Meno erdvė „GODÒ galerija”

Giedrius Jonaitis | Solo exhibition “Iron Wolf and California”

On April 21 (Tuesday) at 6 PM, the Vilnius art space GODÒ gallery presents the solo exhibition “Iron Wolf and California” by artist Giedrius Jonaitis.

The exhibition is a kind of travel diary from sunny California. As in any diary, it brings together a range of tones – from idyllic views and mildly romanticized moments to impressions captured in the margins in a rush, before the feeling slips away: people encountered along the way, strange incidents, visual fragments, accidental findings, and even deliberately unfiltered “naughtiness,” as the artist himself might call it.

A sense of longing for home (and there certainly was one) is hinted at by the appearance of the Iron Wolf – a symbol of Vilnius. Here, however, it is not only covered in armor but seems to have acquired a few superpowers as well. Known for his inventiveness, curiosity, and a tendency to combine seemingly incompatible elements, the artist reimagines this city symbol as a hybrid creature – part historical, part futuristic – cutting through the gallery space with a laser-like gaze.

Other Lithuanian animals also appear in the exhibition: some snorting smoke, others clenching cigars bought by the artist in California. Meanwhile, an American eagle hovers above the display, suggesting that Jonaitis may simply be indulging his long-standing fascination with beasts. Be that as it may, these animal-driven narratives about America and Lithuania form a vivid and multi-layered myth.

In this exhibition, the artist does not strive for coherence but rather for authenticity and a deliberately unpolished relationship with both his experiences and himself. The display unfolds as a collection of visual notes, allowing us to sense how the artist navigates a new environment, builds connections with people, and, ultimately, reveals who he is.

In some works, the artist’s mastery and precision are evident (Jonaitis is widely regarded as a master of drypoint and lithography, while he jokingly refers to himself as meticulous to a fault – perhaps one of the reasons he was once entrusted with designing Lithuanian banknotes). In others, there is spontaneous expression: quick strokes, humor, and a distinctly “Jonaitis-like” disregard for rules. This constant shift between discipline and freedom becomes one of the key sources of the exhibition’s appeal and magnetic pull.

The exhibition features landscapes created in California using pastel, acrylic, and colored pencils (rumor has it the artist found it nearly impossible to pass a park without spreading out his entire drawing kit on a nearby rock), as well as a series of portraits of people he encountered there – in neighborhoods, sports bars, cafés – everywhere. Dog portraits, in particular, became something of a hit on Californian streets, and perhaps even a clever way to start talking to locals; these portraits, too, are included in the exhibition.

Incidentally, the artist sharpened his pencils already on the plane, just after leaving Lithuanian soil – after an 11-hour flight, not only many passengers but also flight attendants were holding his self-portraits in their hands. It seems he arrived in California already fully immersed in a creative mindset.

The exhibition also includes collages made from artifacts collected in California – newspapers, posters, and various objects featuring iconic American figures and symbols. In these works, the artist incorporates not only found materials but also himself: photographs from the trip are transformed into witty, as he puts it, “perverse” self-portraits. This comes as no surprise – self-irony and shifting between the roles of observer and participant have long been part of Jonaitis’s artistic play. Since his student years, he has embedded or hidden his own image in his works, often in strangely transformed, almost mythical forms – with a pig’s snout, tusks, or a wolf’s mane – so one should expect no less in his latest pieces.

Finally, the diary-like nature of the exhibition is reinforced by reconstructed historical confessionals. Here, however, the visitor is not the one confessing but rather the one who listens – and even sees with their own eyes – Jonaitis’s “sins” from sunny California.

The exhibition will run until May 6. Admission is free.

About the artist:

Giedrius Jonaitis (b. 1963) is an artist, master of lithography and drypoint, and creator of graphic cycles, book illustrations, Lithuanian banknotes, assemblages, installations, and animated films.

From 1975 to 1981, he studied at the M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art. From 1981 to 1987, he studied graphic arts at the Lithuanian State Art Institute (now the Vilnius Academy of Arts). From 1988 to 2016, he taught at the Department of Graphics at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, and since 2011 he has been a professor.

He has created prints using lithography and drypoint techniques and illustrated both fiction and textbooks. From 1991 to 2007, he designed Lithuanian banknotes and is the author of all series of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 500 litas banknotes, as well as most issues of the 20 and 50 litas banknotes. Since 2000, he has primarily worked with assemblages, objects, spatial installations, and animation.

His works are held in public collections of museums and galleries in Lithuania and abroad, as well as in private collections.