The Lithuanian photography project “Collections. From typological research to collecting mania” will be opened June 28th, 2018 in Tel Aviv (Israel). On the opening day the catalog of the exhibition will be launched, as well as a guided tour with artist will be held.

Indie Photography Group Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
2018 06 28 – 07 28

Artists: Kęstutis Grigaliūnas, Dainius Liškevičius, Alvydas Lukys, Aurelija Maknytė, Valdemaras Manomaitis, Vilma Samulionytė, Vytautas V. Stanionis, Gintautas Trimakas.
Curators: Gytis Skudžinskas and Vilma Samulionytė.
Catalogue design: Gytis Skudžinskas.

The concept of the exhibition “Collections: from typological research to collecting mania” is based on one of the main principals of photography - the analysis of the typological photographic documentation and its reflection in Lithuanian photography and visual culture context. Photography from the very beginning of its existence, when it was not even considered as an art form, was a way to collect and organize objects by types. When it became artistic practice and there appeared more and more typological or eve scientific research based collections this strategy in photography context transformed to “deadpan” style.
 
In Lithuanian photography we find this practice in the oldest collections, but as the conscious artistic practice it appears just in 80’s. This time Vytautas V. Stanionis transforms his fathers’ documentary material to conceptual art project. Alvydas Lukys and Gintautas Trimakas document systematically found domestic objects and start to develop their own independent series, where the main idea of the sequence is the typology of the object. This style is not abandoned and doesn’t loose the actuality in young generation works by Valdemaras Manomaitis and Vilma Samulionyte.
 
Typological photography ways are used in another artist practices using not just photographic material. Dainius Liškevičius and Aurelija Maknytė this tactic used for performance documentation. Kęstutis Grigaliūnas made installations using historical memory and archival material.
 
Even though authors are really different, they use similar visual and conceptual principals. Authors collect with their own reasons and ways, but in the exhibition they will be presented as one collection of a hypothetical collector.  

The catalogue will be published together with the exhibition. Its construction will allow making your own selection and changing the sequence. It will look like a list of works and when dissembled, it will be reproductions of works.

The talk-guided tour with artists is planned to make on the opening day of the exhibition. Present at the exhibition opening: curators Gytis Skudzinskas and Vilma Samulionytė, Kęstutis Grigaliūnas, Dainius Liškevičius, Alvydas Lukys, Aurelija Maknytė.

Introduction word for catalogue is written by Lithuanian art critic Virginijus Kincinaitis.

The project is initiated and executed by Lithuanian Photographers Association, LPA Photography Foundation.

Supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture, Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, Cultural attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the State of Israel, Indie Photography Group gallery.