In the Distance IV

Audrius Grazys

Audrius Grazys was born in 1963, Kaunas, Lithuania.  He got Master’s degree in Vilnius Academy of Arts. A. Grazys appears as one of the most productive and original visual artists of young Lithuanian contemporary art generation. The artist is recognized for his unique artistic expression - nearly classical precision and discipline interacts with expressive brushwork. Through his conceptual art, A. Grazys represents fragments of mysterious human existence while everyday reality is enriched with fearless and glowing erotism. Moreover, bright and vivid compositions expose deep human tensions, ambiguity and vulnerability. A. Grazys is a very unpredictable artist, he has several creative methods and approaches and always seeks to break the rules. 

According to the artist, two of the most significant sources of inspiration are mundane environment and nature.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

• Group exhibition – “Vartai Gallery Painters” at M. K. Čiurlionis Gallery, Chicago, USA, 1995
• “Exhibition of Lithuanian Plastic Art”, Sharjah Museum, United Arab Emirates, 1997
• Solo exhibition – “Two Weeks by the Ocean“, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1998
• Solo exhibition – “Archetypes“, Krebsen Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1999
• Group exhibition – “Without Shadows”, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium, 2001
• Solo exhibition – “Human & Nature“ at Gallery of SunnyHills, Tokyo, Japan, 2002
• Solo exhibition – “Birth“ at Gallery Via Del Ambra, Arezzo, Italy, 2006
• Group exhibition – “From Good Painting to Video Art” at National Museum of Rome, Italy, 2008
• Participation at Vilnius International Art Fair – “Art Vilnius’12”, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2012
• Solo exhibition – “Golden Years“, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium, 2013
• Solo exhibition – “Far and Away“, The Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Moscow, Russia, 2016
• Group exhibition – “Salzburg – Vilnius. Dialogues”, Berchtoldvilla, Austria, 2017
• Participation at Affordable Art Fair, RadoArt gallery, London, United Kingdom, 2018

SELECTED AWARDS

• The President of the Republic of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, awarded A. Grazys with the Order of Merit (Officer’s Cross) of the Republic of Portugal in 2003
• The artist also won a prize of Dienovidis of the 10th International Triennial of Painting
• Twice the painter got the first place for artistic performances – “Performances on the Sand”
• In 2016, the artist was awarded with the Golden Badge for the versatility and reflexiveness in creations by the resolution of the Council of Lithuanian Artists' Association.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Grazys has been a member of Lithuanian Artists’ Association since 1992.
• Together with another famous artist, Vilmantas Marcinkevičius, he initiated the project – “Bite Art Space”, which was an unprecedented event in the history of contemporary Lithuanian art – artists for the first time created extremely large paintings and exhibited them in open public spaces.
• Grazys has arranged over 20 solo exhibitions and has exhibited his paintings in more than 50 group exhibitions in prominent art galleries in Lithuania, Denmark, Finland, Brazil, Germany, Russia, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, China, the USA, Slovakia, Sweden, Great Britain, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
• Grazys is also popular for his original artistic installations, recognized not only by art critics, but also by art lovers all around the world.