The well-known painter Audrius Grazys, who recently opened his own art gallery in Vilnius In Užupi, it publishes the series of exhibitions-meetings "Sonarai". There will be creative exhibitions, discussions, and music performances by actors, directors and artists from other fields who, in their free time, make, carve, photograph or express themselves in other ways. The first "culprit" of such meetings was the actor Povilas Budrys, who presented his painting and small plastic.
"Sonarai" is an ambitious name, as is the project itself, by the way. This term is probably well known to the fisherman. It is a device for detecting underwater bodies. "Sonar" as a metaphor is like an opportunity to bring to the surface the creative ability hidden in a person. To show what lies behind the visible surface.
According to the painter Audrius Gražis, who grew up in a family of actors, it all started with conversations about actors who, in addition to their main profession, have taken a liking to and mastered another field of creativity. True, the same applies to Audrias's father - actor and director Bronių Gražis, who was an excellent painter and poet. B. Gražis's work will be presented in the gallery founded by his son in the near future.
- Audriau, how did you get the idea to open an art gallery under your own name? Why did you choose it? Užupis, "Jono Meko" draft?
- I think every artist's dream is to have a personal gallery. And the "Meko skersvėjo" project immediately seemed very close to me. Because I not only got to know Jonas Mekas personally, but also had a lot of communication in Lithuania, Brussels and his home in New York. My footage and photos remind us of our interesting and priceless acquaintance. So, in the case of the gallery, everything coincided incredibly. That's why I thought - why not now, why not in "John Meko's draft"?
- What does owning a gallery give an artist?
- First of all, the freedom to present yourself and your work as you see fit. When exhibiting in other galleries, you are limited in space and time. In the case of your gallery, you are completely free.
On the other hand, it is an opportunity to get to know your viewer more closely, and at the same time, the viewer gets to know the creator. Communicate not only through painting, but also through other forms of art: playing music, presenting literary works, discussing, sharing experiences, finally meeting friends and getting to know each other.
The profession of a painter is the work of one person, and at the same time a certain condemnation of loneliness. In my case, communication with people, sharing is one of my sources of inspiration, so I constantly try to gather colleagues for various interactive projects.
We will certainly not limit ourselves to the visual arts. There will be readings, music...
We leave complete freedom for various art forms and surprises.
- atserr, maybe jyou yourself, not only paint, but also create a different kind of art do you have any hobbies
- I'm definitely not limited to just painting. I photograph, create film projections, installations.
- What jclosest to the whisker creative plans, in which pdo you participate in outdoor activities?
- This year is extremely stressful because it is an anniversary year. The first personal exhibition "Be Naratyvo" is already taking place at the Architects' House in Vilnius. At the beginning of March, a personal exhibition will open in the Museum of Local History of Utena. In April - a personal exhibition in the "Arka" gallery, in autumn - in the Klaipėda Cultural Communication Center.
I would also like to mention that last year - after twenty years - our creative group "Without a shadow" got together again. Its members are Tadas Gutauskas, Egmontas Bžeskas, Vilmantas Marcinkevičius and myself. We will hold an exhibition in May Klaipėda, in the "Baroti" gallery, and in September - in the Vilnius Town Hall.
Actor Povilas Budrys was the first to present his work - paintings and small plastic works - at A. Gražio's gallery in Užupy. "I have known Povila for a good decade. Once, after talking, I found out that he had become. His works impressed me. And just now the opportunity to present them has appeared," A. Gražys says.
The month of February is generous with premieres for P. Budrii: the premiere of the mono-performance "Kim Juri" has just taken place, and here is another "premiere" - the opening of an exhibition of paintings and small plastic works.
- Povilai, kdid you accept the news to exhibit your work in A. Gražio gallery?
- In fact, I have always been jealous of artists who, it seems to me, look at such "premieres" much more simply. As actors, we go through a lot and fear, a lot of excitement. And it seems to me that everything is much simpler for artists - now I just need to collect the paintings, it's not complicated here, because they are with friends, relatives or acquaintances. You call, meet, talk, and the paintings are already there. So it seems to me that, well, such "premieres" of artists are much calmer, simpler, compared to actors. I don't think that I am some kind of artist, but there was always that kind of envy for them, that they were in some kind of higher class. And of course, I accepted the news of exhibiting the exhibition with great joy.
- Perhaps not everyone knows that you are not only an actor, but also an artist. How long have you been? How did you discover plastic?
- I have been painting for ten years now, but I started carving a couple of years ago. For a long time I put off that carving, kept putting it off, because I felt that I would have to work here, in the sense that it would require a lot of work. And I had a feeling that I would have to have something in common with the tree, it was a long time ago, maybe when I was looking at, say, Liongin Šepka's works in Rokišky. To this day, I can still see his palm and his hand on the mast pointing to the book. When I looked at his works, I felt a kind of kinship, a certain connection, I felt what was going on in his mind. That cosmos, how that person became rich inside, making those sculptures, how his world expanded. And when I decided to start after long delays, it is known that the beginning was not easy - I did not know how to hold a knife or wood in my hand at all - I may not have had so many wounds and patches in my life, as at the beginning of such a creation. But I still felt that I could take a simple piece of wood and make something out of it. Maybe stubbornness helped me... It seems to me that all my works: both paintings and sculptures, are somewhat childish - like a child sitting down at the table and starting to draw, without thinking too much, I'm the same way, what you want, that and i do
- Tell me who is jMustache inspiration for fine art?
- First of all, it is the tree itself, which has so many different qualities that it still surprises me how different trees are. Let's say this oak, which is already thousands of years old, how much it has in itself, how much can be revealed through it. Or, let's say, let's take any such example. An Indian temple, how it is built and how the sculptures are arranged. At the very bottom, various animals, a little higher - science, astronomical things, even further... As a person grows, so does his vision. And if a person opens his eyes, he sees even more, such things that reveal a person as a mystery, so that the person himself feels the mystery within himself. And if you begin to see those things, you begin to feel that there is a treasure of civilization there, and you yourself with your sculptures are only at the very beginning, that those people who lived long ago, they felt and understood much more and could present, without even writing down their names, surnames. Like the cosmos, that whole being…
The most interesting thing is that you don't know what will come out of all this. For example, you take one piece of wood and think, is it possible to make two of it? This is how my "Hugs" cycle turned out. How two figures embrace each other. From one tree that already contains that hug, everything is hidden in it, you just have to discover it and lay it out. When you do something, you learn a lot about yourself. We ourselves, having come from some source, always seek to return to the beginning, to that source, as if to find out who we already are, why we are like that. We are a mystery to ourselves, and we are looking for the origins of that mystery.
- I wonder if you have experienceai is not reflected on the stage of the theaterin mustache painting works, plastic?
- I want to offer in the Audrius Grazis gallery, contrary to what usually happens in exhibitions, to touch the sculptures, turn them over, hold them in your hands - it could be like a theatrical contact. Probably, those experiences are reflected. Those sculptures also take part in my latest performance "Kim Juri".
Mr. Budris's exhibition will be open until February 17. Exhibitions-meetings from the cycle "Sonarai" will be held every month. Information about upcoming exhibitions will be published on the Facebook page "Audrius Gražis Art Gallery".
