Kęstutis Vasiliūnas: Graphic Artist, "Decorator" of Clothing, Creator of Books

by Vaidilutė Brazauskaitė

By numerous aspects of his art Kęstutis Vasiliūnas stands out of the general context of contemporary art. It is first of all, his positive world outlook and refusal to genuflect to commercialism of art.
One of a very few artists working in the ancient block printing technique, he achieves immediacy of expression as the woodcut is done without sketches and draws on the stylistic heritage of diverse primitive cultures. Loyal to figurative art, he continuously transcribes the universal stories of the Bible and the lives of the saints, transforming them into modern icons emblematic of contemporary problems. His works in other techniques, like colour drawings and etchings strike a less primeval, but more lyrical note. He does not shun a postmodern pun either, and has once printed his woodcuts on paper dresses: displayed on the catwalk, they turned into a three dimensional object.
He is also a champion, in Lithuania and abroad, of an interdisciplinary genre, the art of book, which is a challenge to the traditional and commercial concept of book.

Kęstutis Vasiliūnas. Suknelė Nr. 025. Move it, move it
Popierius, spalvotas medžio raižinys, virvė, medis, 101 x 55, 2001