Illustrarium. Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

i l l u s t r a r i u m

Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

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Young i l l u s t r a r i u m

Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

his is the first time that Lithuania is participating in the Bologna Children’s Book Fair as a guest of honour. It is a unique opportunity for illustrators and publishers to present current trends in the illustration of books for children and young readers. Retrospective exhibitions are presenting the work of both established contemporary Lithuanian artists and the work of illustrators from the Soviet period.

In addition, illustrations by some of the youngest Lithuanian artists are also being shown, for this is a good opportunity to present their work to prospective readers, and to the international publishing market.

The Young Illustrators Exhibition offers viewers an opportunity to learn about the work of artists who are currently studying at Vilnius Academy of Art and the Kaunas Faculty of Art, as well as the work of other artists who have recently completed their studies.

Several young Lithuanian artists are interested in book illustration today. They find a channel for their ideas through illustration, and a few of them treat this complex genre as their main activity. Their illustrations are often the result of assignments set by their teachers, so this exhibition shows examples of book illustrations from the archives of the Vilnius Academy of Art and the Kaunas Faculty of Art. Naturally, it does not include all young Lithuanian illustrators.

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Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

Several important factors determined the selection of work by these eight young

full of peace. In her precisely executed etchings, we can discern the emerging meta-

artists. All the works presented here were created while the artists were studying

phorical content of the creative work. The eye is drawn not only to the main charac-

at Vilnius Academy of Art. This is why the artists are referred to as young artists.

ter and his story, but also by the segmental form of the illustrations.

However, some of them (such as Raminta Šumskytė, Evelina Paukštytė and Agnė

The boundary that separates the world of children’s illustration and its interpre-

Kananaitienė) are now well known, with extensive book illustrating experience,

tation by adults disappears in both the traditional style of illustration, where there

and have participated in many exhibitions. Others (such as Austėja Slavinskaitė)

is a close link between the text and the image, and the colourful pictorial stories

are very young, and have just started out on their careers.

created by the artists themselves. Each cycle of illustrations is individual, and re-

The diversity of the selection offers a possibility to view a wide spectrum of young

veals suggestively the emotional attitudes of its artists. This exhibition is unified by

artists’ work, based on the relationship between image and text, which is very im-

the young artists’ sincere fantasies, and will transport every viewer to an unusual,

portant in book illustration. Illustrations that have been created for a particular

­idiosyncratic and ironic world of illustration.

piece of writing are particularly important, such as Raminta Šumskytė’s illustrations for the folk tale Aguonėlė (The Poppy), or Karolis Strautniekas’ illustrations for the folk tale Brolis nori vesti seserį (A Brother Wants to Marry his Sister), in which the artists avoided getting too close to the text, but illustrated it very professionally by creating unusual compositions. Rūta Deltuvaitė’s monochromatic illustrations for her own book Ratai (Wheels) is also one of these. Her pictures are filled with calligraphic motifs, and are constructed using graphic and abstract images, and characters that are hard to identify.

A reverse plot development formula is applied to the free topic illustrations, in which visual characters are introduced prior to the text (sometimes the text is not introduced at all). For instance, in her illustrations to the cycle “Nusišypsok ­naiviai” (Give a Naïve Smile), Evelina Paukštytė (re)creates subjective personal reminiscences, of which only she is aware. “In recalling my childhood horse, I have to recall and tell everything from the very beginning,” she says. The artists create theatrical characters in a surrealistic space. They act out grotesque scenarios from their fantasy lives. These bitter watercolours fascinate us, attract us and urge us to find out more about the lives hidden behind the flat surfaces of the paintings. Through characters, it is possible to narrate various stories in a simple way: such as the peripatetic life of Gulbinas, a character created by Austėja Slavickaitė; or the situations created

by Laura Guokė’s theatrical, comic and tragic sketchy characters. The atmosphere of the exotic composition “Moterų sala” (Women’s Island) by Agnė Kananaitienė is especially playful, and even comic: while watching a large number of naked women sunbathing, we can read so many different stories … A very different story is told by Kamilė Gužaitė. Her work “Varniuko sapnas” (A Baby Crow’s Dream) is absolutely Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

Kristina Klep onytė-Šemeškienė

Rūta Deltuvaitė. Wheels 10 Laura Guokė. Untitled 16 Kamilė Gužaitė. A Baby Crow’s Dream 22 Agnė Kananaitienė. Women’s Island 26 Evelina Paukštytė. Give a Naïve Smile 30 Austėja Slavickaitė. Gulbinas 34

Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

Karolis Strautniekas. A Brother Wants to Marry his Sister 38 Raminta Šumskytė Sum. The Poppy 42

→ Illustrations for the book Ratai (Wheels) Mixed technique 2000

Rūta Deltuvaitė 2000 Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Art Faculty, Printmaking Department, MA 1998 Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Art Faculty, Printmaking Department, BA 1993 Juozas Naujalis Art School exhibitions

2003 2000 1997 1996

Young Baltic Artists Biennale, Sweden Graduation exhibition, Kaunas Exhibition Palace, Lithuania Exhibition in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Kaunas Art Institute, Kaunas Exhibition Palace, Lithuania Kaunas Art Faculty exhibition, Radom, Poland

rdeltuvaite@gmail.com

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Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

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RĹŤta DeltuvaitÄ—

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RĹŤta DeltuvaitÄ—

→ From the cycle “Untitled” Graphite on paper 2002

Laura Guokė 2010 Šiauliai University, Printmaking Department, MA 2008 Vilnius Academy of Art, Printmaking Department, BA exhibitions 2010 Visual Overture Magazine, summer 2010, the Editor’s Choice section of the magazine

2nd Penang International Print Exhibition, Malaysia

International Gallery of Drawings, Skopje, Macedonia

GenNext V, Younger Generation Artists, Aakrity Art Gallery, Kolkata, India 2009 International Print Network 2009–2011 Programme, Debiut Gallery, Gdynia, Poland

Solo exhibition, Pavartyčiai Cultural Centre, Lithuania

Solo exhibition, Samogitian Artists’ Association Gallery, Klaipėda, Lithuania

Solo exhibition, Šiauliai Philharmonic Hall, Lithuania

Iosif Iser International Print Biennial, Ploiesti, Romania

2nd Quadrennial of Lithuanian Contemporary Art, Litexpo, Vilnius, Lithuania

International Triennial of Graphic Art, Bitola, Macedonia

1st International Biennale, Eastern Salon of Art, Lublin, Poland

International Print Triennial Lettra-Krakow Sign and Letter, Krakow, Poland lauraguoke@yahoo.com

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Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

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Laura Guokė

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Laura Guokė

→ From the cycle “Varniuko sapnas” (A Baby Crow’s Dream) Etching, dry point, aquatint 2006

Kamilė Gužaitė 2009 Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Art Faculty, Printmaking Department, MA 2004 Kaunas Arts Gymnasium exhibitions

2008 2006 2004 2003

Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Art Faculty student exhibition, St George’s Church, Lithuania Kaunas College, Justinas Vienožinskis Faculty of Arts, Lithuania Kaunas Public Library, Lithuania Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis National Art Museum and Galaunė Family House, Kaunas, Lithuania

k.guzaite@gmail.com

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Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

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Kamilė Gužaitė

→ From the cycle “Moterų sala” (Women’s Island) cad 2003

Agnė Kananaitienė 2006 Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Art Faculty, Printmaking Department, BA 2002 Raseiniai Žemaitis Gymnasium exhibitions and awards 2009 2008

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Fobijos International Exhibition, Vytautas Magnus University Gallery of Arts, Kaunas, Lithuania Macro Green Photography Exhibition, Europa shopping centre, Vilnius, Lithuania Award winner in the Verslo klasė Magazine competition, Lithuania Award winner in the Symbol Idea competition of the Be2gether music and arts festival, Lithuania The City as an Open Gallery, House of Architects Gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania Hidden Art, Skliautai Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania Hibrida Collaborative Artists’ Book Exhibition, Bristol, United Kingdom Estampas ’05 Annual Print Exhibition, Kairė–dešinė Vilnius Graphic Art Centre, Lithuania Europe S’Affiche poster exhibition, French Cultural Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania Art Barn Project, Littleburn, United Kingdom

agne@nananai.lt www.nananai.lt

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Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

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Agnė Kananaitienė

→ From the cycle “Nusišypsok naiviai” (Give a Naïve Smile) Aquarelle on paper 2007–2010

Evelina Paukštytė 2008 Vilnius Academy of Art, Printmaking Department, MA 2006 Vilnius Academy of Art, Printmaking Department, BA 2001 Kaunas School of Arts, diploma in ceramics exhibitions and awards 2010 2009 2008

2007 2005 2004 2001

Bridges of the Baltic Sea 2010, International Watercolour Biennial, Arka Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania “+” Exhibition, Arka Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania Tongue-Tied Pranciškus, Mikimyšas and Others print exhibition, Kairė–dešinė Vilnius Graphic Art Centre, Lithuania Easy and Hard Solo Watercolour Exhibition, Akademija Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania Estampas ’06 Annual Print Exhibition, Kairė–dešinė Vilnius Graphic Art Centre, Lithuania – diploma Calligraphy and Type Exhibition, jointly with Albertas Gurskas, Algis Kliševičius and Rimvydas Kepežinskas, Tel Aviv, Israel Exhibition of ceramic works, Akademija Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania The Juozas Zikaras Sculptor Award for Professionalism

Dita. 2007

epaukstyte@yahoo.com www.paukstyte.com

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Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

Hello. 2008

Pokémon. 2010

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Evelina Paukštytė

→ From the cycle “Gulbinas” Aquarelle on paper 2009

Austėja Slavickaitė 2009 At present a student at Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Art Faculty, specialising in graphics 2009 Kaunas Antanas Martinaitis Art School 2009 Kaunas Juozas Urbšys Catholic Secondary School auste.smile@gmail.com

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Austėja Slavickaitė

→ Illustrations for the folk tale Brolis nori vesti seserį (A Brother Wants to Marry his Sister) Mixed technique 2009

Karolis Strautniekas 2007 At present a student at Vilnius Academy of Art, specialising in graphics exhibitions 2010

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Drawing Exhibition, Arka Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania Erasmus Exhibition, Wroclaw Academy of Art, Poland Art Inspired by Lithuanian Fairy Tales, Akademija Gallery, Vilnius Design College, Arts Printing House, Vilnius, Lithuania Introduction Or … solo exhibition, Fluxus Ministry, Vilnius, Lithuania New Anatomy comic exhibition, Fluxus Ministry, Vilnius, Lithuania Artist on the publication You too Can Be a Scientist, for the Explorer’s Night Project, Lithuania Faces of Vilnius exhibition, Trade Union Palace, Vilnius, Lithuania Illustrations published in Interstizi Magazine, Italy Drawing Exhibition, Arka Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania

strautniekas@gmail.com www.flickr.com/photos/strautniekas

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Karolis Strautniekas

→ Illustrations for the folk tale Aguonėlė (The Poppy) Mixed technique 2007

Raminta Šumskytė Sum 2009 Vilnius Academy of Art, Printmaking Department, MA 2007 Vilnius Academy of Art, Printmaking Department, BA 1990 Supreme School of Animation at Goskino, Animation Artist exhibitions and awards 2010 2009

Four Winds Literatų Street project, Vilnius, Lithuania Estampas ’09 Annual Print Exhibition, Kairė–dešinė Vilnius Graphic Art Centre, Lithuania – acknowledgement for “Exceeding the flatness of graphics and the creative correlation of old and new” Vilnius Academy of Art project: The Artist’s Book based on the poetry of Claudio Claudi, Urbino, Italy From Drawing to Book exhibition of book art, Arka Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania Art Inspired by Lithuanian Fairy Tales, Akademija Gallery, Vilnius Design College, Arts Printing House, Vilnius, Lithuania ArtVilnius ’09 1st International Contemporary Art Fair, Vilnius, Lithuania 5th Annual International Artist’s Book Triennial, Vilnius, Lithuania

raminta127@gmail.com

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Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists

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Raminta Šumskytė Sum

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Raminta Šumskytė Sum

Illustrarium Illustration by Young Lithuanian Artists Curators prof. Rimvydas Kepežinskas and Kristina Kleponytė-Šemeškienė Museo Civico Medievale, Bologna, 29 March – 11 April 2011 Catalogue edited by Kristina Kleponytė-Šemeškienė Translation and proofreading by Vilūnė Visackienė, Joseph Everatt Graphic design by Jokūbas Jacovskis Design and layout by Inter Se, Lithuania www.interse.lt Printed in Lithuania by www.kopa.eu Published by the International Cultural Programme Centre, Lithuania www.koperator.lt | www.lituania-bologna.eu Supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania Acknowledgements Vilnius Academy of Art Kaunas Art Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Art Comune di Bologna isbn 978-609-8015-10-2

© International Cultural Programme Centre, 2011 The reproduction of this catalogue, even in part, in any form or media is prohibited without written consent of the copyright holder Circulation: 1000