Premio Combat Prize

Ausra Vaitkuniene:
„The basic idea in painting for me is a colour. However, another area that interests me is the reasons of pictures’ birth. Their origin can be prompted by an old artwork or a strangely interlaced reality, a dream, a melting snowman suffused with sunlight, the reflection of a skater in a café window, a chic magazine thumbed through rapidly or commercials of revitalizing creams obsessively offered to mature women.
In a picture I look for the fusion of the present and the past, the shimmering of colour that leads through the mazes of memories, dreams and forgotten experiences.
Perhaps pictures are certain links between something I don‘t know, just intuit.
Sometimes the plots of invisible colours turn violent on my mind. Painting a picture is one of the means to fight it.
Painting is a strange activity that enables to dream in a daytime. It moves the mind into humming, colourful vortexes. Turbulent streams of colours try to reach us, shaping the moving spirals through the shield of daily images.
Painting is a tool that helps us see the invisible.“
Besides of a number of grants and awards in Lithuania, that Aušra Vaitkūnienė has been awarded, she was also granted the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Inc. (New York, USA) stipend for implementation of creative plans and creation in 2013. Artist actively creates and participates in projects and exhibitions (Chicago, Berlin, Hamburg, Budapest etc.), she is also a head of Painting Cathedra at Vilnius Art Academy, Kaunas Faculty. Artist participated at satellite exhibition of Biennale de Lyon “Résonance” (France) in 2012, also at Biennale Europienne d’Art Contemporain in Nimes (France).
Mrs. Aušra is an artist, pedagogue, curator. She organizes projects with young artists, writes books (“Such Is the Smell of Life”, 2009, dedicated to the outstanding artist and husband Arūnas Vaitkūnas). There are also editions of her creation (one of examples: ”Aušra Barzdukaitė-Vaitkūnienė. Four stories or more?”, 2013).
Even A. Vaitkūnienė prefers painting, she also is successful in installation, object art spheres.
Born :1962 in Kaunas, Lithuania
Work/study place: Kaunas ( Lithuania)
www.menoparkas.lt
Education:
1969-1980 Kaunas J. Jablonskis secondary school
1980 – 1986 State Art Institute in Vilnius (now Lithuanian Art Academy), Department of painting.
Since 1992 – a member of Lithuanian Artists Association
Work Experience:
A head of Painting Cathedra at Vilnius Art Academy, Kaunas Faculty.
Kaunas College department of foundation of art J. Vienozinskis Art Study Center. Since 2004-docent. Live in Kaunas.
Personal Exhibitions:
2016 Painting exercises (personal plein air), Panevėzys art gallery XX, Panevėzys, Lithuania
2015 “Imagery marking “, Parko gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania
2013 “ Night and Day”, gallery “ Aukso Pjuvis”, Kaunas, Lithuania
2013 “ Old Toys”, gallery “ Homo Ludens”, Jonava, Lithuania
2013 “ 4 Story”, National M.K.Čiurlionis Museum of Art, A. Zmuidzinavicius museum of art, Kaunas, Lithuania
2013 “ Constant Views”, the exposition hall Titanikas of Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania
Group Exhibitions:
2016 „Positions Berlin“ (Postbahnhof am Ostbahnhof, Straße der Pariser Kommune 8, 10243 Berlynas).
2016 WUNDERKAMERAden, gallery Meno Forma, Kaunas
2015 „Art Market Budapest“ Budapest, Hungary
2015 Positions Berlin, Arena Berlin, Berlin, Germany
2015 „Visos kartos“ Klaipeda Culture Communication Center (KKKC), Klaipeda
2015 „ Prieš, Po, Dabar“,National M.K.Čiurlionio art museum, Kaunas Picture gallery, Lithuania
2015 “ Dvi Ausros”, National M.K.Čiurlionio art museum, Kaunas Picture gallery, Lithuania
2014 „ Ceci N‘est pas un Sant Rock“museum History of L‘Hospitalet, Barselona, Spain
2014 Solsticy 014. gallery “ laxina A.R.T.” Barcelona, Spain
2013 Carrément, gallery ”4, Barbier”, Nimes, France
2013 “Our Ours”, Atelier le Transfo, Lyon, France
2013 Menas Heißt Kunst, Stadtische Galerie Hern, Hern. Germany
2013 XV th Vilnius Painting Triennial: “ Painting and its Contexts”, CAC, Vilnius, Lithuania
2013 Art Vilnius’13, Lithuanian Exhibitions and Congress Centre Litexpo, Lithuania
2013 NordArt2013, Kunstwerk Carlshutte, Budelsdorf, Germany
2013 Huntenkunst 2013. SSP-Hall and Gallerie bij de Boeken‘, Ulft, Nederlands.
2013 Traditionally: in Paper. Ciurlionis gallery at Lithuanian Youth Center, Chicago, USA
2012 ArtVilnius’12 – third International Contemporary Art Fair, Litexpo Exhibition and Congress Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
2011 „ Mirabile Visu/ Nuostabu matyti“,National M.K.Čiurlionio art museum,
M.Žilinsko art gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania
2011 Project: „ ART + ART communication“, „ ECOSPHERE“, tutoress Violeta Jaseviciute, National M.K. Ciurlionis art museum, Pictures Gallery of Kaunas, Lithuania
2011 Behind the White Curtain ( Projec by D. Miksys), Lithuanian Pavilion, 54 th international art exhibition La Biennale Di Venezia, Venezia, Italy
Artworks in collections:
Modern Art Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania
National M.K.Čiurlionis Museum of Art, Kaunas
National Museum of Lithuania, Vilnius,
Lippe Land Government, Detmold, Germany, Private collectors in Lithuania and abroad