Duplicating Image (Powielanie obrazu) by Stasys

The Copernicus Center for Polish Studies (CCPS) at the University of Michigan presents an exhibition of collage prints by the Lithuanian-Polish artist Stasys Eidrigevičius, known simply as Stasys, from October 4 through November 27 at the International Institute Gallery. The exhibition displays works created between 2013 and 2018 and reflects a long-standing passion for this medium that began during Stasys’s training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vilnius, Lithuania. The works show Stasys’s fascination with the “juxtaposition of fragments that create original, unexpected, and often surrealist images that unlock a new and imaginary universe.” His playful collages engage the viewer, hiding riddles where the lines disappear between missing fragments and the original work of art, and where one can question and suspend a belief in reality. U-M Professor of Art History Daniel Herwitz described the effect as “stark but also theatrical …as if Van Gogh had been reborn as part trapeze artist/part clown to paint the heavy weight of things but also set them in motion like a circus.”

Stasys was born in Mediniškiai, Lithuania in 1949. He studied at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, moving to Warsaw in 1980 where he established his reputation as a world-renowned artist. A master of many techniques, he has worked as an illustrator, book cover designer, sculptor, painter, and photographer. Stasys is best known for his graphics and poster art. His artworks have been exhibited in the United States, Japan, Great Britain, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Germany. He is the recipient of numerous international prizes and awards, including the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2019).

The International Institute Gallery is located on the 5th floor of Weiser Hall, 500 Church St., Ann Arbor. This exhibit is sponsored by CCPS in collaboration with the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2019-20.

Contact: Marysia Ostafin / T: 734.764.0351 / E: copernicus@umich.edu

The Copernicus Center for Polish Studies (CCPS) at the University of Michigan was established in 2019 after more than 40 years of activity and programs offered by the Nicolaus Copernicus Endowment. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the great Polish astronomer’s birth, the endowment and a Polish program were launched in 1973 in cooperation with students, faculty, and the Polish Americans of Michigan who contributed generously with their time, energy, and financial assistance. CCPS continues the tradition today by enabling faculty appointments, programming, and student fellowships in Polish studies. It also organizes the Annual Copernicus Lecture—established in 1980—which brings prominent academic, cultural, and political figures to campus to offer the public a deeper understanding of Poland’s people, culture, and history, as well as its growing influence in world academics, arts, and affairs. For more information, visit ii.umich.edu/polish.  

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