Our Selfie: Can canvas become mirror?

Having been exhibited all around the world – from New York to Beijing or Sydney – foreign artists’ works from the Lewben Art Foundation are arriving at MO Museum. Together with artworks by Lithuanian artists from the MO collection, they will be exhibited in the new exhibition Our Selfie. It will be the first joint project of two private collections – MO Museum and the Lewben Art Foundation. The presentation of the exhibition will take place on 8 August and will be attended by its curator Francesca Ferrarini.

Our Selfie is the title of the exhibition that carries an intrigue yet raises questions. In the exhibition, a selfie is also a (self)portrait telling the story not just about one person but the entire society. “This is an (self)portrait exhibition that emphasises the artists’ need to return to this genre in the global times of selfies,” notes the exhibition curator Francesca Ferrarini.

Exhibition includes works from two collections

“We always want to present Lithuanian creators in a global context. Therefore, the forthcoming exhibition features world-renowned foreign artists from the Lewben Art Foundation’s collection. They are the creators of a number of solo exhibitions, their works are exhibited in various museums around the world and they are all currently actively engaged in creative work. Lithuanian artists of the MO collection presented in the exhibition are just as active. And they all study and research together on topical issues, regardless of where they were born, raised or live,” says Milda Ivanauskienė, Director at MO Museum.

“We are one of the few in Lithuania to collect foreign artists’ works and probably the only ones in Lithuania to do it consistently and purposefully. The curator of this joint exhibition with MO Museum is Francesca Ferrarini, who has been responsible for shaping the direction of this collection of ours for four years,” says Ugnė Bužinskaitė, Director at the Lewben Art Foundation.

Interestingly, the works of one of the exhibition’s artists, Tschabalala Self, this year are on display already at the second museum designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. The works of the artist exploring and interpreting the black female body in contemporary culture were available at the Modern Jewish Museum in San Francisco in early July. Artist’s works will be on display at MO Museum starting in August.

Life experiences and female body

Buhlebezwe Siwani, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, examines various interpretations of a black female body and the life experiences of South African women. By choosing her body as the primary means of communication with the viewer, she explores traditional Christianity, African spirituality and her own memories and experiences.

Paulo Nazareth also reveals the Indian and African origins in his works. The Brazilian of African and South American descent is one of the most famous artists of his generation worldwide and one of the most famous figures in the South American art space. Nazareth lived in favelas (slums in Brazil) where he met different people and touched other cultures. It is no coincidence that in his works we can discover a philosophical thinker intertwined with an artist.

The upcoming exhibition will also feature the works of the Lithuanian artist Violeta Bubelytė who has been photographing her changing body for over 20 years. She is the first photographer in Lithuania to point her photo lens at her own naked body – she was already doing that in the Soviet times. Her pictures are full of loneliness and the body is just as important as her face.

Provoking and challenging stereotypes

Artist Patrizio di Massimo, who is both politically sensitive and not afraid of visually provocative images, is mocking his own everyday as well as artistic life, art gallerists or collectors. MO Museum will feature his picture that has initiated a full cycle of works mocking husband-wife relationships and stereotypes.

Technology and human behaviour

Visitors of MO Museum will also have the exclusive opportunity to see a Simon Denny piece inspired by the US spy scandal of 2013 and Edward Snowden’s leaked slides with sensitive information about the US telecommunication tracking programmes. The work reveals the fragility of today’s privacy and how our personal digital portraits can be stored in databases.

A work of Eglė Budvytytė, often referred to as a “hacker”, is also on display at the exhibition. In her films and performances she often “breaks down” and “overloads” various systems. Visitors will be able to see her work under the title Sekta.

In addition to already mentioned artists, the upcoming exhibition will also feature works by Maxwell Alexandre, Damir Očko, Nico Vascellari, Neil Beloufa, Gintaras Znamierowski. Visitors will also be introduced to the work of Thomas Houseag, currently presenting his artworks at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Foreign artists’ works belong to the Lewben Art Foundation and the works of Lithuanian artists are part of the MO Museum collection.

Presentation of Our Selfie exhibition with its curator Francesca Ferrarini will take place at MO Museum on August 8, at 7 p.m. The exhibition will be open to visitors until 17 November 2019.

More information about the exhibition: Our Selfie.