Stasys Museum returns to the contemporary art fair ArtVilnius’25 with the work of Stasys Eidrigevičius

From October 3 to 5, a continuation of Stasys Eidrigevičius’ exhibition Hommage à Čiurlionis will be presented in the project zone of the contemporary art fair ArtVilnius’25. Currently, the majority of the exhibition is on display at Stasys Museum in Panevėžys.

S. Eidrigevičius first revealed his close connection to Čiurlionis in the 2018 exhibition Hommage à Čiurlionis at the M. K. Čiurlionis Memorial Museum in Druskininkai. Later, this exhibition was moved to the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum in Kaunas. Commemorating the 150th anniversary of Čiurlionis, the exhibition organized by Stasys Museum expresses respect for the great artist by displaying a much wider range of works by S. Eidrigevičius, including masks created using Čiurlionis’ works.

“Stasys is a brave artist, constantly surprising and full of ideas. His works tell more than meets the eye. They hold an enticing mystery. His courage to create unconventionally has opened doors to the wider world,” says the exhibition curator Kristina Liepinaitė.

According to the curator, the exhibition reveals a different creative connection between Stasys Eidrigevičius and M. K. Čiurlionis.

Čiurlionis’ work is based on nature and the world of fairy tales, while Stasys tends to depict the world grotesquely through figures and objects, exposing its absurd and paradoxical nature. Nevertheless, their works are visually close. Both artists use similar techniques — pastel, tempera, watercolor, and pencil. Their works are united by minimalism of images and the transcendental ambiguity of meanings.

Stasys connects even more deeply with Čiurlionis by using his works to create masks. It is these photographs featuring masks with Čiurlionis reproductions that visitors to ArtVilnius’25 will be able to see as a continuation of the exhibition.

The exhibition curator is Kristina Liepinaitė. The architecture was created by IMPLMNT.

The exhibition Stasys Eidrigevičius. Hommage à Čiurlionis will be open at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre Litexpo on October 3 (Friday) from 11:00 to 20:00, October 4 (Saturday) from 11:00 to 20:00, and October 5 (Sunday) from 11:00 to 18:00.

This year’s ArtVilnius project zone will showcase the most interesting private and institutional contemporary art collections from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

Sonata Baliuckaitė, the art director of the fair and one of the program curators, states that there will be many discussions about art collecting, sales, and the relationship between art and commerce.

“We will talk about why it is worth and necessary to buy artworks from galleries, meet collectors who have turned their collections into museums accessible to the public, discuss the wave of female collectors, and explore what the younger generation collects. The fair promises many fascinating meetings and discussions,” promises the ArtVilnius art director.

The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Panevėžys City Municipality.