An artist residency dedicated to the memory of painter Aleksandras Vozbinas (1958–2021) took place in June 2024 in the village of Ziboliškės, a place the artist had visited and created in numerous times.
Aleksandras Vozbinas not only participated in dozens of artist residencies himself but also organised those named after the renowned Litvak painter Chaim Soutine. Sixteen international residencies were dedicated to this famous Jewish-French artist, who had studied painting in Vilnius.
Vozbinas greatly enjoyed participating in summer artist residencies and painting outdoors. Landscapes and direct observation of nature held an important place in his art. His works include depictions of Lithuanian landscapes, vibrant natural motifs, and reflections of rural architecture. The artist preferred to paint "live," capturing the nuances of natural lighting, the pulse of the wind, and the vitality of the environment.
The week-long artist residency dedicated to Aleksandras Vozbinas brought together eight artists from Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland: Svajūnas Armonas, Piotr Dondajewski, Rūta Eidukaitytė, Riina Ernesaks, Jūratė Kazakevičiūtė, Raimondas Savickas, Jolanta Snežko, and Lilija Valatkienė.
The artists' paintings featured the surroundings of Ziboliškės village with its unique nature: the bends of the Mera River, the motifs of local forests and pine groves, and the ethnographic village. Many participants included in their works the motif of window shutters painted with lilies, a decoration made by Vozbinas during one of his visits to the village.
During the residency, the artists engaged with the local community and organised an exhibition for them. Later, the exhibition will be displayed in the exhibition spaces of the towns of Utena and Pabradė.
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