Parlez-leur d’ambre, de métal et de vie : bijou contemporain lituanien 1990–2023 

29 June - 8 December 2024

 

Musee du Bijou Contemporain – Espace Solidor  

Pl. du Château, 06800 Cagnes-sur-Mer, France 

+33 (0) 4 93 73 14 42 

 

Opening hours:  

July–August: Wednesdays to Mondays from 2pm to 6pm, and until 7pm on Fridays 

September: Wednesdays to Sundays from 2pm to 6pm 

October to December: Wednesdays to Sundays from 2pm to 5pm 

Closed on Tuesdays 

Free admission  

 

The exhibition “Parlez-leur d’ambre, de métal et de vie : bijou contemporain lituanien 1990–2023” (eng. – “Tell them of amber, metal, and life: contemporary lithuanian jewelry 1990-2023”) is a part of the Lithuanian season in France. It spans thirty years in Lithuania’s life: from the time of our restored Independence in 1990 to now. Twelve artists from different generations talk about that which makes up the core of the Lithuanian identity. 

 

“When I need to talk about contemporary Lithuanian jewellery, I often feel as if I were trying to encompass the unencompassable – I begin with legends about the establishment of Vilnius and the nameless lakes floating about in the sky, or stories about palaces made of amber, then I jump over to reality – the mundane, peasant mentality, the period of Soviet occupation, the recovery of our Independence, Sąjūdis, emigration and everything that goes into our current Lithuanian reality. After all, when you think about it, the Lithuanian jewellery stage is (thus far) neither very large nor very significant, if we were to try to define its territory at least on the European map. But there’s a reason why this is so. Jewellery is inextricably linked to our identity, to who we are and how we see the world. That’s why every piece of contemporary jewellery from Lithuania is in a sense a letter from a relatively (or completely) unfamiliar territory, telling others about that which we deem most important, even if we are not immediately conscious of this”, says Dr Jurgita Ludavičienė, one of the curators. 

 

 

What’s important to Lithuanians? 

 

Nature. Lithuanians are proud to have been Europe’s last pagans; even the most modern Lithuanian seeks inspiration and serenity in forests (some of which date back as far as pagan times) and from the Baltic Sea. That is why organic materials are used in our jewellery: wood and paper, resin and parchment, and of course, amber, which means quite a bit more to Lithuanians than other people. In the early 20th century, it became the symbol of the Lithuanian identity and is still considered the embodiment of being Lithuanian.  

 

The past and history. Lithuanian jewellery-makers tell stories by going back to their roots. Many centuries of occupations, liberation struggles, the preservation of our language and writing against all odds, legends, mythology and even the howl of the Iron Wolf have all left their mark on our consciousness and in our jewellery.  

 

The present. The restoration of Independence not only opened the borders but also liberated our thinking. Jewellers now find inspiration both in thousand-year-old Baltic brooches and on club stages. Lithuania, a country at the crossroads of Europe, draws courage from its past and sketches out future perspectives. 

 

The title of this exhibition is the rephrased title of Mathias Énard’s novel ‘Parle-leur de batailles, de rois et d’éléphants’ [Tell them of Battles, Kings and Elephants]. It tells the story of Michelangelo’s construction of a bridge linking Constantinople to Pera. The famous painter writes letters from Constantinople to Italy, literally and figuratively building a bridge between the two countries. The exhibition “Tell them of amber, metal, and life: contemporary Lithuanian jewellery 1990-2023″ also aims to build an artistic bridge between Lithuania and France. 

 

Artists featured in the exhibition „Parlez-leur d’ambre, de métal et de vie : bijou contemporain lituanien 1990–2023“: 

 

ASOL (Solveiga ir Alfredas Krivičiai)  

Eglė Čėjauskaitė-Gintalė  

Ieva Grigienė  

Karina Kazlauskaitė  

Eimantas Ludavičius  

Vita Pukštaitė-Bružė 

Paulius Rukas  

Benas Staškauskas 

Biruta Stulgaitė 

Sigitas Virpilaitis 

Šarūnė Žygienė 

 

 

The exhibition features works from the collection of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art and private collections of the artists. The exhibition also includes photographs by Vytautas Daraškevičius, Artūras Raila (from the series „The Power of the Earth“), and Simone Simon (Galerie Eva Vautier, Nice, France). 

 

The exhibition catalogue is available.

 

Curators: Jurgita Ludavičienė, Olga Zobel-Biro 

Organizers: Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Musee du Bijou Contemporain 

Financed by: The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania 

The Lithuanian Season in France is implemented by the Lithuanian Culture Institute and the French Institute in Paris. 

 

Other exhibitions and events of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art in the programme of the Lithuanian season in France 2024 and during the season in France: