Solo show: Hans op de Beeck - CIRCUMSTANCES, ARTscape (Belgium) European Capital of Culture project (over)

GALERIJA VARTAI GALERIJA VARTAI Vilniaus g. 39 LT-01119 Vilnius Lithuania (city map) Send E-mail tel +370 5 - 212 29 49 www.galerijavartai.lt

Part of the Vilnius - European capital of culture 2009 program ARTscape is a large-scale project that involves contemporary art, cinema and jazz, co-organized by some of the most qualified cultural institutions: "Kino pavasaris", "Vilnius jazz" and Gallery "Vartai". Throughout the year 2009 and in the beginning of 2010 these three experienced institutions will be presenting the contemporary culture scenes of twelve European countries, the cities of which are, were, or will become European capitals of culture. The three different media - art, cinema and music - will outline the diagrams of dynamic cultural processes.

ARTscape: BELGIUM

Vartai gallery presents the cycle of video works by the contemporary Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck titled "Circumstances" and consisting of six individual videos. Hans Op de Beeck has been recording the flow of life with a video camera since 1996. In 2008, this cycle of works was displayed in Rogaland art museum, Norway. In his works, the Flemish artist uses the media of video, installation and sculpture, animation and drawing, design and text to recreate and stage life, household and urban situations and to turn them into enacted scenes. The plots are full of reflections and point to the absurdity, boredom and senselessness of life; there is a feeling that the characters captured in the videos are being watched and often seem tragicomic.

The exhibition was organised in cooperation with Xavier Hufkens gallery.