honorable mention
Vytenis Jankūnas united states
title
Nocturnal Creatures
“Nocturnal Creatures” is a photography project about the humans of big Metropolis by night. What I was trying to do is to tell my own story through these people. All pictures are not staged, but rather a street photography, but I edited them my own way, erasing backgrounds and adding narrative elements to it. People in my images became city dwellers without the actual city. They look like actors on a theater stage playing their own stories about New York by night. Note: all images are treated as diptychs of two matching pairs intentionally.
I primarily use the photography medium as a creative tool lately. It gives me an advantage of capturing life around me in the most effective way possible. My work is a reflection of me, or my inner state in particular time and location through other people and objects I meet in my journey in and around NYC. My background in fine arts and painting lets me treat photography the way I would approach empty canvas, or sheet of paper. I do not stage, or influence my shots, but rather search and wait for the situation to occur and surprise me.
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entry description
NOCTURNAL CREATURES“Nocturnal Creatures” is a photography project about the humans of big Metropolis by night. What I was trying to do is to tell my own story through these people. All pictures are not staged, but rather a street photography, but I edited them my own way, erasing backgrounds and adding narrative elements to it. People in my images became city dwellers without the actual city. They look like actors on a theater stage playing their own stories about New York by night. Note: all images are treated as diptychs of two matching pairs intentionally.
I primarily use the photography medium as a creative tool lately. It gives me an advantage of capturing life around me in the most effective way possible. My work is a reflection of me, or my inner state in particular time and location through other people and objects I meet in my journey in and around NYC. My background in fine arts and painting lets me treat photography the way I would approach empty canvas, or sheet of paper. I do not stage, or influence my shots, but rather search and wait for the situation to occur and surprise me.
about the photographer
Vytenis Jankūnas is a visual artist who in his latest work uses mostly photography as a medium for his artistic projects, which include photo and video installations, books and photography shows. He has shown in numerous group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally, including “Buying time: Nourishing Excellence” at Sotheby’s New Galleries in New York City; “Aujourdh’ui les Baltes,” École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (France); “Bread and Salt,” Cornerhouse Gallery, Manchester (UK); “The Memory of Images. Baltic Photo Art Today,” Stadtgalerie im Sophienhof, Kiel (Germany); Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock (Germany); Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga (Latvia); Exhibition Hall Nikolaj, Copenhagen (Denmark). Recent exhibits include one-man show “Stuck on the Train / Pakeleivis” at Contemporary Art Centre Vilnius (Lithuania), which was his second solo show in CAC Vilnius and in Art Hall Gallery, Tallinn (Estonia). He won the 1st place in Self Published Books category of the IPA - int'l photography awards and has been a recipient of the Fellowship award in the category of Painting from the New York Foundation for the Arts (Gregory Millard Fellowship), New York City (USA). Vytenis Jankūnas was awarded a residency at Nordic Arts Centre (HIAP), Helsinki (Finland) and grant of the Nordic Information Office, Vilnius (Lithuania). He has also received the grant of the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts, Vilnius (Lithuania) and The Annual State Grant for Young Artists provided by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Vilnius (Lithuania). Vytenis Jankūnas lives and works in New York City, USA.back to gallery