JESPER JUST / S&P STANIKAS: ARTscape: DENMARK

Galerija VARTAI, Vilniaus g. 39, Vilnius

ARTscape: Denmark will be featuring the famous Danish artist Jesper Just, who currently splits his time between Copenhagen and New York. This artist is recognized in the international art scene for his distinctive cinematic style and the complexity of themes he analyses through the medium of video art.

Just has screened his video films in solo and group shows in both Europe and America. His works been screened by the most important museums in the world – MoMA (New York), Tate Modern (London), Malmö Konstmuseum (Sweden), KIASMA (Helsinki), Guggenheim Museum (New York) and others.

In this exhibition the audience will have the chance to see 3 video films by the artist, including the most recent one, made in 2010. In his films the artists analyses the theme of identity issues and human relations (often those of men). In the video film “Something to Love” (2005) like in many other of his films he negotiates the issues of stereotypical portrayal of men. A particular focus on the unconventional masculine representation in social and cinematographic spheres is a distinctive element of Jesper Just’s oeuvre.

In the second film selected for the exhibition - “The Vicious Undertow” (2007) - the main focus is drawn towards the differences of gender. He uses characters of opposite sex to emphasize the absurdity socio-cultural norms that have shaped gender roles in society. This film is also the first film in which the artist has chosen a female protagonist over the usual male character. In the third and most recent film “Sirens of Chrome” (2010) Jesper Just once again reminds the audience of his ability to mystify the spaces and characters through the power of cinematic language. While the main focus of his oeuvre lies deeply within the realm of human relations a shift in his choice of characters - mostly (black) women - seems signify a turning point in his artistic career.

Alongside Jesper Just Lithuanian artists S&P Stanikas will be presenting their works. The artist couple currently lives and works in Paris exhibiting in many different cities in Asia, the Americas and Europe. In 2003 they represented Lithuania at the 50th Venice Biennale and have had exhibitions in the National Museum in Warsaw, Beijing Biennale, Pompidou Centre (Paris), White Box gallery (New York), Liverpool Biennial and other venues.

The subject of their work is often related to traumatic and emotional experiences through variety of media. In this exhibition the audience will have the opportunity to see the latest works by the artists. One of them - “Allergy to the Sun (Hannelore Kohl)” (shown at the Liverpool biennial in 2010) - indirectly quotes the tragic story of the wife of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who spent 15 years fighting the allergy to the sun only to later succumb to the desperation and take her own life. Together with the other works by S&P Stanikas their exhibition becomes an overall story about the pitfalls of the patriarchal society, the horrors of the WWII and its devastating effect on human lives. Hannelores’ story is told through the medium of large scale drawings, photography and light installations.

ARTscape: Denmark artists are united by their shared ability to enthrall the viewer though images, that tell, retell and interpret various stories. Manipulating and provoking emotion through different yet effective ways, their works attract with visual quality which is often inadequate to their content.

The exhibition was organized in collaboration with Christina Wilson gallery (Copenhagen).

Curator: Aušra Trakšelytė