The Lithuanian visual artist Stasys Eidrigevičius, who resides in Poland, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his work. On the occasion of the anniversary, the Zachęta National Gallery of Art organised the exhibition “!Reakcje”. The title of the exhibition, with an exclamation mark at the beginning, is an indication that one cannot be indifferent to what is currently happening in the world”, explains Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

“Despite the diversity, Stasys’ style is one. It is a world that the artist created years ago and is constantly developing it. Stasys, in a sense, through his aesthetics and sensitivity, brought up a generation of Polish intelligentsia. We know his work from newspapers, book illustrations or posters. His works touch on issues close to us, mainly through his faces, through his recognisable form that is a little surrealistic, a little grotesque or ironic and important through the content they carry,” said Minister of Culture and National Heritage Piotr Gliński at the exhibition’s opening.

The exhibition, held under the honorary patronage of the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania in Poland Eduardas Borisovas, presents both the oldest and the newest works of the artist. It opens with miniatures from 1974-1979, which bear witness to his precision, his sensitivity to the magic of the fairy world, and his ability to create metaphors imbued with mystery. 

Eidrigevičius’ most shocking works, addressing the greatest human tragedies and the essence of evil, are presented in a separate dark room. They include the installation ‘Charlie Hebdo’, a pre-presentation of 12 cartridge casings mounted on a white board, symbolising the 12 employees of the French weekly who were killed during the attack on the editorial office. 

Stasys Eidrigevičius was born in Lithuania in 1949 and has lived in Poland since 1980. He creates posters, illustrations for books (especially children’s stories), ex-librises, miniatures, set designs, installations and spatial compositions, masks, paratheatrical actions.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński