This Thursday, July 18, 5 pm, the Review Room will introduce Jurgis Bernatonis works.
Jurgis Bernatonis (born in 1990) is a new player in the Lithuanian art scene. The young artist got his BA in graphic art at the Vilnius Academy of Arts this year, and can be distinguished among his peers for his excellent drawing skill as well as his ability to analyse and judge public issues by portraying them in contemporary art. On July 18–24, the Review Room of Vartai Gallery will exhibit Mr. Bernatonis’ thesis work The King Is Not Naked (Karalius nėra nuogas). The work was created using a rare and quite complicated mezzotint technique. According to the author, he was inspired by his interest in miniatures and political issues. Daily browsing of the Euronews website would reveal a cliché “king” of the day. Visual representation of the past centuries is applied to contemporary rulers portrayed through reproduction. The young artist defines himself as the fetishist of the Medieval and Early Renaissance fine art of the Western Europe, a political activist with an invisible democratic voice.
“Whereas I am the author of images, I have the privilege of portraying myself as a symbol of power of a simple citizen among the icons of power. Royalty is the wish of the society to see the face of a simple person whose visual representation embodies the entire state, idea or revolution. For me it’s the visual phenomenon”, says Mr. Bernatonis.
Contemporary art gallery VARTAI organises open reviews of artworks. These events introduce the latest works of a selected artist and analyse the genre, development, uniqueness and potential of his or her artwork. The Thursday Reviews aim to collect and publicise the latest news on the works of contemporary artists, provide a more exhaustive introduction of the authors, promote works of acclaimed artists and discover new promising names.
If you are an artist and wish to submit your artwork for the reviews, please contact the Gallery by sending an e-mail to galerija@galerijavartai.lt.
Personal presentations of artworks can be arranged for art collectors any day of the week. Please, arrange your visit in advance by contacting Galerija VARTAI on the phone +370 5 2122 949 or by e-mail galerija@galerijavartai.lt.
