From March 16 to 30, 2021, the Vilnius Town Hall hosted an exhibition by painter Aleksandras Vozbinas (In memoriam).
The artistic journey of Vozbinas is deeply rooted in his interest in the history of Lithuania and the capital city of Vilnius. Through his canvases, the artist reflected on themes of past and present history, creating his own narratives and plotlines within this context.
The path of the artist’s work is an integral part of the cultural process of the nation and state. Vozbinas was not only a subject reflecting and recording the spirit of the times but also contributed to shaping these processes through his art. These processes can be perceived and evaluated at various levels of consciousness or subconsciousness. Often, the creator not only documented but also influenced the states of collective consciousness, sometimes without even realizing it.
Aleksandras Vozbinas’s historical painting improvisations are not direct illustrations of historical facts. They are often metaphors, associatively linked to the history of our country, becoming a pretext for using the language of painting to reflect his perspective, which can often be ironic…
“Painting for me is a way to consider and discuss matters that are inherent to human nature. The artist’s society is intertwined with the fragility of individual existence. Here, there is everything: optimism, a touch of pessimism, fatalism, grotesque… All of this occurs against a certain historical backdrop. Forms and fashions change, but passions, experiences, and human content remain the same throughout time,” mused Aleksandras Vozbinas.
Most of the paintings in the exhibition are recent works that had not been shown before, while others were created earlier, consistently complementing the exhibition’s theme. The last works were painted during the quarantine that gripped our society. The mentioned circumstances are encoded in the paintings, and viewers will have to guess which works contain these elements…
Unfortunately, the author is no longer with us.
Photos – Jan Suchodolski
