VILNIUS - The history of Europe is one of centuries' old political and social turmoil, which, if nothing else, has occasioned some sublime works of art down the years.The latest epoch-making social changes are, of course, the EU's enlargement to 25 member states, which has brought about a great deal of soul searching in all the soon-to-be new member states.
A new exhibition at the Contemporary Art Center in Vilnius is a chance to witness two generations of Polish artists that have been keenly observing Poland and Europe throughout all these tumultuous changes.
The show, titled "Under the Red and White Flag," started out as an exploration of Russian and Polish folklore themes by a group of Polish artists in 2002. It partially refers to the red-white flag of Poland, but also to its recent history and relations with its closest neighbors, namely Russia.
The 26-artist display tackles the world of contemporary Polish art and gives a biting critique of "the world of politics and mass consumption"with the help of video installations, paintings, and photos.
Walking around the spacious hall, the abundance of street signs on the wall might make you wonder if someone stole a load of Polish street signs for the exhibit.
In reality, the signs were made by Robert Rumas, and they try and point out the less noticed aspects of Polish culture, such as homeless people at the Cracow railway station. The signs challenge our passive perception of those signs that normally direct the course of our lives.
Modern-day expectations put on women are explored in the piece "Batmother," which shows a mother in a Batman costume holding a child and surrounded by a model kitchen. The space the display takes up is eye-catching, and makes you think twice about the do-all mother of today's society, who's expected to have a career and a family, while realizing the liberating and limiting effects of each.
The most striking and perhaps thought-provoking work is a magazine cover with soldiers "liberating" Iraq. The piece, by Zbigniew Libera, was a series of staged photographs made for the popular Polish cultural magazine Przekroj, which actually ran shortly before the real conflict. Soon after a blown-up version was put up on billboards across the country as an ad for the magazine.
The traveling show, due to make three stops in Russia after May, drew critical praise on its first stop in Estonia for its exploration of themes of recent Polish history intertwined with the present. The display runs until May 2. Tickets cost 1.20 euros. For more info go to www.cac.lt.
Until May 2
Contemporary Art Center
2 Vokieciu St., Vilnius
Tue - Sun 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
