2023 February 3-18 The Šiauliai Art Gallery will host the exhibition "Journey" of Kornelijus Užuotas.
Exhibition opens in 2023 February 3, 5:00 p.m. Visiting the exhibition during the opening is free.
JUBILEE TRAVELER’S PARALLELS
The name of the exhibition „Journey“ is very suitable for the anniversary date. Even more so for the anniversary of the artist, because the creator has two parallel worlds. More precisely, two lives. One of them is for relatives and household, the other is for the creation of artistic forms, their nurturing and development. The creative biography of the artist is written according to how the history of forms and plots of painting, sculpture or photography develops. Sometimes these two lives overlap, more often they diverge or destroy each other.
Kornelijus Užuotas lives both lives colorfully. Some remember him as a teacher, others as a lecturer, others know him as an active Šiauliai University gallery manager or collector. Currently, Kornelijus is famous as a barber. It is obvious that he is a person open to challenges.
In artistic creation, Kornelijus does not fit into the framework: he has tried all possible areas of creativity and ways of self-expression, experiments with various materials, is full of unexpected ideas.
At the moment, he is most immersed in the field of painting and sculpture. In painting, Kornelijus playfully and colorfully uses the possibilities of various genres, but he cultivated portrait and landscape art the most. Bold combinations of colors, emotionally electrified pathos strokes create an image of an expressive, playful world.
In the sculpture, we can already see another, black and white aesthetics of burnt wood skeletons. It is a space of destruction, transformations and unexpected rebirths, where the instinct of life overcomes the fury of destruction and fits into the contours of natural forms.
The energy of Kornelijus graphic works is very impressive. By mechanically carving large, black-painted wood panels, the artist achieves a stunning impression of Neo-Expressionist frenzy. It’s an exhilarating hand-to-motor battle, where an endless snake of lines scrambles. But, strangely enough, the harmonious whole prevails and what should scare randomness and the wounds of torn wood, is captivated by the suggestive pictorial composition and surprises with the possibilities of this strange inhuman way of drawing.
What does this mean? That the parallels in the life of Kornelijus Užuotas are often distant, but if they converge, it is with special clarity, because they are connected by the same playful passion for life and creativity.
– Virginijus Kinčinaitis
Kornelijus Užuotas (b. 16.01.1973) – 1996 graduated from Šiauliai Pedagogical Institute, Faculty of Fine Arts, 1998 – master’s degree from Šiauliai University Faculty of Fine Arts . Member of the Žemaitija Union of Artists. Member of the Union of Lithuanian Artists. Worked at Radviliškis Art School, Faculty of Education, Šiauliai University, Department of Audiovisual Art, Faculty of Arts, Šiauliai University. Šiauliai city cultural center „Laiptų galerija“ events organizer. 2013-2020 worked as the director of the Šiauliai University Art Gallery. Since 1997, he has been actively participating in group and thematic exhibitions in Šiauliai, Lithuania and abroad. He organized 19 thematic exhibitions of his work, organizes cultural events and exhibitions of other creators.
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