Solo exhibition 'Homeland' by Birutė Sarapienė at the Meno Parkas Gallery, Düsseldorf

July 2, 2020
Author Echo Gone Wrong

In the days when world becomes more and more global every day it is essential to return to our roots, to preserve, cherish and nourish our native land. I do believe – wherever Lithuanians go, they always keep in their hearts nostalgia for their homeland.

I discovered the new textile technology in 2009 – photo-textile – when in traditional loom weaving as a weft is used tape with photo print. This technology combines traditional craft with possibilities of digital printing. In my creative works, my weavings I have a subconscious craving to reveal beauty of the nature and Lithuanian landscapes. The most of my artworks are inspired by photos of the nature of my brother – Stasys Kačinskas. One of the pieces was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Lithuanian poet Maironis – I weaved a poem glorifying our Homeland “Beautiful you are, dear fatherland“.
But the last artwork was sparked up by a massive wood cutting act in Kaunas. Everyone was stroked how drastic it was. The year 2018 was the year of a fallen trees. Not because they were old or dangerous, but because they were on the way of someone‘s business. In a short while more than 600 trees were cut. Kaunasians couldn‘t stay half-hearted about it. There were protests, initiatives for raising awareness, on social media was established group of activists „Stop cutting of trees in Kaunas“. People trusted democracy to give them the right of debating and negotiating, they tried to talk to representatives of government and officers but they were not allowed to present their positions and arguments. They were detained by the police. After protesters were muted, trees were cut down.  And even though theme has quickly drowned in the news stream, story was never forgotten. In my triptych “Cry of Trees” it all is interweaved with threads – next to sadness of loss, and bitterness of losing there is also a spirit of fighting. The fight for one of the most important things – the life. Even the battle was lost, we have proven, that in this unsettled world of today spiritual values are still fundamental.

Birutė Sarapienė (b.1952) – textile artist, lives and works in Kaunas, Lithuania. Graduated from Vilnius Academy of Arts in 1975. Member of Lithuanian Artists‘ Association from 1990. Since 2001 member of Textile Artists and Painters’ Guild. Birutė Sarapienė mastered the traditional tapestry technique first and started searching for new forms of creation from about 1997. She started experimenting, using diverse materials and techniques; nonetheless, she did not refuse traditional means of expression of textile. She actively participating in solo and group exhibitions in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Russia, Spain, France, Romania, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Taiwan. Has won numerous awards for her creative work. Her works are in collections of M. K Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Lithuanian Art Museum and private collections.

Birutė Sarapienė
HOMELAND. Photo-textile exhibition
10 07 – 01 08 2020

Organizer: Meno Parkas Gallery Partner: „Gleixnerart“
Exhibition is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Lithuanian Artists’ Association.
Gallery’s working hours: II-VI 14-18:30. Or by appointment: +49 172 706 1247