On the centennial anniversary of the birth of Jonas Mekas, the Monira Foundation presents a year-long celebration of the pioneering filmmaker’s works and life at Mana Contemporary’s Jersey City location.
September 11 afternoon will feature three installations by the late poet, filmmaker and artist, Jonas Mekas (1922-2019).
– “Lithuania and the Collapse of the USSR” (four-channel video installation, 2009);
– “Destruction Quartet” (four-channel video installation, 2006);
– “491 Broadway” (Sound installation with table and chairs, 2009).
“I don’t know if I write poems… When I shoot, I don’t make films. I just film, film, film. The same is with my writing. I write, I write, I write… Is it poetry or prose? Or nothing? I don’t think about it at all, it doesn’t matter in any way. I just write, write, write…” – Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas was captured in various circumstances on video and photo cameras in the diaries of friends and other curious people. The audiovisual installation „Jonas Mekas, more closely and from further away” consists of different extremely personal fragments of video and photo diaries of Arūnas Kulikauskas, Chihiro Ito, and Saulius Paukštys, where the main character is Mekas, a poet, a filmmaker and an artist of life. Arūnas Kulikauskas recorded Jonas Mekas in 1998 on the roof of his house in New York, reading his then unpublished poetry. The New York-based artist Chihiro Ito visited Mekas in 2018 and interviewed him about his work, life, and FLUXUS. Photographer Saulius Paukštys captured the meeting with Jonas Mekas in one of New York bars in 2007.
Programmed by The Film Gallery on the occasion of the celebration of its centenary, the exhibition “To New York With Love” presents 21 offset lithographs and the screening of the film “As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses Of Beauty” (2000) by Jonas Mekas.
The 21 offset lithographs, “To New York With Love”, is a sensitive tribute to the city, a gift of poetic reminiscences to its viewers. Mekas’s images – which range from seemingly banal pictures of teens playing in Central Park to Rockefeller Center’s bedazzled Christmas tree – retain the compositional form of the film strip.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jonas Mekas, the newly restored version of the 4-hour feature film “As I was moving ahead occasionally I saw brief glimpses of beauty” presented in 2000 at the London Film Festival will be presented, reconstructing the Lithuanian director, poet and artist’s filmic activity of over 30 years.
The screening is introduced by Andrea Lissoni, curator of the “Moving Images” project for NU.
A joint photo exhibition portraying Jonas Mekas is open to public at Estonian House in Stockholm (from 12.00 to 15.00) presenting the moments of his life from two perspectives.
“The Frozen Light of Jonas Mekas” portrays photos taken by Mekas’ wife Hollis Melton, frozen images from Mekas’ films, and drawings. The images show the most important and dearest people to this filmmaker – including his wife, kids, his parents and relatives. As well as his friends from the art world – Andy Warhol, John Lennon together with Yoko Ono, and George Mačiūnas.
The second part of the joint exhibition “Everyday Life of Jonas” is showcasing images by the photographer Arūnas Kulikauskas, who had worked with Mekas for over 10 years. Over the time spent together, he managed to capture images of the legendary filmmaker at his home, in bars, and in the streets of New York.
In a 2019 interview, asked by Hans Ulrich Olbricht about projects he did not complete, Jonas Mekas answered: “When I turn 100, I want to go to the Himalayas, to Tibet. We’ll talk about it in 2023, when I’m back.” If he was still alive, he would be celebrating his hundredth birthday this year, and probably making the trip he dreamt about. But the voyage he planned remained an idea, fantasy of a potential future which may give meaning to the present moment. Perhaps for Mekas the world’s highest peaks were always just a vision belonging to the realm of unfulfilled dreams which pushed the artist towards continuing development, further mental and artistic journeys.
The artistic duo Emanuel Geisser and Kama Sokolnicka celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the Lithuanian-born artist’s birth with an exhibition about travel, movement, light and dreams which are to remain unfulfilled.
On 25 June Vaida Voraitė, a designer from Biržai currently living and working in Berlin, will present her new clothing collection “Turgus” inspired by life and work of Jonas Mekas. The exhibition will focus on the collection, including linen fabrics made in Lithuania, masculinity and gender changes in society. The Biržai Central Market Square will become a professional catwalk that will not only be walked by professional models, but also by local people together with guests from abroad.
On 26 June Vaida Voraitė will invite you to visit the showroom at the “Portfolio Gallery” (Rotušės g. 12) in Biržai. The showroom will provide an opportunity to get a closer look to the newly launched collection, to talk to the designer and order the garment you want.
On the occasion of Jonas Mekas’ 100th birthday, the Sprengel Museum Hannover honors the artist by presenting his films in an exhibition space during the year.
From 17 June to 31 July the visitors of the museum will have an opportunity to watch the film by Jonas Mekas “Lost Lost Lost” (1976). Film starts at 10:30 / 12:00 / 13:30 / 15:00 / 16:30 / 18:00.
On the occasion of Jonas Mekas’ 100th birthday, the Sprengel Museum Hannover honors the artist by presenting his films in an exhibition space during the year.
From 17 June to 31 July the visitors of museum will have an opportunity to watch the film by Jonas Mekas “The Brig” (1964). Film starts at 10:30 / 12:00 / 13:30 / 15:00 / 16:30 / 18:00.
From 5 August to 11 September the film “Lost, Lost, Lost” (1976) will be on display.
Programmed to celebrate the centennial of Jonas Mekas, Jonas Mekas 100!, the exhibition “To New York With Love” presents 21 offset lithographs and the screening of the film As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses Of Beauty, 2000, 288 min by Jonas Mekas.
The 21 offset lithographs, “To New York With Love”, is a sensitive tribute to the city, a gift of poetic reminiscences to its viewers. Mekas’s images – which range from seemingly banal pictures of teens playing in Central Park to Rockefeller Center’s bedazzled Christmas tree – retain the compositional form of the film strip.
The opening of the exhibition and the presentation of the Jonas Mekas book “I Seem to Live: The New York Diaries, 1969–2011: Volume 2” will take place on 14 April, at the Film Gallery at 6pm.
