{"id":24923,"date":"2026-03-20T10:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T08:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/nacionaline-dailes-galerija\/renginiai\/virgilijus-sontas-retrospect-at-the-national-gallery-of-art-of-the-lnma\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T10:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T08:05:02","slug":"virgilijus-sontas-retrospect-at-the-national-gallery-of-art-of-the-lnma","status":"publish","type":"renginys","link":"https:\/\/lndm.devmerit.com\/en\/national-gallery-of-art\/events\/virgilijus-sontas-retrospect-at-the-national-gallery-of-art-of-the-lnma\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgilijus \u0160onta\u2019s Retrospect at the National Gallery of Art of the LNMA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday, 27 March, at 6 pm, the National Gallery of Art of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (LNMA) opens an exhibition Virgilijus \u0160onta: The answer, my friend, is blowin\u2019 in the wind,<\/em> the first comprehensive retrospective presentation of the Lithuanian photographer Virgilijus \u0160onta (1952\u20131992). The curators Margarita Matulyt\u0117 and Gintaras \u010cesonis present a selection of more than 200 of the artist\u2019s works, complete with the biographical documents that provide insight into the artist\u2019s enigmatic yet exceptionally sensitive and dramatic personality. The retrospect has been arranged in collaboration with the artist\u2019s family and the Kaunas Photography Gallery. For the first time, the artwork has been drawn from all of the key collections.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe exhibition presents the life and art of Virgilijus \u0160onta, a not-yet-fully-discovered or appreciated photographer, who emerged vis-\u00e0-vis the oppression of the soviet system. Together with the curators of the exhibition, I invite you to experience his artistic valour and the distinctive aesthetics of his photography,\u201d says Dr Lolita Jablonskien\u0117, director of the National Gallery of Art of the LNMA.<\/p>\n

The tumultuous life between the pressure of the system and the inner freedom<\/h6>\n

Virgilijus \u0160onta lived in a society of social \u201cnorms\u201d imposed by the primitive and brutal soviet rule. According to the curator Matulyt\u0117, \u201cin his works, the artist explored the mundane reality capturing its tensions and attempts to embrace freedom. His work took shape between the institutional limitations and personal choices \u2013 the pressure of the repressive regime and the longing for inner freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u010cesonis emphasises \u0160onta\u2019s bold candidness and courage to be different, which, according to the curator, no less than his distinct visual language established the artist\u2019s uniqueness in the history of the Lithuanian photography. \u201cThis exhibition is an invitation to gain a better understanding of the artist whose life and art were staked on freedom for which he possibly paid the highest price,\u201d says the curator. The artist\u2019s life was short and tragic \u2013 he was murdered aged 40. His rich legacy, however, remains important to the contemporary culture of Lithuania.<\/p>\n

His art is like a stream of melancholic moods, yet full of wondering at the human nature. His idiom is marked by his special relationship with nature and excentric attitude towards his surroundings. His shots blend humanist documentalism, artistic experiment and subtle photographic aesthetics in a way that establish the lasting significance of his photography artwork. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The codes of the photographer\u2019s life and art<\/h6>\n

Encoded in this exhibition are the artist\u2019s key creative and biographical trajectories: his analogue photographic work (Ag), studies and the beginning of his creative expression at the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (KPI), involvement in the activities of the Lithuanian Society of Art Photography (LFMD), the sinister shadow of the KGB that consumed his life (KGB), his hidden identity (LGBTQ+), American citizenship and journeys to \u201chis\u201d land (USA). The exhibition reflects the artist\u2019s life of many secrets, riddles, references hidden \u201cbetween the lines\u201d and the questions that arose along the way, the answers to which are blowin\u2019 in the wind, like in the chorus of Bob Dylan\u2019s 1962 song, which became the hymn among those fighting for civil rights.<\/p>\n

The experience of the exhibition will be expanded by tours and discussions involving scholars and creatives, by creative workshops and educational events. The first curator-guided tour is scheduled on 28 March, Saturday, at 11 am, available with a visitor ticket upon prior booking (register here<\/a>). Information on events is posted on the website of the National Gallery of Art of the LNMA and on social media. The exhibition will run until 21 June, 2026.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Curators: Margarita Matulyt\u0117, Gintaras \u010cesonis\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Architect Gabriel\u0117 \u010cerniavskaja\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Graphic designer Ugn\u0117 Bal\u010di\u016bnait\u0117\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coordinator Giedrius Gulbinas\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Producing architect Mindaugas Reklaitis\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Copyediting Ieva Puluikien\u0117\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Translation Albina Strunga<\/p>\n

Lenders of artwork and documents: Migl\u0117 \u0160ontait\u0117-Petkevi\u010dien\u0117 and Vidonija \u0160ontien\u0117, Lithuanian Photographers Association, \u0160iauliai Au\u0161ra Museum, Romualdas Po\u017eerskis, Arvydas \u017dalpys, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuanian Central State Archives, Lithuanian Special Archives<\/p>\n

Exhibition organiser LNMA National Gallery of Art<\/p>\n

Partner\u00a0Kaunas Photography GalleryProject financed by\u00a0the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania<\/p>\n

Media partner\u00a0LRT<\/p>\n

Sponsor Exterus:Fundermax<\/p>\n

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