The exhibition runs from November 5 to November 30.
On November 13 at 6 PM and November 20 at 5 PM, we welcome you to guided tours led by exhibition curator Dr. Agnė Narušytė.
The exhibition curator – Dr. Agnė Narušytė
“Išsėtinė konstibacija C” (“Disseminated Constipation C”) – is the perspective of a little dog named Pepė, looking out the window at her hometown, Vilnius, which is changing too quickly. Not long ago, she roamed fields and shrubs, but now everything is fenced off and built upon. Only the sidewalks remain, where people rush around, all in a hurry. Most are the “constibaskai,” driven by the nabonai, who are controlled by the klimai, under the mysterious influence of jėgorai. This is the invented caste system of photographer Gintaras Zinkevičius, precisely describing the transformation of a city that becomes unrecognizable. To a dog who doesn’t eat from any caste, the frantic remodeling and destruction of beautiful places seems absurd. It’s unclear why any of this is necessary.
The C in the title signifies that two exhibitions on this theme have already occurred, though few saw them. Over ten years of photographing what’s happening in Vilnius has built a telling archive of frenzied efforts to leave a mark everywhere, indifference to others, and a fragmented memory. This time, the artist has selected about fifty photographs and establishes a dialogue with Vilnius Town Hall – a building that was once itself reconstructed in a vacant space. Gintaras Zinkevičius’ exhibition aims to act as a provocative gesture, encouraging reflection on identity and change, cultural value, enforced transformations, leaders’ subservience to capital, and the sense of belonging – or lack thereof – in a city that no longer feels like one’s own.
Gintaras Zinkevičius is known to many as a member of the 1989-founded group “Post Ars,” known for their ironic performances and actions, documenting the group’s activities, and contributing to the book “Post Ars partitūra” (M pages, ŠMC, 2017). Initially, he was a cinema operator, working alongside the renowned avant-garde filmmaker Artūras Barysas-Baras. Additionally, he was a punk and photographer, spotting absurdities in his environment and addressing them according to dada-semiotic principles. This approach revealed the absurdity of the Soviet army, culminating in a painfully ironic exhibition in 1988 and the release of his authored book “Kareivio dienoraštis” (“Soldier’s Diary,” Artbooks, 2014). However, since the early 1990s, Zinkevičius has documented Vilnius’ transformation from a Soviet wilderness to the capital of an independent country, where squares and courtyards are swiftly claimed by type A individuals rushing to inscribe “private property” everywhere.
THE EXHIBITION IS FUNDED BY THE LITHUANIAN COUNCIL FOR CULTURE
