Catalogue > Un extrait vidéo au hasard

The video work by Ugnius Gelguda titled A Paradise Tree documents the rise of a new neighbourhood of artists in Vilnius, Lithuania, which is often artificially compared to the New York?s SoHo. A Paradise Tree explores the boundaries of documentary and tells about the first forced steps of a new urban community. The story is ?told? through a hypertext link with the less known video work A Walk by Jonas Mekas created in 1990. During this one hour walk across the rainy SoHo neighbourhood, Mekas gives an intimate and chaotic recital of neighbourhood creation, tells about the first tree planted in the then industrial area by himself and his colleague Machiunas, and notes the transformation of SoHo streets and their inhabitants. Ugnius Gelguda?s video work revisits a community sustained by the relationship of an urban space and a uniting idea, and the inevitable change of this relationship under the influence of time and strong commercial mechanisms. The video camera slowly follows the shapes of lofts that are being set up on Shevchenkos Street as well as the carcass of a former factory which still exists but has already changed its function, combining the views of rough and dull buildings with the hopes of future settlers and thus transplanting real spaces into a fictional or potential story.

Ugnius Gelguda (born 1977, Vilnius) was granted a degree of art licentiate by Vilnius Art Academy in 2010, but he has been active in exhibitions since 2000. He has participated in many shows in Lithuania (Lithuanian Art 2000?2010: Ten Years, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, 2010; ARTscape: Italy, Vartai gallery, Vilnius, 2009; Lithuanian Art 08. Photography, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, 2008, etc.) and other countries (Gender check, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, 2010; Three, Fotohof gallery, Salzburg, Austria, 2010; Gender check, MUMOK, Vienna Kunsthalle, Vienna, 2009; Prague biennale 3, Baltic Mythologies programme, Prague, Czech Republic, 2007, etc.) He has received various awards and recognitions: two awards from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania ? one for the audiovisual installation Zalgiris in 2010 and one for the Best Professional Artist?s Debut Award in 2006, Moscow International Art Festival Prize in 2007 for the installation ?Zalgiris?. Since 2000, Ugnius Gelguda is successfully working as an individual artist and collaborating with other artists in various interdisciplinary projects. Photography and video is the primary media that Ugnius Gelguda uses to express his ideas; however his artistic portfolio audio-visual installations as well.