On Friday, August 12, in the Art Yard of Klaipėda Culture Communication Centre (KCCC) (Bažnyčių st. 4, Klaipėda), a participant of the international art residency project „The context of art transformation“, an artist from St. Petersburg Yuri Shtapakov (Russia) will present portrait exposition for public city spaces „The heroes of our time“ and will share his creative experience with Klaipėda residents.
According to Y. Shtapakov, who is visiting Klaipėda not for the first time, in the critical moments of its development the society uncounsciously creates collective myths and transfers its expectations on heroes – scientists, artists, public activists, political and military leaders. At the same time, society looks at its worshipped hero as at a source of inspiration. The idea to commemorate those people came to the artist a few years ago, when he was looking for answers to questions he got, why there is a wish to look up to one or another personality, why those personalities and their behaviour become life examples. Analysis of these questions, the artist says, inspired him to create his personal heroes pantheon.
While staying in Klaipėda Y. Shtapakov had an objective to find and commemorate in installations collective heroes of Klaipėda residents. To make a list of these people, he needed to listen to the city residents‘ opinions. About 1 percent of the port city residents – 160 people – were questioned in word and in written in the streets and other places. The aim of the survey was to find out, which exactly world‘s, Lithuanian and Klaipėda people the city dwellers could call the most famous, important, who in their opinion are the heroes of the present time.
Some of the people‘s answers surprised the artist and the survey takers – in the most residents‘ opinion the world‘s most famous person is Michelle Obama – wife of the US president, Lithuania‘s most famous person – former basketball player Arvydas Sabonis, and Vytautas Grubliauskas was unanimously named the most famous Klaipėda resident. The opinion of the port city residents became undiscussable constant of Y. Shtapakov‘s creative process and he created those three people‘s portraits. The artist‘s big format installations (200х150х70 cm) will decorate the city‘s public spaces – the Art Yard, the Exhibition Hall (Bažnyčių st. 4, 6) and People‘s Culture Centre (K. Donelaičio st. 6) – for three months.
Before presenting the project, the artist will share his creative experience with Klaipėda residents – on Friday, August 12, at 4 p. m. he invites everyone to a free workshop, where the workshop participants, using stencil technique, will create a portrait of their hero: maybe to someone that hero is his/her mother, father, or maybe some famous public figure or a celebrity, who had an impact on a person’s life. The Language of the workshop is Russian.
Y. Shtapakov is a wide range experimental graphics artist, his pieces of art are in the Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia), Krakow National Museum (Krakow, Poland), New York museum of contemporary art „MoMa“, the artists‘ hand-made books are kept in St. Petersburg State Library, Alexandria Library (Egypt), Riga Library (Latvia), Saxony State Library (Dresden, Germany) and Berlin National Library (Germany).
Events in KCCC Art Yard (Bažnyčių st. 4, Klaipėda)
August 12, 4 p.m. creative workshop of stencil technique portrait, lecturer – artist Yuri Shtapakov (free of charge, in Russian, registration is necessary by phone 8 618 14506 or e-mail inga@kkkc.lt).
August 12, 7 p.m. presentation of Yuri Shtapakov‘s portrait exposition „The heroes of our time“.
Project supported by Lithuanian Culture Council.
