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III Vilnius Analogue Photography and Film Festival
III Vilnius Analogue Photography and Film Festival
Curator‘s letter
Compared with other art forms, photography is spontaneous. Though the picture is taken in a fraction of a second, preparation of a photo exhibition is a way longer process: it requires not only the aspiration of organizers and participants to meet their audience, but a lot of other work behind the scenes.
Festival theme was selected a year ago. During this (in my opinion rather short) time not only conditions of galleries and art spaces work have changed drastically, but the word Contact itself has gained a negative connotation and suddenly became a thing to avoid or even deny.
Is this exhibition about a past day?
Not at all. Despite mass media coverage that sometimes is hard to separate from intimidation, the contact remains an inevitable part of life and it is hard to imagine any activity without it: it is not only a photographic term contact print or easy way of contamination with infection or strange ideas, but also visual emotional connection between distant cultures and separate people.
Photographer’s contact with the environment is not only a beautiful homage to Jan Bułhak or effective landscapes in National Geographic style, but also a constant research on nature’s footprint, its artistic interpretation and attempt to find an answer to questions: what is a line between life and death? Can death be attractive? Is this appropriate to admire?
Contact with the past? How without it? Historical part of the exhibition we present a mini retrospective photographer and sculpture Vigen Vartanov of Armenian origin. Palimpsest required a lot of attention and preparation as while taking pictures as during laboratory work, are powerful reflections of Old Tbilisi genius loci. This is exactly how I would like to remember this city and its residents.
Is this a pursuit of contact with people? I am a long-term admirer of instant photography, as of the most sincere tool of self-documentation. The golden age of this technology had ended a few decades ago, but it is still actively used in Lithuanian artists’ projects, when there is a need to avoid external layers and the contact between the artist and its spectators is transparent. Pavel_Pavel project “Bathroom” (2016-2017) starts with a phrase “Play with me”. It sounds like an offer you can’t refuse.
Andrei Antonau
Festival curator
Compared with other art forms, photography is spontaneous. Though the picture is taken in a fraction of a second, preparation of a photo exhibition is a way longer process: it requires not only the aspiration of organizers and participants to meet their audience, but a lot of other work behind the scenes.
Festival theme was selected a year ago. During this (in my opinion rather short) time not only conditions of galleries and art spaces work have changed drastically, but the word Contact itself has gained a negative connotation and suddenly became a thing to avoid or even deny.
Is this exhibition about a past day?
Not at all. Despite mass media coverage that sometimes is hard to separate from intimidation, the contact remains an inevitable part of life and it is hard to imagine any activity without it: it is not only a photographic term contact print or easy way of contamination with infection or strange ideas, but also visual emotional connection between distant cultures and separate people.
Photographer’s contact with the environment is not only a beautiful homage to Jan Bułhak or effective landscapes in National Geographic style, but also a constant research on nature’s footprint, its artistic interpretation and attempt to find an answer to questions: what is a line between life and death? Can death be attractive? Is this appropriate to admire?
Contact with the past? How without it? Historical part of the exhibition we present a mini retrospective photographer and sculpture Vigen Vartanov of Armenian origin. Palimpsest required a lot of attention and preparation as while taking pictures as during laboratory work, are powerful reflections of Old Tbilisi genius loci. This is exactly how I would like to remember this city and its residents.
Is this a pursuit of contact with people? I am a long-term admirer of instant photography, as of the most sincere tool of self-documentation. The golden age of this technology had ended a few decades ago, but it is still actively used in Lithuanian artists’ projects, when there is a need to avoid external layers and the contact between the artist and its spectators is transparent. Pavel_Pavel project “Bathroom” (2016-2017) starts with a phrase “Play with me”. It sounds like an offer you can’t refuse.
Andrei Antonau
Festival curator
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Clément Briend project 'EXISTENCE'
2020.XI.07 Kražių str, Vilnius photo: Vėja Siman 
Film and slide projection evening
2020.IX.25 Sculpture and stained glass center, Kirtimai, Vilnius photo_Eglė Gudonytė |
A retrospective of Valerius Labko (1951-2008), the founder and ideologue of the Minsk Photo School, has been prepared from the NOVA gallery archive.
Heartfelt thanks to Uladzimir Parfianokas and Mindaugas Gabrėnas for their help. |
Lumen Print workshop with Andrei Antonau in Vilnius, Russian Culture Centre
Photo_Eglė Gudonytė
Photo_Eglė Gudonytė
Participants:
Vigen Vartanov, Dominykas Žakevičius, Clément Briend, Eglė Gudonytė, Pavel Pavel, Emilija Petrauskienė, Gintas Kavoliūnas, Vadim Šamkov, Armands Andze, Živilė Butvilaitė, Juozas Petkevičius, Andrei Antonau, Giuseppe Sannino, Teodoras Malinauskas, Andrius Grigalaitis, Tim Kliukoit, Saulius Slavinskas, Laima Šuopytė, Ieva Martinatis, Eugene Hlushan, Mindaugas Janušaitis, Elvira Akzigitova, Mantas Puida, Vytautas Juozėnas, Valery Lobko.
Special thanks:
Viktoras Bachmetjevas and The Philosophy Club, Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association, Sculpture and Stained Glass Centre, Paulina Blažytė, Stasys Šmigelskas, Alytus City Municipality, Marek Voida, Olga Antonova, Tauragė Region Museum “Santaka”, Uladzimir Parfianok, Gallery “Nova” (Minsk, Belarus) archives.
Curator: Andrei Antonau
Architect: Teodoras Malinauskas
Manager: Paulius Burakas
Design: Eglė Gudonytė, Vadim Šamkov, Andrei Antonau
Organizers: Vilnius Analogue Photography and Film Festival, Kirtimai Cultural Centre
Sponsor: Lithuanian Council for Culture
Vigen Vartanov, Dominykas Žakevičius, Clément Briend, Eglė Gudonytė, Pavel Pavel, Emilija Petrauskienė, Gintas Kavoliūnas, Vadim Šamkov, Armands Andze, Živilė Butvilaitė, Juozas Petkevičius, Andrei Antonau, Giuseppe Sannino, Teodoras Malinauskas, Andrius Grigalaitis, Tim Kliukoit, Saulius Slavinskas, Laima Šuopytė, Ieva Martinatis, Eugene Hlushan, Mindaugas Janušaitis, Elvira Akzigitova, Mantas Puida, Vytautas Juozėnas, Valery Lobko.
Special thanks:
Viktoras Bachmetjevas and The Philosophy Club, Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association, Sculpture and Stained Glass Centre, Paulina Blažytė, Stasys Šmigelskas, Alytus City Municipality, Marek Voida, Olga Antonova, Tauragė Region Museum “Santaka”, Uladzimir Parfianok, Gallery “Nova” (Minsk, Belarus) archives.
Curator: Andrei Antonau
Architect: Teodoras Malinauskas
Manager: Paulius Burakas
Design: Eglė Gudonytė, Vadim Šamkov, Andrei Antonau
Organizers: Vilnius Analogue Photography and Film Festival, Kirtimai Cultural Centre
Sponsor: Lithuanian Council for Culture
