Native town of Ignas Šeinius welcomes “Šeinius+Scheynius” exhibition
On the 130th anniversary of Ignas Šeinius, KAUNAS PHOTO festival opens an exhibition “Šeinius+Scheynius” (Ignas Šeinius and Lina Scheynius) in Širvintos, native town of the Lithuanian-Swedish writer and diplomat. The exhibition opens on April 3, 2019, 17:30 at Širvintos Cultural Centre (I.Šeiniaus gstr. 4, Širvintos). Among participants of the event will be Ignas Scheynius, grandson of Ignas Šeinius, KAUNAS PHOTO festival director Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, Professor of Vytautas Magnus University Sigutė Radzevičienė, author of the book about Ignas Šeinius.
KAUNAS PHOTO is one of the central photography art events in Lithuania, staged since 2004. ginių Lietuvoje. Every year, its artistic programs include photography by world Lithuanians. In 2018, the festival unveiled yet unknown side of the personality of Ignas Šeinius, writer, journalist, diplomat, who after WWII resided in Sweden. Apparently, Ignas Šeinius (1889-1959) was a passionate photographer. The Library of Širvintos, bearing the name of Ignas Šeinius, welcomes the “Šeinius + Scheynius” exhibition, composed of works of two family members, separated by time, but sharing impeccable artistic taste. Visual talent of Ignas Šeinius will be complemented with that of Lina Sheynius (b. 1981) well known artist, admired by thousands of followers on social networks.
Lithuanian writer and diplomat Ignas Šeinius is yet to be discovered… Well cultivated lover of cinema, he purchased a camera around 1922 to snap instants of holidays with family and friends. The co-artist and co-curator of this exhibition, Lina Scheynius, is in the line of four generations of family members, who have been using a photo camera, and the only one to have taken up art photography as her main occupation. Lina is sparse on words about her photographic creation, that seemingly does not have neither a beginning or an end. She rather wants people to be looking at her pictures…
Curator Mindaugas Kavaliauskas notices that the exhibition is a tru duet. Numerous common motives can be found in photographs of persons of the two remote Šeinius family generations. On the subject matter line, the keystone is Irvis Scheynius, appearing as small boy, son of Ignas Šeinius, and a grandpa of Lina, in her pictures, someone relaying the legend of Ignas and celebrating the Lithuanian legacy. Photographs by people of two different generations of Šeinius family come into one in sensibility to detail, man’s integrity with nature, spontaneity, subtle sense of humour.
“Šeinius + Scheynius” exhibition will be on display at the exhibition hall of the Širvintos Cultural Centre until May 9, 2019, on workdays from 10 am to 6 pm. Free entrance.
Major sponsors of KAUNAS PHOTO festival: Lithuanian Council for Culture and Kaunas City.
Contributor to the exhibition is the Embassy of Sweden in Lithuania.