The presentation

I've found that the most difficult choices to make are when you are given complete freedom.

"Talk for 10 minutes about one artwork from any public collection." That's from anywhere around the world. For some reason I roam in my mind through the 20th century. First thought was Joseph Beuys. Perhaps because a drawing I made from a photograph of him is hanging on a wall right in front of me. And his Fettecken I saw in Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin left an impression on me. But then I try picturing it: "So, of all the possible works of art I have chosen to talk today about a sculpture that is essentially solidified animal fat." The concept behind it is truly interesting, but perhaps I'll keep it as an option for now.

Francis Alys. Another highlight from 2010. I visited the Tate exhibition twice and now have taken out the catalogue from the library to look through for some inspiration. His art is however mostly performance, recorded, which might be tricky to talk about. Nevertheless, Fabiola, below, is a very interesting case (not unlike the rest of his work, mind). Let me tell you why in just a minute.


In the meantime I move away from Alys, go through all my 'art' tabs and look up all the titles I've noted in my moleskines from several past years and almost think I've found it - Otto Dix's Alfred Flechtheim. I could after all talk about what it says about the artist-art dealer relationship (Dix portrays Flechtheim here in a negative light, emphasising his Jewish features, and portraying his profession as just another money-oriented business. He even signs the painting in the background with his own signature. Cheeky)

But I'm still in doubt. And then I remember: Berlinische Galerie, room no.1 - Art Show by the Kienholz couple. If I didn't have to re-write a presentation for tomorrow's 10am German seminar, I'd tell you all about it now. I'd in fact probably write the whole 10 minutes. Which I will for the moment take as a promising sign.

What I can mention now is how Fabiola has come to my notice. I've a whole book on it, but long story short, Francis Alys went around markets in Brazil, Mexico, etc. and bought all the copies of the lost-orginal portrait that he could find, to create this fascinating collection (of nearly 300 works, I believe).

So I'm researching Kienholzes in the UCL library today, and come across a book on 76 J.C.s Led the Big Charade, below. Guess what. The artists (or the artist Ed and his wife Nancy, like some have apparently argued) have gone around markets buying cheap images of Christ and fitting them onto the axels of children's toy wagons - all this to make 76 crucifixes(!) I just thought it wonderful how alike the two collections were.

Oh, and hello after a six month break. University is great.

Paddington station

Off to Windsor, where we had a long lunch on the bank of a river.

Freedom

Just some funky 6th century BC ceramics at the British Museum.

It's been two weeks since my last high school exam and its consequential delicious freedom. I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the four institutions that have shaped me during the past twelve years:

1. I have the fondest memories of the four years in my primary school, Senamiesčio pradinė mokykla. There I felt so safe, made my first friends and got married.

2. Even more dear were the three years at Kaunas Jesuit Gymnasium. I was part of easily the best class in the year - amazing people I came the closest to 'rebelling' with, and still see every time I go back home.

3. Having finished Year 7, at the age of thirteen I moved in 2005 with my family to London. The first nearly-eight months were spent - painfully! - school-free, as it took us a while to find a permanent home (this is when I started drawing).

Within the first few weeks of living in Neasden, my brother and I were put by the Brent council into Claremont High School. Things changed. On the first terrifying day I had to write with the class a physics test to determine the science set I'd be put in. I also spent an hour in the set 1 German class, knowing not one word in the language. And while they soon appropriately put me in set 3, for some bizarre reason I stayed in set 1 English! I no longer felt safe. For the next two and a half years I felt I was the black sheep in the herd that was the school, or - like Lithuanians say - the white crow.

I'm the one with the leg in the air.
Don't ask.

4. Getting into North London Collegiate School, where I recently took that symbolic last exam (Higher Level German!) I didn't really plan for. But it happened, and there I spent my latest two years. Completely shook my academic confidence, but socially I now feel much more able. Sometimes I still wonder - did I really study here?


What a LIFE it's been, so far. The years haven't at all passed that very quickly, for I feel like I've lived for decades. And to think that in just a few months I would be writing about my first impressions of university life... Someone please wake me up!

What a relief!

Despite the initial distressing reports of a violent and disturbed scene, it appears that the Baltic Pride was a success after all! Yes, there were attempts by radicals and even MPs to disrupt the march; the police in places used tear gas and arrested some 19 persons; but I do not for a moment doubt the long-term positive effect this historic event will have on Lithuanian (in)tolerance.

The first step has been taken, discussion begun; but most significantly, it has been proven to many there that gay people are in fact more normal than their aggressive haters, who supposedly represent family values. Lithuanians have for months been questioning and protesting against the need for such a pride, and I hope that the eyes of at least some have been opened!

Erica Jennings, Irish-born vocalist of Skamp

BBC News article

Baltic Reports article

Baltic Pride

With the UK election fuss of the past hours (go Caroline Lucas, first green MP in history!) international affairs must not be forgotten.

For several months now I have been following the restless build up to the Baltic Pride, scheduled to take place tomorrow, 8 May, in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. A few days ago Lithuanian courts suspended the permission to hold the demonstration for LGBT rights.

Sorry, what?

edit: Back on, it seems!

Study leave

I was recently looking through job ads and applied to two gallery shops, both of which have yet to respond.. BUT I did also come across photographer Dominic Harris recruiting people for his project, Standing Very Still. So I enrolled! and spent one Sunday afternoon running back and forth the Oxford Circus crossing with a group of very random individuals. Here's two of my favourite shots out of about ten attempts from the day:


Trust me, I am in there somewhere. There's also a video showing us frantically run into position each time the tiny traffic light man turned green. So there.

This was naturally not enough to satisfy my art hunger (eh?) since finishing my course early, so last Friday evening, 23 April, I spent in the company of some thirty Lithuanian artists at our Baker Street-based embassy. Most of the content of the meeting is top secret of course, but I can say that I was most ecstatic to be there and more importantly - there's an exhibition coming up on 11-23 May at St Martin-in-the-Fields! More information here, scroll down to "Urban Clones". Unfortunately more detailed texts are all in Lithuanian, but the essential idea is to find emotional links between the cities of London and Vilnius, Lithuania's capital, through the means of photography. The curator of the exhibition is a third-year Lithuanian student at the Courtauld! So if you're in the area during the two weeks of its showing, do have a look.

Victoria & Albert

Some fascinating exhibits I came across when rediscovering the V&A: the Japanese armour below, a gigantic plastic cast of the 33m Trajan's Column in Rome (photography doesn't do it justice) and Alexander McQueen's dress that Salma Hayek wore to the Vanity Fair Oscar after-party! I highly recommend visiting the gem that is this museum.

House-sitting in Notting Hill on the Easter weekend. *Bliss*

Binoculars

Tried to spot some life on Mars today and all I got was a scarcely larger orange dot.

In other news, Nick Gentry is bringing life back into floppy discs.


I'd have it on my wall.

It's been two weeks

I didn't notice how I've become fond of ceramic art. I tended to underestimate its possibilities, but by now at least two of my recent posts include clay or porcelain pieces. And here I go again - plastic surgery on dishes by Beccy Ridsdel. What a concept!




I'm happy to be back for a while after busy exam times and presentation writing, which took up my entire weekend. Although there's tonnes still to be done, I thought I'd earned a blog post or two.

I'm starting to put together one of my last final pieces for the IB course that finishes in mid-March. The base will be a large silk cloth with three heads batiked - a young face, an old one and a skull - on which will go a printed collage of.. what, I don't exactly know yet. The main theme is Shakespeare and I'm personally illustrating death and passage of time (blahh). If it turns out to be any good, I'll upload a photo. Otherwise my next project in pending is collage on pottery (inspired by Grayson Perry, of course). Now only to get this all done and, I almost forgot, visit Florence in February half term! Life is becoming good again.

I rewatched Perfume: the Story of a Murderer last night. As disturbing as it may be, it's one of the most artistic films I've ever seen. Couldn't say anything about the book, but I'm intrigued - is it as visual? The director (also of Run, Lola, Run!) did an incredible job at illustrating Grenouille's extraordinary sense of smell.

It's the light

No time to write. Exams.