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„Visa jūsų šalis yra žalia“, – sako 2018 metų rugsėjį pirmąkart Lietuvoje lankęsis lenkų fotografas Michalas Adamskis. Meninės rezidencijos projekte „ReziPro: Rezidencijos Provincijoje“ dalyvavęs fotomenininkas Aukštaitijos Užpalių miestelyje sukūrė fotografijų seriją „Vėl dažiausi plaukus“. Gyvenvietės išskirtinumų menininkas ieškojo kalbindamas vietos gyventojus bei dalyvaudamas privačiose šeimų ir viešose miestelio šventėse. Šių metų festivalio KAUNAS PHOTO programoje „Periferinės vizijos“ galima pamatyti šio kūrybinio proceso rezultatą – nuotraukų ciklą pristatęs į festivalio konkursą KAUNAS PHOTO STAR menininkas pateko į finalininkų dešimtuką. Michalo Adamskio fotografijų serija „Vėl dažiausi plaukus“ buvo rodoma Kauno Maironio lietuvių literatūros muziejuje, o iš Kauno paroda iškeliavo ten, kur buvo sukurta – nuo rugsėjo 19 d. eksponuojama Užpaliuose. Fotomenininką Michalą Adamskį kalbina Daiva Juonytė.

Ką įdomaus patyrėte „ReziPro“ kūrybinės rezidencijos metu Užpaliuose?

Nepaisant to, kad užaugau fermoje, tai visai nebuvo kaimas. Mano gimtasis miestas įsikūręs visai šalia Poznanės, o tai keičia kiekvieną galimybę ir patirtį. Užpaliuose aš pirmą kartą gyvenau tokioje mažoje bendruomenėje, kurioje visi vieni kitus pažįsta. Džiaugiausi, jog turiu galimybę matyti tokius santykius iš arčiau bent tris savaites. „ReziPro“ metu sutikau daug malonių ir įdomių žmonių, pavyzdžiui, pagyvenusių žmonių grupė, dainuojanti kartu ansamblyje, vadinamame SVAJA, arba pora, kurie gyvena mažame name, bet abu yra labai malonūs, svetingi ir didžiuojasi tiek tuo, iš kur yra kilę, tiek savo šeima. Labai įdomios buvo mano rezidencijos pirmoji ir paskutinė dienos: pirmąją dieną fotografavau mokslo metų pradžią, paskutinę – dalyvavau lygiadienio šventėje. Taip pat labai maloniai prisimenu darbą su vidurinės mokyklos moksleiviais, kurių paprašiau meninių paveikslų su savo nuotraukomis, atskleidžiančių jų jausmus savo aplinkai.

Kuo mažas Lietuvos miestelis yra panašus ir kuo skiriasi nuo miestelio Lenkijoje?

Dauguma mano nuotraukų iš Lenkijos kaimo yra padarytos vakarinėje mano šalies dalyje. Sunku palyginti, nes ši dalis net Lenkijoje atrodo turtingesnė. Bet manau, kad tai tik pirmas įspūdis. Gyvenimas mažame miestelyje visur atrodo panašiai, susiduriama su tomis pačiomis problemomis: nėra darbo, viešojo transporto, nuobodu. Tačiau ramybė ir artumas gamtai turi didelį gyvenimo mažame miestelyje pranašumą. Skirtumas tas, kad Lietuvoje oras ir aplinka yra švaresni.

Buvote pakviestas kurti provincijoje dėl savo ankstesnio darbo viename mažame Lenkijos miestelyje. Ar Užpalių gyvenimo būdas pasirodė patogus jūsų fotografijos stiliui, ar jums reikėjo save, kaip fotografą, perkonstruoti?

Tai buvo pirmas kartas, kai turėjau laiko tik fotografijai. Galėjau susitelkti ties savo darbu ir galvoti apie tai, ką norėčiau pamatyti, su kuo turėčiau susitikti. Nepaisant to, manau, kad trys savaitės buvo per trumpos susitikti su visais ir suartėti su bendruomene. Esu intravertas ir man nėra lengva prisileisti naujus žmones. Man reikia laiko. Mėgstu stebėti, man patinka renginiai, kuriuose galiu susitikti su žmonėmis. Manau, kad laikas, kai turėjau grįžti namo, buvo laikas, kai žmonės Użpaliuose pradėjo mane pažinti ir manimi pasitikėti. Tai buvo sunkiausia. Taip pat man patinka jausti vietos, kurioje dirbu, nuotaiką. Vietos ramybė paskatino mane atsisakyti blykstės, kurią man patinka naudoti. Aš naudojau natūralesnę vėlyvą vasaros šviesą.

Kas jus labiausiai nustebino Užpaliuose ir apskritai Lietuvoje?

Man tai buvo pirmas kartas, kai lankiausi Lietuvoje, ir pirmiausia mane nustebino tai, kad visa jūsų šalis yra žalia. Visur yra pievų. Nemėgstu žalios spalvos nuotraukose, tačiau šį kartą, vasaros pabaigos šviesoje, ji buvo tobula. Kitas nustebinęs dalykas buvo tas, kad lietuviai apie namus neturi tvorų. Man tai labai patinka, nes rodo žmonių pasitikėjimą ir atvirumą. Skirtingai nei Lenkijoje, kur visi pradeda statyti namus, pirmiausia pastatydami tvorą.

Ko labiausiai pasigedote Poznanėje, grįžęs iš Užpalių?

Pasiilgau Užpaliuose valgytų pomidorų skonio. Dar niekada nevalgiau tokių skanių pomidorų. Pasiilgau sūrių ir medaus. Iš užpaliečių gavau daug dovanų, kurios man priminė gerą laiką, kurį praleidau tarp jų.

Ko jūs ar Lenkijos žmonės galėtų išmokti iš užpaliečių ir apskritai lietuvių?

Manau, kad svarbiausia, ko lenkai turėtų išmokti iš lietuvių, yra pagarba ir rūpinimasis aplinka. Prisimenu, kad Šventoji, tekanti per miestą, yra labai švari ir yra svarbiausia teritorijos dalis užpaliečiams.

Kaip Užpaliai įsiliejo į jūsų, kaip fotografo, raidą ir koks buvo kitas jūsų projektas, kurį pradėjote daryti grįžęs į Lenkiją?

Kaip fotografas sužinojau, kaip per tokį trumpą laiką dirbti su nesudėtingų nuotraukų serija, kuri yra dokumentuota mažoje bendruomenėje. Grįžęs namo baigiau savo ciklą apie Vengriją ir žmones, įsipainiojusius į politinius valdžios įgijimo procesus. Šį projektą vainikavo išleista fotoknygą „Dviuodegis šuo“ (angl. „Two tailed dog“).

Ką tik pradėjau kitą nuotraukų seriją, kuri iliustruoja labai susiskaldžiusį ir nesutarimų ardomą gyvenimą Lenkijoje.

Michalo Adamskio fotografijų serija „Vėl dažiausi plaukus“ iki rugsėjo 18 d. rodoma Maironio lietuvių literatūros muziejuje (Rotušės a. 13, Kaunas). Rugsėjo 19 d. parodą bus galima pamatyti Užpalių miestelio Rudens lygiadienio šventėje. Vėliau paroda veiks Užpalių bibliotekos galerijoje. Nuolat atnaujinamą 17-ojo fotomeno festivalio KAUNAS PHOTO programą „Periferinės vizijos“ rasite čia.

KAUNAS PHOTO – ilgiausiai be pertraukų rengiamas kasmetis tarptautinis fotomeno festivalis Lietuvoje ir Baltijos šalyse. 2004 m. Mindaugo Kavaliausko įkurtą festivalį organizuoja viešoji įstaiga „Šviesos raštas“. Festivalis yra pasaulinės „Festival of Light“ organizacijos narys. Festivalį KAUNAS PHOTO finansuoja Lietuvos kultūros taryba, kaip vieną iš strateginių tarptautinių meno renginių Lietuvoje.
Rėmėjai: Kauno miesto savivaldybė, EPSON.
Parodos partneris: Maironio lietuvių literatūros muziejus.

On September 3, 2020, the exhibition opening tour of the 17th KAUNAS PHOTO festival’s competition KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 Finalists took place in Kaunas. At the end of the tour the Winners of the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 Award were announced – the Italian duo of artists Chiara Panariti and Gianfranco Ferraro with their work “Cronostasi”. The evening continued at the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum with an artist talk by the photographer Dovile Dagiene-DoDa (Lithuania) and screening of the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 Finalists’ series.

The works of all ten finalists of the 17th KAUNAS PHOTO festival’s competition are displayed at four outdoor and six indoor venues of Kaunas:

• Chechnya Square – Bruno Alencastro (Brazil) “obs-cu-ra”
• Kalniečiai park (next to Savanorių Ave.) – Guillem Vidal (Spain) “Forgotten playground”
• Square next to the State Tax Inspectorate (A. Juozapavičiaus Ave. 57) – Lina Margaitytė & Marius Krivičius (Lithuania) “Temporarily Open”
• At the foot of Žaliakalnis Funicular (V. Putvinskio St. 22) – Dovilė Dagienė (Lithuania) “Plant Memory / Wooden Synagogues”
• VMU Multifunctional Center for Studies and Research (V. Putvinskio St. 23) – Dillon Marsh (South Africa) “Diamonds Aren’t Forever”
• Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations (Šv. Gertrūdos St. 58) – Mikhail Lebedev (Russia) “Restaurateurs by chance”
• Kaunas Public Library of Vincas Kudirka Department of Youth, Art and Music (A. Mapu St. 18) – Hannes Jung (Germany) “The Wolf Is Present”
• Kaunas City Museum Folk Music Branch (L. Zamenhofo St. 12). – Arne Piepke (Germany) “Anecdotes from an unfamiliar Land”
• Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum (Rotušės Sq. 13) – Michał Adamski (Poland) “I dyed my hair again”
• Kaunas Photography Gallery (Vilniaus St. 2) – Chiara Panariti & Gianfranco Ferraro (Italy) “Cronostasi” – KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 Winner’s exhibition

The exact program of the festival KAUNAS PHOTO 2020 “Peripheral Visions” can be found here.

The exhibition opening marathon of the 17th KAUNAS PHOTO festival rippled across the city of Kaunas and culminated with the announcement of the winners of the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 Award. Out of ten photographic series that made to the finals, “Cronostasi”, created by the Italian duo of artists Chiara Panariti and Gianfranco Ferraro, was unambiguously chosen as the winner by both the international jury panel of photography experts and the joint commission of the festival KAUNAS PHOTO and Kaunas Photography Gallery. The winners received the main prize of the competition KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 – a personal exhibition at Kaunas Photography Gallery during the festival KAUNAS PHOTO and a 2500 EUR monetary prize. The open competition KAUNAS PHOTO STAR has been organized since 2010 by the festival KAUNAS PHOTO aiming to honor the future stars of photography.

In a series of fifty photographs, Chiara Panariti and Gianfranco Ferraro captured the life in Milan during the COVID-19 quarantine. The artists, who captured the everyday moments of the people of Milan in their windows and balconies, describe their project “Cronostasi” as an intimate and universal search for a renewed perception of time. “By observing and looking at people in photos, we were able to compare our own and others’ time, which has become a unit of measurement of what has happened and is still happening in the world,” the authors relate their experience.

The artists, who were unable to participate in the exhibition opening in Lithuania due to the ongoing pandemic, presented their work to the audience at Kaunas Photography Gallery in a pre-recorded video. Stefano M. Lanza, an associate professor at Vytautas Magnus University, born and raised in Milan and living in Kaunas for many years, helped to take a closer look at the work “Cronostasi”. He described the series as “a right approach to a wrong situation”. “It is like sharing the same destiny, the same fate, and how people react to such a complex and unexpected situation, ” Stefano M. Lanza shared his thoughts as he looked at the photos.

10 finalists from 8 countries of the world were running for the grand prize of the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR competition: Dillon Marsh (South Africa) “Diamonds Aren’t Forever”, Lina Margaitytė & Marius Krivičius (Lithuania) “Temporarily Open”, Guillem Vidal (Spain) “Forgotten playground”, Mikhail Lebedev (Russia) “Restaurateurs by chance”, Bruno Alencastro (Brazil) “obs-cu-ra”, Dovilė Dagienė (Lithuania) “Plant Memory / Wooden Synagogues”, Hannes Jung (Germany) “The Wolf Is Present”, Arne Piepke (Germany) “Anecdotes from an unfamiliar Land”, Michał Adamski (Poland) “I dyed my hair again”, Chiara Panariti & Gianfranco Ferraro (Italy) “Cronostasi”. The photographers followed the exhibition opening marathon and the announcement of the winner of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Award virtually – watching the live streaming videos, which can be viewed by everyone interested the official Facebook page of the festival KAUNAS PHOTO.

The works of all finalists of the 17th KAUNAS PHOTO festival’s competition are displayed at four outdoor venues of Kaunas: Chechnya Square, Kalniečiai Park, the square next to State Tax Inspectorate in Žemieji Šančiai and at the foot of Žaliakalnis funicular; and at six indoor venues: Kaunas Photography Gallery, Kaunas City Museum Folk Music Branch, Kaunas Public Library of Vincas Kudirka – Department of Youth, Art and Music, Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations, Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum, VMU Multifunctional Center for Studies and Research. The program of the festival can be found here. Further news and updates on the festival program will be announced.

KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest-running annual photographic festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. Founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004, it’s been organized by the NGO “Šviesos raštas”. KAUNAS PHOTO is a member of the “Festival of Light” organization. The festival KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.
Sponsors: Kaunas city municipality, EPSON,
Informational sponsor: LRT
Partners: Kaunas Photography Gallery, Kaunas City Museum, Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library, Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations, Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum, Vytautas Magnus University.
Sponsor of the outdoor exhibitions: SP “Kauno želdiniai”

On Thursday, September 3, 2020, the works of the Finalists of the XVII KAUNAS PHOTO festival’s jubilee 10th edition of the photography contest KAUNAS PHOTO STAR on the topic “Peripheral Visions” will spread across galleries, museums and outdoor venues of Kaunas city. The opening marathon will wind all over Kaunas: the route will start at 1 p.m. in Chechnya Square, then continue in Kalniečiai Park (near Savanorių Ave.), drop in to Žemieji Šančiai district, visit the Center of the city, and, making its way through the Old Town, will finish at 6 p.m. at the door of Kaunas Photography Gallery, where the Winner of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 Award will be announced. The evening will continue at Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum with the screening of the Finalists’ series and an artist talk by the photographer Dovilė Dagienė-DoDa. The opening events are free of charge and the exact timetable is at the end of this announcement. The open competition KAUNAS PHOTO STAR has been organized since 2010 by the festival KAUNAS PHOTO aiming to honor the future stars of photography.

Due to the pandemic, the festival had to find solutions and adjust the format of the exhibition openings. Every year photographers from foreign countries come to Lithuania, participate in the openings of the exhibitions and present their works directly, but this year they will speak to the audience through the screen. Many of the opening events, presenting the works by foreign photographers, will feature pre-recorded videos in which the authors will talk about their work. The artists and spectators themselves, who cannot come to the opening events, will not miss them either – the KAUNAS PHOTO festival will broadcast the exhibitions live on the festival’s Facebook page.

The topic “Peripheral Visions” has drawn the interest of Lithuanian photographers

The 17th edition of KAUNAS PHOTO festival was planned to celebrate the periphery, the province, the outback, l’arrière-pays. The COVID-19 pandemic and the fight against it imposed new rules and conceptions, and KAUNAS PHOTO festival invited photographers to present works to KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 competition on the topic “Peripheral Visions”, expecting works aiming to look at what is on the margin, just across the window or the border that we can or cannot cross, to discover the spaces, places, lands, areas that usually were in the periphery of the vision. In 2020, the festival turns the spotlight on what became important, what was less so, what was taken for granted or simply undermined until now.

The traditional, already the 10th KAUNAS PHOTO STAR contest has attracted the interest of photographers from all over the world: 170 series by photographers from 38 countries were submitted to the open call. The organizers were pleased by the fact that Lithuanian photographers, who submitted 19 series to the competition, were among the most active participants. This was the first time in a decade of the history of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR, that Lithuanian photographers have formed the largest group of participants. Of these, two Lithuanian series made their way to the finals. The finalists were selected by a nine-member international jury panel of photography experts from Lithuania, Poland, Denmark, France, Italy and New Zealand.

Instead of eight – top 10

Although the jury of the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR contest planned to select eight finalists, due to the very dense vicinity of the shortlist, the commission decided to expand the list to top ten. The ten KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Award 2020 Finalists are:

• Chiara Panariti & Gianfranco Ferraro (Italy) Cronostasi
• Michał Adamski (Poland) I dyed my hair again
• Arne Piepke (Germany) Anecdotes from an unfamiliar Land
• Hannes Jung (Germany) The Wolf Is Present
• Dovilė Dagienė (Lithuania) Plant Memory / Wooden Synagogues
• Bruno Alencastro (Brazil) obs-cu-ra
• Mikhail Lebedev (Russia) Restaurateurs by chance
• Guillem Vidal (Spain) Forgotten playground
• Lina Margaitytė & Marius Krivičius (Lithuania) Temporarily Open
• Dillon Marsh (South Africa) Diamonds Aren’t Forever

The photographers selected to the finals are running for the grand prize of the competition – a solo exhibition at Kaunas Photography Gallery during the festival KAUNAS PHOTO and a cash prize of 2500 EUR. The works of all finalists will be displayed in a joint exhibition in various galleries, museums and open air venues of Kaunas city.

The audience is invited to join any part of the opening marathon

KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Finalists’ exhibition openings will take place in Kaunas on September 3, 2020, and  the Winner will be disclosed at the end of the day at the door of Kaunas Photography Gallery. Spectators who are unable to attend the exhibition openings during the whole afternoon are invited to participate in any part of the route. The opening events are free of charge.

13:00 Chechnya Square (P. Lukšio St.). 
13:40 Kalniečiai park (next to Savanorių Ave.)
14:30 Square next to the State Tax Inspectorate (A. Juozapavičiaus Ave. 57). 
15:10 At the foot of Žaliakalnis Funicular (V. Putvinskio St. 22). 
15.30 VMU Multifunctional Center for Studies and Research (V. Putvinskio St. 23).
16:10 Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations (Šv. Gertrūdos St. 58).
16:30 Kaunas Public Library of Vincas Kudirka – Department of Youth, Art and Music (A. Mapu St. 18).
17:00 Kaunas City Museum Folk Music Branch (L. Zamenhofo St. 12).
17:30 Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum (Rotušės Sq. 13).
18:00 Kaunas Photography Gallery (Vilniaus St. 2) – announcement of the Winner of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020.
20:00 Screening of the Finalists’ series and an artist talk by the photographer Dovilė Dagienė-DoDa at the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum (Rotušės Sq. 13).

ℹ️ An important reminder: due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to wear mandatory protective equipment and keep safe distances during the events. The events will be photographed / filmed for publicity purposes.

KAUNAS PHOTO is the longest-running annual photographic festival in Lithuania and the Baltic States. Founded by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas in 2004, it’s been organized by the NGO “Šviesos raštas”. KAUNAS PHOTO is a member of the “Festival of Light” organization. The festival KAUNAS PHOTO is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture as one of the strategic international art events in Lithuania.
Sponsors: Kaunas city municipality, EPSON,
Informational sponsor: LRT
Partners: Kaunas Photography Gallery, Kaunas City Museum, Kaunas Municipal Vincas Kudirka Public Library, Kaunas Cultural Centre of Various Nations, Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum, Vytautas Magnus University.
Sponsor of the outdoor exhibitions: SP “Kauno želdiniai”

www.KaunasPhoto.com

In 2020, the 17th edition of KAUNAS PHOTO festival was planned to celebrate the periphery, the province, the outback, l’arrière-pays. The COVID-19 pandemic and the fight against it imposed new rules and conceptions, and KAUNAS PHOTO festival invited photographers to present works to KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 competition on the topic “Peripheral Visions”, aiming to look at what is on the margin, just across the window or the border that we can or cannot cross, to discover the spaces, places, lands, areas that usually were in the periphery of the vision. In 2020, the festival invites to rethink what became important, what was less so, what was taken for granted or simply undermined until now.

The traditional, already the 10th KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020 contest has attracted the interest of photographers both in Lithuania and around the world. 170 series by photographers from 38 countries were submitted to the contest. There were works presented from remote countries – Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Brazil, Chile. The most active participants in the contest were photographers from Poland (11 series), Russia (12 series), United Kingdom (13 series), USA (16 series), Germany and Italy (18 series each), and what is most gratifying to the organizers – Lithuania photographers, who submitted 19 series to the contest. This is the first time in a decade of the history of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR, that Lithuanian photographers have formed the largest group of participants.

The grand prize of the contest is a solo exhibition at Kaunas Photography Gallery during KAUNAS PHOTO festival and a monetary prize of 2500 EUR. Exhibitions of all other finalists will be displayed in galleries, museums and open-air spaces of Kaunas.

From July 30 to August 1 all entries were reviewed and evaluated by an international Jury panel of photography experts:

• Fred Boucher – Photaumnales festival and Usimage Biennale director (Clermont/Beauvais, France)
• Enrico Stefanelli – PhotoLux festival director (Lucca, Italy)
• Gintaras Česonis – Kaunas Photography Gallery leader (Lithuania)
• Kristine Kern – Fotografisk Center leader (Copenhagen, Denmark)
• Kristina Juraitė – KAUNAS PHOTO co-founder, professor at Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas, Lithuania)
• Julia Durkin – Auckland Festival of Photography director (New Zealand)
• Donatas Stankevičius – KAUNAS PHOTO and Kaunas Photography Gallery curator (Lithuania)
• Adrian Wykrota – Pix.House gallery curator (Poznan, Poland)
• Mindaugas Kavaliauskas – KAUNAS PHOTO founder, curator (Lithuania)

Following the experts’ votes on all works submitted to the competition in the LensCulture system, on August 4, 2020, the joint commission of the festival KAUNAS PHOTO and Kaunas Photography Gallery gathered for a virtual meeting, the purpose of which was to approve the list of the finalists. Although the plan was to select eight finalists, due to the very dense vicinity of the shortlist (7-12th places were shared by five series, scoring 29 expert points each), the commission decided to expand the list of finalists to top ten. The three finalists were selected on the basis of the points awarded by the members of the commission in the voting system.

The ten KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Award 2020 Finalists are:

• Chiara Panariti & Gianfranco Ferraro (Italy) Cronostasi
• Michał Adamski (Poland) I dyed my hair again
• Arne Piepke (Germany) Anecdotes from an unfamiliar Land
• Hannes Jung (Germany) The Wolf Is Present
• Dovilė Dagienė (Lithuania) Plant Memory / Wooden Synagogues
• Bruno Alencastro (Brazil) Obs-Cu-Ra
• Михаил Лебедев (Russia) Restaurateurs by chance
• Guillem Vidal (Spain) Forgotten playground
• Lina Margaitytė & Marius Krivičius (Lithuania) Temporarily Open
• Dillon Marsh (South Africa) Diamonds Aren’t Forever

At the end of the week, this commission will meet again, but with a different purpose – to elect the Winner of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2020. This will be done by analyzing the photographic series of the finalists presented in wide selections and high-resolution files.

KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Finalists’ exhibition openings will take place in Kaunas on September 3, 2020. The winner will be announced on the same day, September 3, when the opening series of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Finalists’ exhibition will culminate at the door of Kaunas Photography Gallery.

Founded in 2004 by Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, KAUNAS PHOTO aims to be the stage for the future stars of photography. Being a part of Photo Festival Union and Festivals Of Light Organization, KAUNAS PHOTO festival is the longest-running photographic festival in the Baltic states is a platform for dialogue around contemporary photographic creation between North and South, East and West.

NGO „Šviesos raštas“ is the organizer of KAUNAS PHOTO festival.

KAUNAS PHOTO 2020 main funder is Lithuanian Council for Culture.
Sponsors: Kaunas Municipality, EPSON.
KAUNAS PHOTO STAR partners: Kaunas Photography Gallery, LensCulture.

www.KaunasPhoto.com

In September, 2018, photographers from Canada, Brazil, and Poland settled down in the small capitals of culture in Lithuania – Tveriai, Kražiai and Užpaliai. They were invited for three-week-long artist residences by NGO Šviesos Raštas, implementing a continuous project – “ReziPro: Residence in the Province”. For the second year in a row, foreign photographers are invited to create in Lithuanian townships, and the works of last year’s residents will become exhibitions.

The idea of inviting foreign photographers to create in remote areas of Lithuania, away from metropolitan cities or seaside, came to the founder of the festival KAUNAS PHOTO Mindaugas Kavaliauskas. According to him, photographers applied asking for assistance in implementing projects on the most diverse areas of Lithuania, and in the long run it became a separate project combining the excitement of foreign photographers and the desire to create series or a separate part of them in Lithuanian towns and the need to involve communities in the art of photography, to develop the creation of professional iconography on places which tourist-photography has not yet reached.

In 2018, there are three residences and will be two exhibitions of works created in 2017.

In the old Samogitian capital – Tverai, the artistic residence is performed by a French-Canadian photographer Vladimir Antaki. With the help of the local community, he creates diptychs – just when the sun has set, the artist captures the front-end home images in subtle light, combining this footage with identical compositions of the residents standing in front of their houses. Previously coming from the various metropolitan cities of the world, in Tverai the artist created portraits of houses as a loneliness allegory, and after discovering the lives of Tverai inhabitants, he began to create the second part of the diptych – the portraits of them in front of their homes.

Ieva Martinaitis, a Lithuanian-origin photographer from Brazil, stayed in Kražiai. In the context of Lithuania’s century celebration, she brings a message of love and longing for her homeland and raises identity issues. While visiting Kražiai events, homes and the courtyards, Ieva not only traces the footsteps of the project “ReziPro” pioneer photographer Mindaugas Kavaliauskas of the long-term project “Portrait of Kražiai”, but also improves her Lithuanian language skills.

The photo series by the Polish photographer Michal Adamski is created in Aukštaitija, Užpaliai town. He focuses on the uniqueness of the village by speaking to local people, participating in private families and public town holidays or events. Michal has received a number of awards for series about Poland province, thus interacting with strangers is not a novelty for him.

On 27^th of September the exhibition by German photographer Julia Baier “Water Matters. Druskininkai” will open in the foyer of Druskininkai Aqua Park. Her works summarize the two decades of the artist’s series about water in Druskininkai in autumn of 2017.

On 12^th of October a photo exhibition of a Colombian architect and photographer Santiago Escobar Jaramillo, will open at the Center square of Veisiejai. “ON-OFF Migrations” exhibition was created last year. Upon arriving in Veisiejai, the artist created a multifunctional sculpture from unused old furniture, which, with small structural modifications, became a house, a boat, a car, an airplane and various other forms that depicted departure and stay in different environments of Veisiejai.

The purpose of the project “ReziPro” is to attract artists to the regions of Lithuania, to raise their interest in local identities, cultural landscape uniqueness, social issues, everyday lives, joys and difficulties. Works created in Lithuania by mentioned photographers will not only allow local communities and young people to be brought together in the creative development process of the work, but are also expected to make the names of Lithuania and its small towns more known in the context of world photography. The works created this year at artist residences will be presented in the townships in 2019.

Major sponsors: Lithuanian Council for Culture, The Cultural Center of Matthew Casimir Sarbievius, Tverai Subdistrict, Užpaliai Subdistrict, Veisiejai Subdistrict, Druskininkai Municipality.

NGO “Šviesos Raštas” is an organization for the promotion of photography, since 2004 organizing photo festival KAUNAS PHOTO.

4 pm Guided tour at the exhibitions: Öncü Hrant Gültekin (Turkey/Germany) “Stolen Armenian Cemeteries”, Michał Adamski (Poland) “Close to the ground, far from heaven” and Artist talk by Michał Adamski.  Lithuanian Museum of Education History (Vytauto pr. 52, Kaunas).