On September 11, 2010, Buseness Leaders' Centre Kaunas was hosting the fifth and the last Night of Photography of the 7th international photo art festival KAUNAS PHOTO. Three screens simultaneously were projecting works of the 46 finalists of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR portfolio competition. Each photographer was invited to present his / her works in person, with presentation lasting two minutes. The night was topped by the announcement of special mentions and the winner.
Works of Jashim SALAM, photographer from Bangladesh screened and watched
September 3-11 framed up a rush of events at KAUNAS PHOTO festival, such as exhibition openings at 6 venues, meetings of artists with students, 5 Nights of Photography, two days of portfolio reviews of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR competition, with photographers showing their works to experts of photography.
The culmination of the latter was the fifth Night of Photography dedicated to KAUNAS PHOTO STAR photographers. Three screens of the Elipsė hall of the Business Leaders Centre simultaneously were projecting works of the 46 finalists of KAUNAS PHOTO STAR portfolio competition. One artist was given two minutes for his / her photographs projected and for the personal presentation. About 30 photographers of the 46 were actually laking part in the event presenting themselves briefly or telling the stories about their works. Other participant photographers, who were not able to make the trip to Kaunas, their friends, relatives or those interested in photography from USA, Canada, Germany, UK, Belgium, Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Iran were following the the event in the LIVE Internet broadcast of the event.
Tadas Šlajus (Lithuania) presenting his work
Portfolio reviews, which took place in BLC business centre Kaunas on September 10-11, attracted participation of photographers from over 25 countries. Among those who came to be in Kaunas in person, were photographers from Lithuania, Latvia, Russia (Kaliningrad, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Penza ir and other cities), Belarus, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, UK, Iceland, Brazil, Columbia, Iran. Works were seen and evaluated by 14 portfolio reviewers from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, Spain. Works of photographers who did not come to Kaunas were presented in form of mailed or produced portfolios, or during a special projection on the screen.
According to Mindaugas Kavaliauskas, director of KAUNAS PHOTO festival, unlike most juried portfolio reviews in Europe or USA, KAUNAS PHOTO STAR reviews was different because here all voting reviewers were able to see works of all photographers. Exception happened with only one reviewer who came to the second day of the competition, therefore not all photographers were able to meet this person.
Leifur Wilberg Orasson (Iceand) - the last photographer to present works before the announcement of the winner.
The winner was elected unanimously: both by the number of points and by the number of reviewers giving votes for his work. KAUNAS PHOTO STAR 2010 winner is Eric LUSITO from the French Alp skiing resort Chamonix for the series “After the Wall”. In this work photographer explores the remains of symbols of ideological and military power in the post-soviet environment. While developing this project he travelled in Baltic countries, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia. Eric LUSITO will be invited to hold a personal exhibition at KAUNAS PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY during KAUNAS PHOTO FESTIVAL of 2011 m. KAUNAS PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY on September 10, the previous day opened an exhibition of British photographer Martin Parr, who assisted in the KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Photographers' Night.
Eric LUSITO - the new KAUNAS PHOTO STAR
KAUNAS PHOTO STAR portfolio readers during the announcement of the winner
Other nominations:
Andrei LIANKEVICH (Belarus) – invitation to hold a solo show at FOTO KVARTALS gallery (Ryga, Latvia) in 2011 m. for series "Pagan Belarus"
Roman DRITS (Latvia) - invitation to hold a solo show at F Galerija (Kaunas) in 2011 m. for several submitted series of work
Tadas ŠLAJUS (Lithuania) - CHEESE magazine (Estonia) special prize for series "Memory Draught"
KAUNAS PHOTO STAR Portfolio reviewers:
Alise Tifentale (Latvia) FotoKvartals - Editor-in-chief, FK Gallery - Chief-curator
Ahto Kulvet (Estonia) Cheese Magazine - Editor
Reet Pulk Piatkowska (Estonia) Tartu Art Museum - Head of the Exhibiton Hall
Jonas Staselis (Vilnius, Lithuania) Lithuanian Photo Artists' Union - Chairman
Regina Anzenberger (Vienna, Austria) Anzenberger Agency and Anzenberger Gallery - Owner
Louise Clements (Derby, UK) Format Festival - Director
Moritz Neumueller (Barcelona, Spain) Independent Curator
Mindaugas Kavaliauskas (Kaunas, Lithuania) KAUNAS PHOTO festival - Director, F Galerija - Curator
Gintaras Česonis (Kaunas, Lithuania) Lithuanian Photo Artists' Union, Kaunas Branch - Chairman, Kaunas Photography Gallery - Director
Ieva Meilutė-Svinkūnienė (Vilnius, Lithuania) Lithuanian Photo Artists' Union – Curator
Horst Kloever (Berlin, Germany) - Curator, journalist
Katarzyna Majak (Poland) Kwartalnik Fotogafia - Member of editorial board
Malcolm Dickson (Glasgow, Scotland) Street Level Photoworks – Director
Marius Matulevičius (Lithuania) FOTO magazine – Editor-in-chief
More info:
+370 650 77895; festival@kaunasphoto.info
www.kaunasphoto.info
