Jonas Mekas: let me dream utopias

The exhibition, Jonas Mekas: let me dream utopias continues one of the last proposals for a project by poet, artist and filmmaker Jonas Mekas. This was a deeply personal project for which Mekas wanted to focus on poetry and its importance to his artistic work and life. The exhibition includes a number of Mekas’ previously unpublished poems taken from over 60 years of his life, and incorporates his films, as well as sound pieces selected by the artist.  In the spirit of Mekas’ conviviality, for five weeks the exhibition space will act as a host for discussions, performances, screenings, readings and public and educational programmes. These activities and the exhibition’s architecture will frame and contextualise the project’s many ideas and themes, exploring notions of poetic freedom, nostalgia and the idyll in the artist’s work, while also demonstrating the continuing vitality of Mekas’ practice today.

The exhibition will be open between June 21st and July 21st  (Wednesday 12-6 pm, Thursday 12-8 pm, Friday 12-6 pm, Saturday 12-5 pm, Sunday 12-5 pm) at Pakrantė (Vaidilutės 79, Vilnius). Free entrance.

PROGRAMME

June 20th, Thursday at 7 pm: Opening & Performance programme featuring Viktorija Damerell & Gailė Griciūtė, Žygimantas Kudirka and Dalius Naujo (drums, percussion, vocal), Jonathon Haffner (alto saxophone), Raha Raissnia (synthesizer), Eugenijus Varkalis & Dabar Mes Esam Čia Choras

June 26th, Wednesday at 6:30 pm: Panel discussion ‘Memory, narrative and poetics’. Participants: Violeta Davoliūtė, Ramūnas Čičelis, Deimantas Narkevičius, moderator: Aurimas Švedas 

June 29th, Saturday at 2 pm: Curators’ tour (by registration)

July 3rd, Wednesday at 5 pm: Jonas Mekas film screening programme (with Lukas Brašiškis) and poetry reading programme in Biržai public library (Jurgis Bielinis Public Library of Biržai)

July 11th, Thursday at 7 pm: Jonas Mekas film screening programme (with Lukas Brašiškis)

July 17th, Thursday at 6 pm: Curators’ tour (by registration) (the tour has been re-scheduled from July 11th, 6 pm)

July 18th, Thursday at 6 pm: Closing & poetry reading programme, Vyt Bakaitis in conversation with Yates Norton and Julius Keleras. Free bus is available from the city centre to Rupert. Registration for the bus here.

EDUCATION PROGRAMME

May 27 – June 17 workshop “Letters to Friends” with film curator and critic Herb Shellenberger

Exhibition and programme curators: Justė Jonutytė, Kotryna Markevičiūtė, Yates Norton
Exhibition Architecture: Ona Lozuraitytė and Petras Išora
Exhibition Coordinator: Miglė Kolinytė
Assistants: Ieva Jašinskaitė, Barbora Valackaitė
Producer: Rupert, Vilnius
Graphic Design: Tadas Karpavičius

Programme participants and contributors: Vyt Bakaitis, Lukas Brašiškis, Ramūnas Čičelis, Leonas Čiudaras, Viktorija Damerell ir Gailė Griciūtė, Violeta Davoliūtė, Vaiva Grainytė, Brenda Iijima, Monika Kalinauskaitė, Aušra Kaziliūnaitė, Dalia Kėželienė, Valentinas Klimašauskas, Žygimantas Kudirka, Laima Kreivytė, Erik Martinson, Deimantas Narkevičius, Dalius Naujo, Raha Raissnia, Jonathon Haffner ir Dabar Mes Esam Čia Choras (Lina Saveikytė, Milda Laužikaitė, Agota Zdanavičiūtė, Rūta Barisaitė, Kamilė Gudmonaitė, Laima Griciūtė, Paulina Simutytė, Paulina Jankauskaitė, Aistė Jančiūtė, Ainė Bunikytė, Gintarė Martinaitytė, Inga Šepetkaitė, Joana Daunytė, Julija Jarutytė, Živilė Razinkovienė, Ingula Rinkevičienė, Gabija Stulgytė, Paula Kovaliova, Dorotė Girskienė), Sara Poisson, Joseph Pomp, Paulina Eglė Pukytė, Herb Shellenberger, Anastasia Sosunova, Aurimas Švedas, Evaldas Timukas, Eugenijus Varkalis, Rita Venskūnienė.

Special thanks: Lee Ann Brown, Elle Burchill, Charity Coleman, Pip Chodorov, Giedrė Darškutė, Indra Drevinskaitė-Žilinskienė, Melanie Henke, Lolita Jablonskienė, Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, Monika Kalinauskaitė, Patrick Kohn, Lara Lempert, Oona Mekas, Sebastian Mekas, Gražina Michnevičiūtė, Gintautas Trimakas, Jolanta Zabarskaitė, Pakrantė, Jurgis Bielinis Public Library of Biržai.

Supporters: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality, Pakrantė, Vilnius Tech Park, “Būkčia“, UAB Biržų duona, Ekspobalta

Partners: Lithuanian Culture Institute

Media partner: 15min

Photo by Ona Lozuraitytė