Artistic Residency with Kazimieras Sližys

Kazimieras Sližys participated at the residency and exhibit his work at Anca Poterasu Gallery in 2015

About Kazimieras Sližys

Kazimieras Sližys was born in Vilnius in 1988. In 2011 he got his MA degree in Sculpture from Vilnius Art Academy. Selected exhibitions: “Padori paroda”, “Titanic” exhibition halls, Vilnius Art Academy, 2017; “Academic Drawing”, gallery “Planterol 58”, Bucharest, 2015; “Kultural Kontakt” residency, Vienna, 2014; “Dismantling the Exhibition”, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius, 2014; “Leaps & Loops”, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, 2009.

academic drawing, 2015

 

The research project of the Lithuanian artist implied instruments that didn’t aim to define an aesthetic statement; the conscious fragmentation of space, the usage of the sound and light for defining the immediate area of interest imposed unexpected forms of organizing the collected information. In order to avoid subjectivity and limit his possibilities, the artist had worked according to a well-established plan ever since his departure from Vilnius.

Sol Lewitt, while explaining his artistic approach, considered that the multitude of plans attracts infinity, an uncomfortable condition for the artist that works according to a pre-determined direction. Therefore, the artist must select the basic form, must define the grammar and the rules that govern the solution of a problem.

For Kazimieras Sližys, the working method was based on observation and analysis; it was developed in parallel with the process of personal education and of identifying intense, even invasive situation. Armed with a wristband heart monitor, the artist explored marginal, deserted or extremely well-guard areas from Bucharest, sometimes using guides to access those places. 

In the context of this non-linear and full of obstacles exploration, Kazimieras Sližys photographed fragments of what he saw while moving – the corners of buildings, broken grids, the wristband showing his pulse, irregular paving, wild vegetation. The result was a series of images enveloped in mystery, with dark surfaces and incomplete perspectives.

The display, specially conceived for these photos deepens the physical experience of the artist and equally corrupts the gaze of the observer. The combination between idea and technology generates a consistent dose of autonomy in interpretation, while the production process is partially developed.

ARAC is a non-profit organization founded in June 2012, in order to produce and promote contemporary art in Romania and abroad. The initiative of the 58 Plantelor Residency belongs to Anca Poterasu, gallerist and ARAC President. The first edition of the Residency took place in 2015 and it was financed through a grant offered by Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and the Romanian Government.