Where time wasn’t counted in minutes or seconds and summer holidays felt like lasting forever.
The author of the project chose ancient wetplate collodion technique creating the result similar to engravings and lithographs, also searching for compositions reminding old herbariums. Using slow photography while the process itself takes her back time. This project is ongoing – garden is being created not only on silver, but also behind the window. Where the author collects interesting plants and then catalogue them on wetplate. In the exhibition there are the digital prints of wet collodion negatives.
Emilija Petrauskienė was born in 1981 in Vilnius. After completing medical studies, she works as a family doctor. Art and later photography have always been author’s hobby besides full time job. She started taking photographs more than 10 years ago all learning by herself and with online communities. The prime aim of learning how to shoot nice photos was to create beautiful family album, but all went further. Now Emilija Petrauskienė is using almost only analogue techniques. The author had been presented in 2017 featured in Lens Culture Emerging Talent and Exposure competition galleries. In 2018 Shortlisted in Sony World Photography Awards in Open Competition Still Life category with work “Tulip, white”. Emilija Petrauskienė also was selected between the finalists of “Debiutas 2018”.
The exhibition will be open till October 31st.
Visiting the exhibition with VMU Botanical garden visitor ticket every day from 9 am to 8 pm (Ticket price: – adults 3 €, children 1 €, children under 6 years – free of charge. Cash hours from 9 am to 7pm)
The organizer of the exhibition: KAUNAS PHOTO festival, partner VMU Botanical garden. Sponsors of KAUNAS PHOTO festival: Lithuanian Culture Council, Kaunas City Municipality, Epson.