On 10 July, at 18.00, the Lithuanian Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema will open a joint exhibition of Lithuanian and Ukrainian theatre artists "Theatre stage characters: Ukraine - Lithuania".

 

The exhibition is a part of a joint project of the Lithuanian Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema and the Scenography Gallery (Lviv) within the framework of the Lviv Quadrennial of Scenography "21st Century Theatre Costume. Dialogue of identities: Ukraine - Lithuania".

 

This is the first meeting of scenic designers from these countries, which reveals the artistic creative pursuits of the twenty-first century in different contexts, their closeness and uniqueness. The exhibition in Vilnius is a look at theatre artists who create costumes for characters and puppets, showing how the appearance of the main element of a performance - the character - is used to reveal the peculiarities of contemporary national drama. A character is the main protagonist of a theatre performance, the only obligatory part of the performance that participates in the plot and describes certain personal traits or meanings, reveals deep cultural and social processes, and reflects the historical context of the nation.

 

"By organising an exhibition of contemporary artists, we want to show their latest completed works. In addition, I think that the Lithuanian audience will be interested to see what ideas, themes and projects are being implemented in Ukrainian theatre during the war and today," says Bohdan Polishchuk, one of the exhibition's curators.

 

Many of the exhibits represent performances from 2024 and 2025. A review of the creative activities of theatre artists from both countries shows a clear Ukrainian focus on the dissemination, promotion and knowledge of scenography. They organise exhibitions, such as the Triennial of Scenography by one of the most famous Ukrainian scenographers, Danylo Lider, etc.

 

"The Scenography Gallery, which was founded on the initiative of Ukrainian scenographers and is supported by their care, continues to operate even during the war, while the daily life of Lithuanian artists begins and ends only in the theatre ," says the exhibition coordinator and artistic director of Auksė Kapočiūtė-Vaitkuvienė. "This is one of the most obvious differences when it comes to the professional concentration of Ukrainian and Lithuanian theatre artists, as well as the different conditions for creating performances in peacetime and wartime."

 

However, theatre artists from both countries have similar approaches to all components of the performance design, with an emphasis on the plastic expression of characters in costumes and puppets. National drama inspires the search for national identity. In recent years, both Ukrainian and Lithuanian theatre have shown interest in national themes. Lithuania hosts various theatre competitions, seminars, workshops, and the Versmės Festival of Contemporary Drama. Similar efforts are being made in Ukraine to promote the development of national drama.

 

It became important to understand ourselves against the backdrop of tense historical events - in the conditions of war. The images of Ukrainian and Lithuanian theatre characters emphasise a similar desire of the theatre to restore and rediscover forgotten, unique non-classical themes and art forms. The archaic past is being reinterpreted, legends, old fairy tales, and works by the founders of nationalism, such as Lesya Ukrainka and Vidunas, are being revived . The national drama of both countries is revealed in the symbolic, associative plasticity of costumes, their massive forms, the new presentation of coarse fabrics and the revival of the white colour.

 

The dominant motifs are multi-layered, loose-fitting costumes that seem to enclose the figure in a kind of shell, suggesting a search for safety, and through generalised decorative motifs, symbolic colours and blind body covering, they tend to reveal the spirit of the sacred and, at the same time, the reality of everyday experience. The costumes created by artists from both countries help to embody the characters' personalities, emphasise the peculiarities of national identity, reveal the most complex dramas of human existence and at the same time show the connections between the identities of contemporary artists from different countries.

 

The Ukrainian exposition is represented by seven well-known Ukrainian theatre artists who present their latest works. These are recognised artists who collaborated with prominent directors who remained in Ukraine during the war. All of these artists are actively involved in exhibitions and their own expositions, as well as in pedagogical and social activities, educational and publishing projects.

 

Among the Ukrainian theatre artists are Lyubov Dushyna, Danyila Kolot, Inessa Kulchytska, Bohdan Polishchuk, Olena Polishchuk, and Oleh Tatarynov.