Event description
Photographs of LGBTQAI+ people living in Lithuania. The photographer strongly opposes discrimination and highlights the threat to human freedom. This topic is particularly relevant today, when there is a fierce debate on the Istanbul Convention, the Law on Partnership, the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Adverse Effects of Public Information, etc. The artist speaks about the still prevailing tendency to limit human choices, hatred, discrimination and the particularly painful problem of suicide and self-harm, not only among adults, but also among children and teenagers. Social attacks, intolerance and condemnation from the close environment or even from the family often lead to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, which a person chooses to end by withdrawing from life. It is clear that a part of our society still does not have Human Rights, is unable to exercise them and feels insecure. The title of the exhibition, "Pink", encodes ambiguity. It is the colour pink, which unites both male and female, recalling that in the 14th century, pink was a symbol of masculinity and power, and only after the Second World War did it become a colour that symbolised femininity. "Pink" is also about pink and about the discrimination that LGBTQAI+ people are constantly subjected to and the consequences of this. By delving into their emotions, forms of self-perception and representation, and their relationships with each other, the author captures her protagonists with a keen awareness of personal responsibility. It is clear that this social environment is not only close to her heart, but also highly relevant. The fact that the photographer knows the subjects personally gives her the opportunity to get close to their lives. Volunge Griškonytė focuses not only on portraits of LGBTQAI+ people, but also on the relationships that develop in this social environment. The gaze she forms is twofold - sometimes external, aiming to highlight a seemingly alien position and a superficial treatment of the subject matter, and sometimes it implies an analysis of the subject matter from the position of the sitter, and then it becomes surprisingly influential. The exhibition will be on view at the Klaipėda Gallery of the Klaipėda Branch (Bažnyčių g. 6) until 15 March.