On 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟴 𝗮𝘁 𝟳:𝟯𝟬 𝗽.𝗺., art critic, curator, publisher, and feminist Agnieszka Rayzacher will unveil the stories hidden in swamps and forests. We invite you to a lecture-curated screening where films by A. Maceina, J. Rajkowska, and R. Yerachmiel Sniderman will reveal Eastern European death rituals and the landscapes of historical memory.
Two films – “Black Box” by Algimantas Maceina (1994) and “Night Herons” by Joanna Rajkowska and Robert Yerachmiel Sniderman (2020) – intertwine narratives of the presence of death rituals in the societies and cultures of Central and Eastern Europe. Much separates these works: the time of their creation and the political, social, and cultural contexts in which they were produced. They are also realised in distinct aesthetics. Maceina produced a documentary using stop-motion animation, while Rajkowska employed marionettes as the vehicle of her narrative, filming staged scenes in which they appear. Currently, the reception of these two films evokes reflections on the history of Lithuania and Poland, as well as the impact of geopolitics on our lives and rituals. A silent protagonist of these two works is also nature — the swamps and forests that conceal both human and non-human stories and narratives.
The intention of presenting these two films in one screening is to focus on the rituals of passage related to death present in Polish, Lithuanian, and Yiddish cultures. The curator’s wish is to contemplate what remains of these rituals in contemporary customs and culture. During the presentation, in addition to the film “Night Herons” by Joanna Rajkowska and Robert Yerachmiel Sniderman, other works addressing the theme will be discussed, including Rajkowska’s “Dybbuks and Martyrs” (2025) and Zuzanna Janin’s “I’ve Seen My Death” (2003), which will allow for a deeper dive into the topic and introduce the Lithuanian audience to sepulchral themes in contemporary Polish visual culture. The theme that led to the pairing of the film by the Lithuanian director with that of the Polish artist is the presence of historical motifs in both works and their distinctive atmosphere—something that could only be described as “Easternness,” presented in each of the films differently, yet intensely palpable.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.
𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://forms.gle/jqBLYewQ9CKNsxD6A
The lecture will be held in English.
“Black Box” by Algimantas Maceina (1994) will be screened in Lithuanian and English.
“Night Herons” by Joanna Rajkowska and Robert Yerachmiel Sniderman (2020) will be screened in English with Lithuanian subtitles.
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿:
Agnieszka Rayzacher (b. 1969) – art critic, curator, and publisher, known for her long-standing commitment to promoting the work of contemporary women artists. Since 2005, she has been running the “lokal_30” gallery and “Fundacja Lokal Sztuki”, both of which are dedicated to expanding feminist art spaces in Warsaw. The gallery is recognized for its bold exhibitions, publications, and public discussions that highlight the voices of women and queer artists in art history. Rayzacher is a co-founder of the discussion group “Feminist Seminar” (SemFem) devoted to art and feminism. She is also the editor and author of texts for various books, including: Natalia LL’s “Doing Gender” (2014); Ewa Zarzycka’s “Hidays” (2016); Zuzanna Janin’s “White She-Raven” (2016), “Escape from the Liberty Cinema” (2017); Karolina Breguła’s “I Do Not Cry Over Sculptures” (2017), “Her Own Way. Female Artists and the Moving Image in Art in Poland: From 1970s to the Present” (2019), “We Want the Whole Life. Feminisms in Polish Art” (2025).
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This event is part of the Meno Avilys’ Cinematheque event series, curated by Ona Kotryna Dikavičiūtė and Gerda Paliušytė.
Cinematheque event series is a continuous project of “Meno Avilys”, during which Lithuanian and foreign artists, curators, and researchers are invited to explore the physical and virtual archive of the restored films and video art of the Cinematheque. The curatorial research is presented to the audiences of “Meno Avilys” via guest-curated programmes of moving pictures, public talks, commissioned texts, and literature recommendations.
𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿: „Meno avilys“
𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: Lietuvos kultūros taryba, Vilniaus miesto savivaldybė, Lietuvos kino centras
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿: Mindaugas Gavrilovas (Studio Cryo)