All performances are about Monika, and such a "Monika" can be in each of us - from May 18, the video documentation exhibition of artist Monika Dirsytė's performances "Dirsytė" will be opened in the Vilnius city gallery "Meno niša". This exhibition marks a decade of the artist's work.
Although Monika Dirsytė graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts with a bachelor's and master's degree in sculpture and is currently studying for a doctorate, she is recognized specifically as a creator of performance art. The artist became interested in the performance genre even during her studies and during the 10th anniversary of her work, she realized more than 20 memorable and complex performances in Lithuania and abroad.
The creator has presented performances in Great Britain (London's "D Contemporary" gallery), Germany (Berlin's "Burster" gallery), Holland, Hungary and elsewhere. Works have been purchased MO Museum. The performance "I am your sun" brought M. Dirsyte the most success, for which the visitors of the art fair "ArtVilnius'15" elected her the best artist of the fair.
At the "Dirsytė" exhibition, which opens on May 18, the artist will present video documentation of performances from her decade of work. From her first performances "Real / Not Real" (2014) to the performance that made her famous "I am your sun" (2015) or the ambiguous 8-hour long performance "Kompleksas" (2016), which was broadcast live at the art fair "ArtVilnius'16" 10 thousand views. Because of her openness and testing the limits of her body in her work, she is often compared to performance art star Marina Abramović, although, according to M. Dirsytė, they are completely different personalities in terms of values.
"The Vilnius city gallery "Meno niša" greatly contributed to the implementation and export of the performance "I am your sun", which brought me success. I am very grateful to the director of the gallery, Diana Stomiene, and the curator of the exhibition, Sonata Baliuckaita. That's why it was very important to open the exhibition "Dirsytė" specifically in "Meno niša", because my career as a professional artist seemed to have stopped from it", said M. Dirsytė about the upcoming exhibition.
All of M. Dirsytė's performances are united by openness, very vivid, sincere and personal experiences and experiences. "Monika's first performances were characterized by intimate contact, a confrontation with the audience ("I am your sun", "Monika to Monika", "Veidaknygė" and other performances), later Monika focused on collective experience in her performances by performing with the whole team, sometimes by herself directing, inspiring, but not participating, for example, in the performance "Nobody will take me away from me" (2017). In recent performances, the artist has focused even more on the physical capabilities of her body, thus shocking and surprising the crowds", said the curator of the exhibition S. Baliuckaitė, emphasizing that the artists use a number of elements of theatricality in the visual presentation of the performance, in the scenography.
"Although almost all of Monica's performances are characterized by a long process, monotony, usually it lasts the whole working day, as well as a well-thought-out scenography, installation, costumes, be it a metal pipe, a glass tunnel, an ice podium, or a wedding dress, the performance artist is like moves to another world, gives the works theatricality and elation", said the curator S. Baliuckaitė.
Monika Dirsytė's exhibition "Dirsytė" in the Vilnius City Gallery "Art Niša" will be open until May 27. Sponsor of the "Meno niša" gallery - Vilnius city municipality. Exhibition partners: events and communication agency OLIVE agency and VILNIUS TECH Faculty of Creative Industries. This retrospective exhibition of the artist with the same name will be open until June 4 Klaipėda, in the Klaipėda Cultural Communication Center.
