I Am AnOther
by Ph. D. Remigijus Venckus
2011 – 2019
Conception
The proposition that the body is an inherent part of a human might sound completely ineloquent and banal but is the body always understood as an established fundamentality? The most disturbing fact is that this inheritance is sexual and attacked by different, even brutish sexual desires and conflicts. The body can be found in the middle between itself and an other. This material of reality is dedicated to art, conflict and sharpening lust.
The body was squeezed into many of my photography series: From Guys Life (2009 – 2018 m.), In The Village of Granny (2009 – 2018 m.), Conversations About The Love (2011 – 2013 m.), Antropology of Kitchen (2010 m.) etc.
It can be perceived as a spatial text, which opens and at the same time conceals a polysemantic story. The body doesn’t tell about itself, doesn’t talk only about sexuality. It also touches questions of existence, nostalgia, belief, death etc. revealed through pose and relation with environment. With a little bit of knowledge, meaning starts to move into the wide network of cultural texts, gets to the unreachable horizon. It is symbolic that a polysemantic body is presented in the theater, a place where the body is the first and the last material of artwork.
I Am Other was strongly influenced by fragments from the Bible. However, my photos don’t fully-illustrate them. A devouringly deep black color, posture and title transfer the viewer into a text, which is behind the Bible. The body, which can be seen in the photos, and references to the texts of the Apostles consolidate the position of a sexual, fleshy and greedy man. However, it is wrong to think that I am opposing the Bible to my artwork. On the contrary, I am just not able to separate sexuality from belief as it is impossible to believe without having a body.
I would like to accept that my photography suggests homosexuality but I can predict that many viewers will find some kind of connection and rebel against it. Unfortunately, viewers resents the images because of themselves without understanding them. To be accurate: works, which can be seen now in the exhibition, are influenced by the nowadays reality. I only bring back the result. There is no myself in the exhibition, so the viewer contacts only the artwork. It would be too rash to think about the erotics of men’s bodies as homosexual or to connect the idea with me. Still, this possible connection proves that distance between artwork and the viewer is very narrow. The viewer finishes the idea himself. There is no me as author in this process, only the artwork – a mirror, which reflects either positive or negative attitudes towards homosexuality. In this case both (you and me) are others.
Included Photos in the Exhibitions
Calendar and Posters
02.02.2018 – 13.02.02.2018. Art Gallery of Šiauliai University (Vilnius st. 141, Šiauliai 76353, Lithuania). Opening show on 2 February, 6:00 pm. Public presentation, author’s talk: 02.02.2018, 5:00 pm.
26.01.2018 – 09.02.02.2018. Všį Artkomas, gallery ‘Ars et Mundus’ (A. Mapu st. 20. Kaunas, Lithuania). Opening show on 26 January, 6:00 pm. Public presentation, author’s talk: 26.02.2018, 5:00 pm.
09.01.2014 – 21.01.2014. ‘Zajezdna’ – Gallery of Maria Skłodowska Curie University (Kraśnicka Av. 25, Lublin, Poland).
13.07.2013 – 21.07.2013. Vilnius Chamber Theatre (Constitution Av. 23, Vilnius).
Press & Additional Info
2018 Press release and publications about the exhibition in Šiauliai (Lithuania)
Press release (http://www.siauliai.lt/lit/Fotografiju-paroda-As-esu-kitas-Skirta-Siauliams/9163/1 / PDF – press release/).
Urbonavičiūtė, R. (02.02.2018). Aš nesistengiu kurti gražaus meno ir būti kam nors patogus. Online: http://www.snaujienos.lt/kultura-ir-pramogos/36371-as-nesistengiu-kurti-grazaus-meno-ir-buti-kam-nors-patogus.html (viewed 10.03.2018); personal archive: http://culture.venckus.eu/kulturos-kirtis/as-nesistengiu-kurti-grazaus-meno-ir-buti-kam-nors-patogus/ (viewed 10.03.2018).
Remigijaus Venckaus parodos „Aš esu kitas. Skirta Šiauliams“ reportažas laidoje Reakcija. Šiaulių televizija; personal archive: http://culture.venckus.eu/remigijus-venckus/reakcija-paroda-vyriskojo-seksualumo-tema/ viewed 10.03.2018.
Pastaukaitė, G. (02.11.2018). Remigijus Venckus: „Kūrybos neatimsite niekada!“. Eta plius. Online: https://www.etaplius.lt/remigijus-venckus-kurybos-neatimsite-niekada (viewed 10.03.2018); personal archive: http://culture.venckus.eu/remigijus-venckus/remigijus-venckus-kurybos-neatimsite-niekada/ (viewed 10.03.2018).
2018 Press release and publications about the exhibition in Kaunas (Lithuania)
Press release (https://www.delfi.lt/veidai/kultura/galerijoje-ars-et-mundis-kaune-remigijaus-venckaus-fotomeno-paroda.d?id=77007983 / PDF – information personal archive: http://culture.venckus.eu/remigijus-venckus/galerijoje-ars-et-mundis-kaune-remigijaus-venckaus-fotomeno-paroda/).
Venckus R. (19.1.2018). Aš esu kitas. Šiaulių naujienos. Online: http://www.snaujienos.lt/kultura-ir-pramogos/36253-kulturos-kirtis-as-esu-kitas.html (22.1.2018); personal archive: http://culture.venckus.eu/socialiniai-klausimai/as-esu-kitas/ (viewed 10.03.2018).
Pocytė, K. (27.1.2018). Nuogų vyrų aktus provokuojančiose pozose fotografuojantis Remigijus Venckus: noriu patikrinti toleranciją. Delfi. Online: https://www.delfi.lt/veidai/kultura/nuogu-vyru-aktus-provokuojanciose-pozose-fotografuojantis-remigijus-venckus-noriu-patikrinti-tolerancija.d?id=76999807 (viewed 10.03.2018); personal archive: http://culture.venckus.eu/remigijus-venckus/nuogu-vyru-aktus-provokuojanciose-pozose-fotografuojantis-remigijus-venckus-noriu-patikrinti-tolerancija/ (viewed 10.03.2018).
Lieponė, J. (04.02.2018). Vyrų aktus fotografuojantis menininkas: „Jei norėčiau reakcijų, tokią parodą surengčiau prekybos centre“. 15min. Online: https://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/vizualieji-menai/vyru-aktus-fotografuojantis-menininkas-jei-noreciau-reakciju-tokia-paroda-surengciau-prekybos-centre-929-918914#.WnixWDhwpqs.facebook (viewed 10.03.2018); personal archive: http://culture.venckus.eu/remigijus-venckus/vyru-aktus-fotografuojantis-menininkas-jei-noreciau-reakciju-tokia-paroda-surengciau-prekybos-centre/ (viewed 10.03.2018).
2014 Press about the exhibition ‘AnOther’ in Lublin (Poland)
(30.12.2014) Menotyrininkas Remigijus Venckus Lenkijoje pristatys vyrų aktus. 15 min. Online: http://www.15min.lt/naujiena/kultura/renginiai/menotyrininkas-remigijus-venckus-lenkijoje-pristatys-vyru-aktus-29-396541 (viewed 30.12.2014).
Miernik, B. (22.01.2014). „DIALOGI TOŻSAMOŚCI” fotografie Remigijus Venckus, performans Anka Biernacka Fugazi, Galeria Zajezdnia w Lublinie. Opisuje Kalina Filip. MiernikTeatru. Online: http://miernikteatru.blogspot.com/2014/01/dialogi-tozsamosci-fotografie-remigijus.html (žiūrėta 2013-12-30).
PDF: documentation of the exhibition ‘AnOther’ 2014
2013 Press about the exhibition’ I Am Other’ in Vilnius (Lithuania)
Slančauskaitė, M. (29.06.2013). Mahometas. Kalnas. Ir kitokia lietuviška fotografija. Meno duobė. Online: http://www.menoduobe.com / http://370.diena.lt/2013/07/08/mahometas-kalnas-ir-kitokia-lietuviska-fotografija/ (viewed 16.07.2013.).
Valentinavičius, Vyt. (14.07.2013). Duris atvėrė Remigijaus Venckaus fotografijų paroda. Gayline.lt. Online: http://www.gayline.lt/Duris-atvėrė-Remigijaus-Venckaus-fotografijų-paroda.d?sid=7815 (žiūrėta 2013-12-16).
Smalakienė, L. (20.07.2013). Jei aš ir tu – kiti? Vienybė, 57(7648), 2.
Kulikauskaitė, M. (26.07.2013) Kalbant apie vyrus. Literatūra ir menas, 3437. Online: http://literaturairmenas.lt/2013-07-26-nr-3437/1002-fotografija (16.12.2013).
Documentation
02.02.2018 – 13.02.02.2018. Art Gallery of Šiauliai University (Vilnius st. 141, Šiauliai 76353, Lithuania)
09.01.2014 – 21.01.2014. ‘Zajezdna’ – Gallery of Maria Skłodowska Curie University (Kraśnicka Av. 25, Lublin, Poland) Photos by Ph.D. Remigijus Venckus & Ph.D. Robert Rabej.