F Galerija hosting an exhibition about grace and temptation

From May 20, 2011 F Galerija (Aušros g. 6, Kaunas, Lithuania) is exhibiting works of Lydia PANAS, finalist of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2010 portfolio competition. F Galerija is open daily from 9 AM to 7 PM. Free entrance. The exhibition is on display until June 19, 2011

The exhibition consists of works from series "The Mark of Abel" and "Falling from Grace". This ensemble of works is a rare proof that artists are still interested in topics that go beyond the surface and want to explore the existential aspects of the human nature in the contemporary world.

"The Mark of Abel" is an artist's exploration into the uneasy wolrd of relations between family members, where gestures, body language and expression of the models suggest invisible and unsaid aspirations, feelings, bonds and cracks within families. In the realm of social portraiture, these family portraits bring us back into the exploration of individuals and their unique characters. It is a photographic reseach about beauty of the imperfection, which make people and things, look spontaneous and ambivalent and the visible radiate the invisible.

Photographically, the series "Falling from Grace" can be regarded as a pathway between portraiture and still life. Looking at this work from more global perspective, it seems like this series speaks about individuals of the Western society that is affluent with apples, blackberries and other fruits of temptation, and which is unable to escape temptations and dangers of the cult of food. The cult of food with its blessing in pictures of Lydia Panas reveal the fragility, making simple pictures look like contemporary images of vanitas.

Lydia is based in Pennsylvania. She received degrees from Boston College, School of Visual Arts and New York University/ International Center of Photography.

She has taught at the Museum of Modern Art, Lafayette and Muhlenberg College, Kutztown University, the Maine Media Workshops and the Vermont College MFA Program among others.

Works of Lydia Panas are in collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Modern Art Shanghai, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Allentown Art Museum, and Lehigh University.

She is represented by Wall Space Gallery in Santa Barbara.

Her book is coming out in Autumn 2011 with Kerher Verlag (Germany).

The exhibition of Lydia Panas, finalist of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR portfolio competition. marks the halfway to deadline for submission of works to the portfolio competition of 2011 at Kaunas Photo festival. Entries for selection welcome until June 10. The KAUNAS PHOTO STAR portfolio reviews to take place in Kaunas on August 25-26.

F Galerija is an independent gallery dedicated to photography and based at the upper station of the historic Kaunas Zaliakalnis funicular (since 1931). F Galerija was founded in autumn of 2004 and operated by VšĮ „Šviesos raštas“ ir UAB „Kauno liftai“.

Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, curator

+370 650 77895,festival@light.lt