Laznia Centre for Contemporary Art

Though by education Deimantas Narkevičius is a sculptor, for many years he has mainly made films which he refers to as "digital sculptures". Though his films may seem to be focused on Lithuania's communist heritage, in reality their themes go way beyond the country's borders. The artist is interested in the analysis of universal processes of perceiving the past and the ways it is modified by ideologies, utopias and people's life experiences. The artist's pieces usually refer to the methods of constructing and fabricating history, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe's communist herritage.

In his work, Deimatas Narkevičius analyses various narration structures, plays with conventions and investigates contemporary societies with a focus on the relations between memory and political history as well as individual and collective testimonies. A multidimensional perspective on reality is typical of his work. The artist often uses archive materials, juggles interviews and quotations, reinterprets things and plays with time structure. He creates hybrid pieces which deconstruct the prevailing visions of the past and builds foundations for recollection processes, memories and possible scenarios.

The "Rocking the State" exhibition will feature the newest, stereoscopic pieces by the artist.

The exhibition is a part of the "Vilnius in Gdańsk" cycle, which presents the contemporary Lithuanian artistic scene, focusing mainly on visual arts and music. The programme 7^th to 10^th September involves concerts, exhibitions, meetings, films and discussions. Parallel program featuring Lithuanian folk bands and traditional Vilnius fair will take place in Targ Węglowy.

Deimantas Narkevičius is one of the most internationally recognised Lithuanian artists. His pieces were presented at the world's most important cultural institutions, including: Centre Pompidou (Paris) Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofia Madrid), Tate Modern (London), Museum of Modern Art (New York), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam). He represented Lithuania at the 49th Venice Biennale and two years later he was invited to participate in the 50th Venice Biennale's exhibition "Utopia Station". The pieces by Narkevičius were also presented at Manifesta II (Luxembourg, 1998) and Manifesta X (St. Petersburg, 2014).

BIP

Municipal Institution of Culture