Exhibition of Works by Graphic Artist Elvyra Kairiūkštytė “Returning Home”

From October 10 to 31, 2025, the Šiauliai Art Gallery hosts an exhibition of works by graphic artist Elvyra Kairiūkštytė (1950–2006), “Returning Home.”

Exhibition opening – October 10, Friday, at 5:00 PM. Admission is free during the opening event.

RETURNING HOME

This exhibition is dedicated to the artist’s 75th birth anniversary. It is part of the project “360º Gallery Elvė Returns Home” implemented by Vytautas Vitkauskas Public Library of Šiauliai District Municipality, partially funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, with Šiauliai District Municipality as partner.

Visitors will see cycles of linocuts, collections of prints, and monumental drawings whose scale rivals that of frescoes or stained-glass works. It is a unique opportunity to take a fresh look at the legacy of one of the most original Lithuanian graphic artists of the second half of the 20th century. The library has also published a catalog accompanying the exhibition, offering a deeper insight into the artist’s creative vision.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Elvyra Kairiūkštytė (1950–2006) was one of the most prominent Lithuanian graphic artists of the second half of the 20th century. Her creative legacy comprises around 11,000 large-format drawings, prints, sketches, and other works.

Art critics describe her works as expressive, metaphorical, and highly distinctive—reflecting influences of ancient civilizations, modernist master Pablo Picasso, and Lithuanian graphic artist Viktoras Petravičius. She boldly experimented with form and scale, creating monumental compositions that stand out for their strong emotional impact.

Art historian Ramutė Rachlevičiūtė has emphasized that Kairiūkštytė’s works are unmistakably recognizable: they are filled with authentic vision, original metaphors, and vivid expression. She has been called the “heavy artillery” of Lithuanian graphics, a bold and charming acrobat of linocut, and a “bachelor of art”—a personality who consciously chose solitude and dedicated herself entirely to creation.

Her life path was difficult: abandoned as a child, she grew up in the Kuršėnai orphanage and discovered art early on as a means of self-expression and survival. Later she studied at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Although she lived modestly and alone, in her art she created a rich, intense, and unique world recognized in the history of Lithuanian art. After her death, her relatives took on the responsibility of preserving her creative legacy. In January 2024, her heirs and copyright holders Regina and Ignas Norvaišos donated around 200 graphic works and publications to Vytautas Vitkauskas Public Library of Šiauliai District Municipality.

To reach a wider audience, the project also created a 360º virtual gallery, where visitors can view digitized monumental scroll drawings and prints.

Elvyra Kairiūkštytė’s life was full of trials, but today her art finds its place not only in the memory of Lithuanian cultural institutions but also abroad. The exhibition title “Returning Home” symbolically marks her return to the land of her childhood and to the context of contemporary art.

Awards:

1987 – Main Prize at the Republican Exhibition of Young Artists

1992 – State Grant for Culture and Art Creators

1996 – Highest-Level State Grant

2001 – Individual Grant of the Ministry of Culture

Her works are held in Lithuanian art museums and other museums, as well as in private collections in Lithuania and abroad.

Information provided by Vytautas Vitkauskas Public Library of Šiauliai District Municipality

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Dear visitors, by attending the exhibition openings, you acknowledge and agree that the events may be filmed or photographed, and the images may be published on the Šiauliai Art Gallery website, in the media, or on social media platforms.