At the photograph exhibition, visitors voted for the work of the actress Gražina Baikštytė
This year, the 8th edition of the renowned photograph exhibition by famous Lithuanian women, “My Best Shot”, returned with the topic “Reflections”. The exhibition has just opened in the gallery on the 5th floor of the Shopping Centre CUP.
Nearly 60 participants – artists from various fields, actresses, musicians, writers, businesswomen, doctors, prominent public figures and representatives of other fields – revealed an original interpretation of the topic, an unexpected view of the world through a female lens.
Throughout the month, visitors could vote for their favourite photographs on the portal lrytas.lt. The numbers changed daily – tens of votes turned into hundreds and even thousands. From the very first day of the virtual exhibition, the photograph “The Old Man and the Sea” by actress and writer Gražina Baikštytė took the lead, garnering over 3,000 likes from fans.
The work of G. Baikštytė features the French painter Mathieu Kroyalis, known as the Aero Urban Painter. The actress met the artist and was captivated by his work in Latvia – the Frenchman continues to adorn Liepāja, the favourite resort of Gražina, with his unique photorealistic murals.
The second place by number of likes goes to the colleague of G. Baikštytė, actress Nijolė Narmontaitė. Her Portuguese photograph “Rain in the Eyes” received over 2,500 likes.
“When people say to you ‘What a shame about the weather’, just laugh it off, because the pouring rain can give you Monet’s “Impression” or “Woman with an Umbrella” or Pissarro’s “Montmartre by Day and Night”,” says the actress, who loves photography. ”Even now, the images of Lisbon’s streets in the pouring rain are still reflected in my eyes.” The hobby of the actress is fishing, so her photograph archive consists mainly of fishing pictures.
The fight for third place raged right up until the very last moment of voting. Unexpectedly overtaking four or even five contenders, the winner was the actress and Head of Communications at the Men’s Forge Academy, Augustė Radzevičiūtė. By just a few votes, Augustė surpassed her mother, journalist Laisvė Radzevičienė. The photograph “A Long Journey Through the Dunes” by Augustė, depicts her son walking from their seaside home in Juodkrantė.
“I remember perfectly the feeling when, as a child, the dunes seem enormous and the path to the sea seems endless. When even kicking pine cones gets boring, and no one carries you on their shoulders anymore. Not even to the nearest bench. This photograph is about the purest, most precious childlike tiredness. It still visits us now, only instead of tears and falling down in the middle of the path, we say – everything’s fine!..” – comments A. Radzevičiūtė.
Eglė Vaitkevičienė, a mother-guardian participating in the exhibition for the first time, submitted an intimate and incredibly cosy photograph that has won the hearts of many viewers. “Having learnt to fall in love with one another anew every day...” – this is the title of the photograph by Eglė, revealing reflections of the couple’s relationship in their 28th year of marriage. Eglė and Rimvydas Vaitkevičiai, who foster as many as 22 children in their family, have three biological children of their own, though they refer to all of them – both their own and their foster children – as a clan. And, according to Eglė, the essence of a good relationship is freedom of self-expression: “We are well-polished diamonds; we have learnt to love one another without stifling our self-expression, without trying to change one another, and without nagging one another. And there seem to be far more of those butterflies than there were on our wedding day.”
The photograph by Eglė was liked by almost 2,000 viewers, but just before the finish line, she lost the fight for the third place by a few dozen votes. However, E. Vaitkevičienė and all the winners, as well as all the exhibition participants, were awarded special prizes from the exhibition organisers and sponsors.
Photographs created by TV presenter and event host Eglė Kernagytė, TV presenter Audrė Kudabienė and her colleague Renata Šakalytė-Jakovleva, as well as photographs by actress Emilija Latėnaitė, Gabija Jaraminaitė, artist Nomeda Marčėnaitė and other women.
This year’s exhibition features works by the Germany-based writers Jolita Herlyn and Lina Ever, Vaiva Rykštaitė, who lives in Hawaii, Dalia Staponkutė in Cyprus, Erika Umbrasaitė in France, Jurga Baltrukonytė on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, cultural attaché Akvilė Kavaliauskaitė in the USA, musicians Neda Malūnavičiūtė and Jurga Šeduikytė, actresses Emilija Latėnaitė and Gabija Jaraminaitė, artists Meda Narbutaitė, Miglė Kosinskaitė, Indra Marcinkevičienė, Jolanta Talaikytė, businesswomen, doctors, directors, journalists, TV presenters and event hosts, public figures…
This is not the first time that economist, politician and Member of the Parliament Ingrida Šimonytė has taken part in the exhibition “My Best Shot”. This time, the subject of her photograph is her pet Perla, basking in the sunshine.
Both those living in Lithuania and famous Lithuanian women scattered across the globe capture relevant fragments of history, inner states, loved ones, husbands, children and emotions in their photographs.
“This is a collection of moments that surprise, make you smile, reflect, and admire,” say the exhibition organisers Aurika Merkienė and Erika Šimkūnienė. “In this exhibition, reflections are not merely a physical phenomenon, but a deeper metaphor for self-reflection and beauty; an intimate narrative of the landscapes of a woman’s soul, stories told through flashes of light.”
“We are delighted that, particularly during this period of great change and uncertainty, the traditional exhibition of photographs by renowned Lithuanian women is returning to our Shopping Centre’s exhibition space,” smiles Ona Nevinskienė, General Manager of the Shopping Centre CUP. “The photographs by these diverse women, each with experience in different fields, reflect both their inner selves and the era in which we live. The exhibition “My Best Shot” has always been popular – it was visited by tens of thousands of visitors of the Shopping Centre. It’s wonderful that we’ll once again be creating a visual treat for our guests in the newly renovated fifth-floor space at the Shopping Centre CUP, which is ideally suited for exhibitions, meetings, a quick breather during lunch break or after work.”
Those wishing to see the photographs created by women will be able to do so until the end of summer – the exhibition will run until 30 August in the refurbished gallery on the 5th floor of the Shopping Centre CUP. The photographs, transferred onto huge canvases, reflect what is sensitive, authentic, aesthetic and inspiringly feminine.
Photo: BNS Lukas Balandis
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