Description
The latest tourist attraction in Zarasai—the Šarūnas Sauka and Nomeda Saukienė Gallery, located in one of the town’s oldest buildings—opened on May 27, 2023. It was opened as part of the Zarasai Municipality’s project “Expansion and Modernization of the Zarasai Regional Museum through the Establishment of the Šarūnas and Nomeda Sauka Gallery and the Development of the Jewish Cultural Trail.” Šarūnas and Nomeda Sauka, who were born, raised, and educated in Vilnius, have been honorary citizens of Zarasai since 2014 and have lived in the Zarasai District, near Dusetos, since 1990. Šarūnas Sauka is a recipient of the first National Culture and Arts Award (1989), and Nomeda Saukienė is a recipient of the Government’s Culture and Arts Award (2017). Both artists have received numerous other awards. The gallery exhibits 42 of their works of art (22 by Šarūnas and 20 by Nomeda), mostly paintings, as well as sculptural objects by Šarūnas Sauka. The gallery is housed in three exhibition halls; it was designed by architect Justinas Dūdėnas, and the exhibition is curated by the artists’ daughter, art historian Monika Saukaitė. The exhibits are arranged in a circular layout, so visitors can view the artworks by choosing one of two routes. Childhood, dreams, life turning into memories, death, and resurrection—according to the exhibition’s curator, Monika Saukaitė, these are the keywords of this exhibition. Turning left, Hall 1 features works by both artists, which vary in format, technique, and plasticity. But what unites them is their depiction of the fragility of life, the transience of objects and people, and eternal renewal. In Hall 2, visitors are greeted by Šarūnas Sauka’s large-format works with rich narratives. As Monika Saukaitė explains, he creates his paintings using fragments of objects and photographs, interweaving unrelated objects, events, bodies, and faces. From this largest, darkest hall—filled with all sorts of small stories in every work—visitors move on to Nomeda Saukienė’s hall, which has a bright atmosphere, sunbeams streaming through the windows, and filled with images of childhood—paintings featuring playful foxes, alligators, mountains of sorrel, and more. More information: zarasumuziejus.lt/
