Exhibition time: 30 03 2022–31 07 2022
M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum Kaunas Picture Gallery (K. Donelaičio str. 16, 44213 Kaunas)
On the occasion of Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022, Meno Parkas gallery presents the icon of the world of art and artist Marina Abramović’s exhibition Memory of Being. According to the director of Marina Abramović Institute Giuliano Argenziano, the exhibition will have a unique form – for the first time, it will be displayed as a spectacular video installation of the selected artist’s performance documentation and films.
In the exhibition, Marina Abramović’s works from the 1960s to the present day will be shown in detail. It will be possible to get acquainted with the documentary material, her artistic biography and interview, the famous Manifesto, and the unique creative Method. The artist is planning to attend the opening ceremonies and a special meeting with her in Kaunas Žalgirio Arena. For this occasion, the catalogue The Cleaner, which presents Marina Abramović’s work in most detail thus far, was published in Lithuanian.
Marina Abramović’s exhibition Memory of Being is an important event not only in Kaunas, Lithuania but in Europe as well. One of the curators of the exhibition Waclaw Kuczma (Poland) states that Marina Abramović’s art is so impactful because of the vision of the world and fatal forebodings of the future hidden inside of it. The immersion in the artist’s work becomes a dramatic, magical challenge. Curator Arvydas Žalpys notices historic correlations – the worldview of the people of our region is familiar to this artist’s work. From the times of the Soviet Iron Curtain, Lithuanian artists and people of culture tried to find the information about Marina Abramović’s work in many different ways – it symbolised a brave pursuit of liberty, surpassing fear and established clichés, as well as an unconstrained expression of the artist’s identity by freeing from the well-known shackles of the Soviet system. This is why this meeting of the audience and the author is very important.
Performance is like a mark in a certain time and space, where the artist meets with the audience and they become each other’s mirror. The retrospective of Marina Abramović’s performances allows to see not only the development of the artist’s work but also the viewer’s inner dynamic, to feel the perspective of time and identify ourselves in the present time. In 2022, when Kaunas will be the European Capital of Culture, Marina Abramović’s exhibition Memory of Being will become a strong and transformative centre of attraction for the local public and the city guests.
Opening hours of Kaunas Picture Gallery:
II, III, V, VI, VII 10.00–18.00 ✦ IV 10.00–19.00
Visitors are allowed at least 30 min before closing time
On the last Sunday of the month admission is paid until December 2022
Exhibition is a part program of Kaunas - Capital of Culture 2022. Partners of the exhibition: Kaunas 2022; Marina Abramovic Institute; Moderna Museet (Stockholm); M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of ArtMain Sponsors: EPSON, MimetaSponsors: Kaunas City Municipality; Lithuanian Council for Culture; UAB „Ekspobalta“; UAB „Tamsta profesionalas”; Lithuanian Artists' Association, UAB „Minordija“; UAB „Alliance Recruitment“Media partner: LRT
