Ran Slavin / Andrius Zakarauskas: Artscape: Israel
Artscape is a continuing interdisciplinary project launched in 2009 when Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture. It began as a joint event organised by three organisations – Menų vartai, Kino Pavasaris and the Vilnius Jazz Festival – promoting the 21st century art scene from different European countries. The Artscape fine art programme hosted by Vartai Gallery introduces unique solo projects of foreign artists paired with Lithuanian authors. A total of 37 Lithuanian and European artists have already participated in the project: Ignasi Aballí, Hans Op de Beeck, Laura Garbštienė, Ugnius Gelguda, Jesper Just, Žilvinas Landzbergas, Atelier van Lieshout, Dainius Liškevičius, Miks Mitrēvics, Gintaras Makarevičius, Svajonė and Paulius Stanikas, Erwin Wurm, etc. In 2012, the series of Artscape shows was expanded and now welcomes artists from across the globe.
Artscape: Israel
Ran Slavin The Perspiration of Illusion (Išprakaituotos iliuzijos)
Andrius Zakarauskas The Wrong Side and the Right Side (Išvirkščioji ir geroji pusė)
2012 06 12 – 07 21
On June 12, Vartai Gallery opens the first Artscape show this year which will introduce the works of the Israeli artist Ran Slavin together with the latest canvases from the Lithuanian painter Andrius Zakarauskas. This time, the show will be divided into two conceptually different parts with different titles and ways of expression.
The exhibition The Perspiration of Illusion by Ran Slavin consists of three video works: an experimental film The Insomniac City Cycles (2009), a video work Everything is Urgent (2008) and his latest video film Ursulimum. The Israeli artist’s Ran Slavin’s work – which he himself defines as urban surrealism – combines fiction, documentary and science fiction, erases boundaries between the past and the present, the virtual and the real world. The dream-like structure of the films and fictitious plots with pieces of reality creates a unique emotionally impressive illusion. The artist manipulates the depth of the image, colour and sound to present his most expressive digital audiovisual project to the senses and reflections of the viewer.
Ran Slavin was born in 1967 in Jerusalem and currently resides and works in Tel Aviv. The artist makes films, video installations, experimental electronic music and screenplays. His work has been shown in Ars Electronica (Austria), Venice (Italy), Istanbul (Turkey) and Liverpool (UK) Biennials, the Torino Film Festival (Italy), the Transmediale Festival in Berlin and a number of prestigious contemporary art venues, such as the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Whitechapel Gallery in London, and the Petah Tikva Museum of Art in Israel.
Andrius Zakarauskas’ exhibition The Wrong Side and the Right Side (Išvirkščioji ir geroji pusė) consists of works created in 2012. In his latest works, the artist pursues his goal to deliberately eliminate the remains of the figurative and focus on abstraction. Zakarauskas’ work strongly relies on basic elements of painting, such as strokes, colours and composition. Borrowing the title from the book by Albert Camus (L'envers et l'endroit), the artist claims to be using it only conceptually without any connections between the content of his works and the insights of the famous philosopher.
Andrius Zakarauskas was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1982. He currently resides and works in Vilnius and is considered to be one of the most promising painters of the young generation. His canvases have been displayed in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and Poland. He studied in the Department of Painting at the Vilnius Academy of Arts from 2001 to 2005, and was awarded a Master’s Degree in 2010. In 2004, he studied in the Faculty of Fine Arts at Miguel Hernández University in Altea, Spain. In 2009, he received the national Young Painter Award.
Patron: Vilnius City Municipality
Sponsors of the gallery: Bosca, Lietuvos rytas, Tark Grunte Sutkiene, Infoterminalas, JCDecaux, UAB Draugų studija, UAB Libra Vitalis
Sponsors of the exhibition: Culture Support Foundation of the Republic of Lithuania, Užupis Republic Foreign Affairs Ministry, Republic of Užupis
