Dimmed light, mysterious shadows and a feeling of upcoming change is in the air. Gentle wind, more than a dozen chairs put far enough from each other greets you in the entrance. All the worries now must be left behind, because you just have bought a ticket to another life. This exhibition leads to a personal space. This exhibition might be a provocation. Which way is real? Which way is right? Only you can find out.
Saskia Boddeke, an innovative Dutch multimedia artist in collaboration with Peter Greenaway, a British screenwriter and artist, creates an astonishing area where they try to ask the question Why is it hard to love? Already familiar for the European audience, in Vilnius MO Museum they are representing the frightening dystopias and worries about the future. In order to reflect this topic, two creators form a space, an area incorporating the architectural forms and changing the usual white halls into colourful and somehow strangely familiar unity. Using well-known and yet unfamiliar Lithuanian artist works they try to open up for a discussion.
The joyful atmosphere is fulfilled with drawings on the walls, suddenly changes and the disturbing coldness affects the first impression. This area incorporates each visitor and leads step by step. White area is facing visitors with a question: Am I the beginning? An end? The painting of Šarūnas Sauka disturbs and makes goosebumps. Precisely painted figures will not leave in peace the man that seems sitting in the dark. Surrealistic mono-dimensional art piece is accompanied with the chair that does not exist in the painting. One more chair suggests us to accept reality and stay together in this discomfort with the character. Green wall continues to observe the feeling of daily routine, never ending loneliness in this crowded running world. The duties, mandatory roles, requirements and values. Pink wall brings further the topic of identity. Artist Eglė Vertelkaitė is asking if fears and doubts are the part of us, she experiments on symbols trying to seduce us for a glance behind the hidden in motion personality. Kristina Ališauskaitė refuses individuality and choses to depict all of us.
The painting of Vilmantas Marcinkevičius requires a more attentive look, that way yellow-coloured wall becomes the gates to the personal and very oppressive thing – the death of a child. A child, who symbolises also all the lost people that were precious, all the hopes that they gave, now are in heaven, represented by the angels in blue. Blue wall is a connecting factor of further topic that is represented. Polyptych by Stasys Eidrigevičius literally speaks about a connection that is very special and unique. Words written on the canvas are a message to the brother. Family question is reviewed by the exhibition authors as the newly emerging question. Like Van Gogh was supported by his brother, S. Eidrigevičius reminds us because he is grateful to his sibling. With this idea moving on there is one more, this time the Red wall, that brings us to the partly disembodied creatures. Capturing the various emotions. Again, the discourse of the normal human being is touched, the artist invites us to free ourselves and not to hide behind the masks.
Naive thoughts of happiness and positivity are being smashed and washed away with raindrops as the secrets are revealed, when the last hall of the exhibition is entered. Now it is time for the huge installation in the room that could be described as an endless story. Pip Boddeke catches eyes and pushes each visitor closer to the rain. The dynamic dropping water motion creates the tension and indeed draws the attention from one object to another at once. S. Boddeke is known for her water-incorporating art pieces, that were displayed in the famous art galleries, but the idea of showing her daughter telling a story about Susa Bubble is an surprising action. The tale is about a character who started to appear double until her 33 rd version who did not have her twin. This number identifies also how many chairs are used for this massive object. Chairs floating above the pool and a pool might be understood as a source. Who knows, maybe the falling water will bring the one and only Susa and help her to find herself.
Besides those art pieces there are many more on the display in the grand hall, an exhibition invites us to stop and ask ourselves why is it hard to love? It will be possible to do so until 31st January 2021. Karolina Bukovskytė 7th July 2020
